Before you order
"In stock" should mean the part is on a shelf, ready to ship today. For some sellers, it means the part exists somewhere in a global warehouse network — and getting it to you involves transfers, consolidations, and lead times that aren't visible at checkout.
At EandM, in stock means in stock. We carry 170,000 parts in our West Coast warehouse and ship 1,650 of them every single day. Order before 3:00 PM and you'll have it within two days.
Actual review from a buyer who purchased from a non-authorized distributor.
SM
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GB
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3 reviews
Terrible...
Terrible, Just terrible, show as in stock, take 2 weeks to dispatch, wont cancel order and refund even though it hasnt been dispatched, avoid!
Some online automation suppliers are based overseas, routing orders through international warehouses and customs before they reach you. That can mean longer lead times than advertised, import duties you weren't expecting, and limited options if you need help.
EandM is headquartered in Healdsburg, CA, with offices in Walnut Creek, Irvine, Portland, and Seattle. Your order ships from here. No surprise customs fees. No overseas time zone standing between you and a real person on the phone.
Actual review from a buyer who purchased from a non-authorized distributor.
PG
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US
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1 reviews
BEWARE!! Overseas shipping and tariffs!
I ordered some parts online that totaled around $1400. The website claimed these parts were in stock. I expected delivery within a reasonable timeframe (5-7 business days). The parts didn't actually ship for 2 weeks after order. Then they got held up in customs and I was charged $665 in tariffs. No mention on the website that these parts were coming from overseas and there would be delays and fees. That's dishonest and shady. I'll never shop with them again.
Authorized distributors receive current production stock directly from the manufacturer. The hardware revision and firmware version you receive are what's shipping today — not units that have been sitting in a gray-market warehouse for years.
Outdated stock can mean extra setup time, multi-step firmware upgrades, or a product that doesn't behave as expected. When you buy through an authorized channel, you know exactly what you're getting.
Actual review from a buyer who purchased from a non-authorized distributor.
LV
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US
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1 review
** Hardware and firmware age **
What concerned me even more was the state of the unit when it finally arrived. The controller came with hardware version 02 and firmware version
2020.3 - while the current production units are at hardware version 04 and firmware version 2026.0. This strongly suggests the device had been sitting
in their warehouse for more than 4 years before being shipped to me.
Because of this, I had to perform multiple intermediate firmware updates to bring the unit to the latest version,
since you cannot jump directly from 2020.3 to 2026.0 - the upgrade path requires stepping through several LTS versions.
The whole process took me more than 2 hours of work that I should not have had to do on a brand new product.
Return policies vary widely — and not always in your favor. Some suppliers bury terms in fine print that make returns difficult or impossible for business purchases, regardless of circumstances.
EandM has a clear Return Materials Authorization (RMA) process. If there's an issue with your order, we work with you to resolve it.
Actual review from a buyer who purchased from a non-authorized distributor.
LA
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US
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1 review
Beware
Beware, the prices may look good but even though they say in stock, they are not. They will not accept a return and you will have taxes to pay. They are not based in your country although the web page may seem that way. Customer service is terrible and stop answering you once you ask for a return. Be careful with quotes as they will quote you a so called "equivalent" even though it isn't, then blame you.
This is where the difference between a transaction and a partnership becomes clear.
EandM has a dedicated West Coast technical support engineer who answers the phone — no voicemail, no callback from a different time zone, no AI chatbot between you and an actual answer.
98.4%
Overall support satisfaction
99.6%
Professionalism rating
95.9%
Would recommend us
Our inside sales team is just as responsive. With an average tenure of 9 years, these are people who know the products — not people reading from a script.
85%
Quotes within 1 hour
95%
Quotes same day
Manufacturer authorization means the distributor is held to standards around product quality, inventory practices, and customer support. It also means access to the latest documentation, firmware, and technical resources.
When you buy from an unauthorized source, there's no manufacturer relationship backing that transaction — and no accountability if something isn't right.