How to read a component price: what a distributor offer includes

The same part can cost differently at different distributors — and it is not only about the "greed of the seller". To compare offers honestly you need to understand what makes up the price on a card.

When you enter a part number, Semivor queries the sources and shows an aggregated offer at the minimum price. But behind that single number sit several components, and knowing them helps you decide faster.

What the price is made of

The distributor base price depends on volume, stock and current availability. On top of it a few more factors apply:

• Quantity. The per-unit price drops at price-break boundaries — 10 / 100 / 1000 pcs.
• Currency and rate. Sources work in different currencies; on the platform everything is normalised to one (EUR).
• Final platform price. The number on the card is the final per-unit price — no hidden fees at checkout.
• Lead time. Faster stock sometimes costs more — it is a price-versus-time trade-off.

Comparing offers "head-on" by a single number is a mistake. A correct comparison always accounts for quantity, lead time and currency at once.

Why the aggregator shows one card

Instead of a dozen tabs you see one consolidated offer: the system already picked the minimum price for the required quantity and factored in the lead time. This saves time on routine comparison and lowers the risk of slipping up in manual recalculations.

How to use this in practice

Before ordering, check three things: the quantity you need (and the nearest price break), an acceptable lead time and the availability of alternatives. If a position is critical for production — build in a lead-time buffer in advance.

In the next materials we will cover preparing a BOM for upload and working with component alternatives.