Did decide to go the used drive route just saving up and waiting for the right deal from a good seller. I did notice on eBay specifically that some sellers have tested drives for a great price per tb with a shit seller’s warranty (30 days to 1 year) but offer insurance for a significantly longer length of time for a few more bucks. I’m wondering if that’s a good alternative to having a long seller’s warranty? Just assume I will back everything up properly so drive failure won’t be a massive concern I just want the option of returning it or getting a replacement if need be.
Really appreciate it they actually also have an eBay store which I’ve been stalking religiously I’m just waiting for a lower capacity drive, 8-10tb is my realistic sweet spot. In the meantime I’m just browsing and looking at other well known sellers.
I just bought a few 18tb from serverpartsdeals (via eBay) and they’re working well for now. YMMV of course.