Several years ago, I started making a list of "things which are dark magic." Most of them relate to tech. The list includes services, objects, etc.
One item on the list was "The shipping and receiving department at McMaster-Carr".
I've had some remarkable experiences with McMaster over the years. I was once shopping on the site while building an early prototype of a robot, and I mistakenly bought the wrong item. I called McMaster to change the order. Not five minutes had passed, but they had already shipped out my items.
How? They had been pulling and packing products into a box as I added items to my cart, just in case I bought them. That way, when I did check out, they could just slap a label on the box and drop it in the mail, ensuring I'd get it as soon as that afternoon, even with economy shipping. Again, dark magic.
My list of "dark magic" inspired my most recent article, which explores secret marketplaces where tech pros buy the stuff they need to do their jobs (Mc-Master included). I also talk about B&H photo, Digikey and more.
There's one more marketplace I thought about adding: Gaylord Archival, which sells everything you'd need to house the collections of a museum, or your own family's history. But there wasn't room, so I left it out.
Here's my article (as a DIY HA subscriber, you can read it for free using this special link).
Thanks for subscribing. And maybe I'll share more Dark Magic items from my list...