Surplus Stuff

No longer OPEN 7 DAYS

Ali's Surplus Stuff (the sign simply says "Surplus Stuff") in Sacramento is an excellent place to buy surplus electronic stuff. Now that HFE Electronics is gone, it's one of the few remaining electronic surplus stores in all of North California :(. They are not guaranteed to have what you want (especially if "what you want" was made within the last seven years,) but they've got some of the most arcane stuff, with reasonable prices. Prices are negotiable, like at a flea market.

Also see Metro Electronics.

Pictures

Run by a guy named Ali, who's a hard bargainer. Make sure to test anything as much as you can before leaving the store. - TarZxf

I've known Ali for several years. Great guy, very fair. His employees Ray and Ricardo are also very good. —GrumpyoldGeek

Are you sure the address is 6317 Folsom Blvd? I went there today and couldn't find it. Upon later searching online, I found the address of 8505 Folsom Blvd. Was I just blind, or is the later the correct address? EDIT: Yeah, I just called the number listed, and the voicemail says 8505. Changed. EDIT EDIT: Yeah, and it's not open on Sundays. Unlike the listed info. Sigh. Two trips this Sunday for nothing. Someone owes me gas money :-P — StewartShearer

• Sorry, he was open on Sundays up until a couple of months ago. It never occurred to me to change the wiki site. Oh well, what do you expect from volunteers. I can't give you free gas money, but I'd be happy to give you a lift on my regular Saturday morning run. —Grumpyoldgeek

  • No problem — at least now I now have the route ingrained into my brain :) . So what are the prices like? I see a 'scope or two in one of those pics; how much roughly would he charge for on? What about stuff like printer cables? I ask this because I ended up stopping at Office Despot there, and they wanted $43 for a 6 foot parallel cable. — StewartShearer

    • The cable would probably be around $5. What kind of scope are you looking for? Mhz? Channels? I'm kinda out of the loop on pricing because I'm always bringing him my company's surplus so I run a credit. I think you can expect to pay a little under ebay and be able to exchange it if it doesn't work. —Grumpyoldgeek

      • Actually, the reason I asked about the scope was just to get a feeling for instrument price ranges; I was assuming they were something like 25MHz scopes. What I am interested in is getting a decent bench variable power supply (say ~0-24V, 5A), and some sort of function generator (say up to 1MHz). You say your company gets rid of stuff; what sort of things? Be nice to cut out the middle man :) — StewartShearer

        • He has quite a few 2 channel HP scopes that look to be in pretty good condition and he might let you have one for $150 or so. He also has a bunch of retired Kenwood scopes, not quite as nice as the HP's, but probably cheaper, maybe $75-$100. I have an old Heathkit function generator I'd loan you indefinitely. I did have some surplus scopes, but they have gone to Ali already. You won't find any deals on bench supplies. They get snapped up right away. I just ordered 2 new ones and would have bought used from Ali if I could. If you want to come by my office some time and look at my test equipment, send me an email at [email protected]. Include your email and I'll get back to you. —Grumpyoldgeek

2009-05-05 18:13:54   Hello guys! I know Ali for years, to be exact, for almost 20 years now, since I use to live in Sacto. Now I'm in Charlotte, NC, for the last seven years, but every time I visit Sacto I visit Surplus Stuff as well. THERE IS NO SUCH PLACE IN THE WHOLE STATES, BELIEVE ME!!! Here I really miss such store! One week ago during my last trip to CA I again visited Ali, and - guess what? - one more bargain! The Getaway 200STM laptop with battery and dock for the price too low to publish here! THANKS ALI!!!!!!!! YOU ARE THE MAN!!!! That's the best computer parts' and stuff place! Check for yourself! I would ask for Wiki's admin to find and put an e-mail address for the Surplus Stuff store here on this page, that people from all over US might find what they need. I know, I know, eBay, other auctions... But nothing will substitute the real knowledgeable salesmen and techs, and here you'll find them for sure! —sm7x7

2011-10-02 21:31:14   Ali made a generous donation of equipment to the Yolo Young Makers group. He's an honorable man and it's always a privilege to do business with him. —JimStewart