HSC Electronics was started in 1963 (as Halted Specialties Co., thus the "HSC") as a dealership in surplus hydraulic, vacuum and environmental test equipment to the larger government contractors in California's Santa Clara Valley (before it was known as "Silicon Valley"!)

As years went by, Halted grew and changed along with Silicon Valley until we became one of the better-known dealers in surplus electronics in the area. We buy and sell nearly every type of electronic component, test equipment, computer peripheral and R & D supply, as well as the occasional piece of process and manufacturing equipment. We haven't totally turned our back on our history, however, as we still have some trade in vacuum gear and environmental chambers!

We now have three stores open to the public in California, as well as offering our unique merchandise to the rest of the world by mail order.

If you are in the San Francisco Bay area, you owe it to yourself to stop in and see what we offer. We have featured everything from I.C.'s to rocket motors, oscilloscopes to electron microscopes, soldering irons to industrial lasers, and just about everything else in between! We also feature an extensive selection of new products for technicians, engineers and the hobbyist who needs electronic parts, or who just loves to tinker!

Our broad selection, low prices and friendly, knowledgable staff make HSC the perfect place to shop for all your electronic needs.

Come on by and browse, the coffee is always free! If you can't make it on over, browse our web page and drop us a line.

Shopping with HSC...

You can use our "Online Shopping Basket" with encrypted security measures for credit card transactions. Or, if you prefer, you may call our toll-free order line at 1-800-4-HALTED (1-800-442-5833) and speak with our sales staff (if you are in the United States, otherwise, please call 408-732-1573). Sales staff are available between 8AM and 7PM Monday through Friday, Pacific Time. You may call between 9AM to 5PM on Saturday, Pacific Time, but we will not have access to shipping information, so we may not be able to answer your questions immediately. You may log in to our website and check the status of your order.
When ordering, you will need to provide us with your shipping information, credit card type, number and expiration date, billing address and daytime phone number and where you can be reached should it prove necessary; so please have this information available if you call. To prevent delays, please make sure all requested information is provided accurately, and that your billing address matches the billing address as it appears on your credit card statement.

You can also write to us via regular mail, or fax your order to 408-732-6428, We hope to hear from you in one of these ways!

Shipping Information
Domestic Shipments

Unless your order is very small and light, we use United Parcel Service as our default shipping method. It usually works out to be the best combination of value and service. You can pay by credit card or have it shipped COD. You will be charged only for the exact shipping charges, and appropriate fees as they apply. Remember that orders under $20 are subject to a $5 handling fee in addition to actual shipping charges. You may upgrade to one of the faster UPS services (Second Day Air, Overnight, etc.) at your option and expense.

Please note that UPS cannot ship to a P.O. Box, we will have to have your street address. Also note that we will specify that we need an adult signature, we will not allow packages to be "left on the porch", so if you are not there to sign for the delivery in three attempts, the package will be returned to us and you will need to pay the extra freight to get it re-shipped to you.

Postal Shipping Costs

Some small orders may be shipped by US Postal Service, either Priority Mail or regular First Class mail. For Priority Mail, orders weighing less than two pound cost $4.60, flat rate anywhere in the US. Insurance is extra, and there is no COD available for this type of service. Orders weighing over 5 lbs. may require special handling for which a $5.00 handling fee may be added. You may get a rough idea of your postage charges at the USPS Website if you know the approximate weight of your shipment, use your zip code as the destination and ours (95051) as the shipping point.

International Shipments

For international customers, all orders are $100.00 minimum and must be shipped by a trackable method, such as UPS, FEDEX, DHL...etc.

Freight Shipments

For larger shipments, palletized orders, and heavy equipment, we have a number of common freight carriers available. This is usually the best way to go on heavier, bulkier shipments. Details provided on request.

Order Minimum and Stock Outages

Orders under $20.00 will have a $5.00 handling fee added. Our inventory is constantly coming and going, and most of our "surplus" items will be limited to "stock on hand" and subject to prior sale. If we have run out of stock on a particular item and it looks like we will not be getting any more within a week of receipt of your order, we will ship the balance of your order. We can not maintain back-orders for non-shipped items. If you have prepaid your order, we will issue a refund check for the difference to be mailed separately.

COD Orders

COD orders incur a $8.50 service charge in addition to the shipping rate. For orders that are prepaid for the amount of the merchandise only, the shipment will be sent "freight COD". this will include the $8.50 COD fee.COD Orders over $100.00 will require payment by cash, cashier's check or money order. If UPS is unable to deliver to you and returns the shipment to us, or if you refuse delivery, you may be required to prepay the full amount of the order plus the extra shipping before we will re-ship to you.

Methods of Payment

If you would like to save yourself the $8.50 COD fee you may prepay with your order, or we accept Mastercard, Visa, Discover and American Express credit cards. If you prepay by check, we will need to hold your order until your check clears. As mentioned above, COD orders over $100.00 will require you to have payment ready at delivery in the form of cash, cashier's check or money order. Don't forget to include sales tax if you are ordering from California.