I’ve heard tales from elder makers about an era when one had to order catalogues and place orders on phone for getting a small supply of raw materials. As a relatively young maker, I’ve been pampered by eBay and amazon where anything I want is easily available online. Well, almost everything. Every once in a while I come across something I really want but isn’t available online. The problem is compounded by the fact that I prefer to but goods nationally to prevent customs delays. I often have to browse through a dozen sites before finding one that had the thing I wanted in stock and reasonably priced. One day, I had enough of this hunting and pecking, and I created a custom search engine with about four dozen sites that sold electronics and other maker supplies.

The search engine is available at tinyurl.com/makeIndia. So, the next time you need that ancient or exotic part, feel free to search for it there, and I bet it’ll save you time.