Luthiery Laboratories

All the little bits and bobs that I used to order cheap from China have become much harder to get. eBay is a shadow of what it was just a year ago, there is not nearly as much cheap loothery supplies. But even if you find something, half the time it just disappears in shipping. Or at least it seems to disappear in shipping - a lot of tracking numbers from China are completely imaginary. As soon as you order something, they issue a tracking number to lock it in. That doesn't mean it shipped, or that it ever will! Fortunately, eBay makes it pretty easy to get your money back from such scammers.

Amazon is somewhat better than eBay now. I never thought I'd say that. Amazon's fees are so high that prices there are generally the highest you will find. Try to source your cheap parts somewhere other than communist China, they are just not reliable any more. In time, Taiwan, Indonesia, and many other countries will step in and fill the need for cheap stuff. The situation with China is only going to get worse. Stock up on underwear now. You can store it with your half-ton of toilet paper.