Two of eight used 18TB drives arrived dead after poor packing
Eight used 18TB HGST HC550 were bought on eBay for $275 each for a first homelab NAS. The purchase was made in one batch because storage prices were not expected to fall. The seller wrapped the drives in bubble wrap but left them loose inside the box.
Two drives do not work at all, and one of the six working drives has a visibly bent PCB. All six working drives passed a short SMART test, with a long test planned to check them more thoroughly. Three weeks remain in the return window, and the seller has already been contacted.
Even if the dead drives are covered by a partial refund, the surviving drives may have hidden damage that causes an early failure. The storage was intended for a computer running Proxmox directly, with TrueNAS, , personal and friends' backups, and .
Key points
- Eight used 18TB HC550 drives cost $275 each.
- Poor packing left two drives dead and one working drive with a bent PCB.
- Six working drives passed a short SMART test, but the long test is still pending.
- The buyer has three weeks left to decide whether to return the drives.
- Important backups should not depend only on one shipment of used .