Just wondering if anyone has any experience buying cheaper hard drives on ebay and would like to share. I'm particularly interested in getting a WD one, but it us from china and I am not too sure how I would go about claiming a warranty.
Any input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Buy local when it comes to hard drives.
Local aussie products have to be covered by statutory warranty plus the vendor also has to go through the trouble of doing the RMA for you — you won't get this privilege if the item was bought from a Chinese vendor (they have no obligation to help you as they're not Australian).
So even if the product fails on within a week of purchase, you will need to go through all the pain and suffering of having to contact WD, getting an RMA number and then packing the item securely for air shipping and then also risk the item being lost in the mail (!!). WD also do not reimburse you for shipping, so I hope you like spending money on postage and packing material.
Western Digital drives have to be shipped to Malaysia for an RMA. The exact address is
Teleplan Technology Services Sdn Bhd (LMW)
(WD Service Operation)
1445, Lorong Perusahaan Maju 4
Kawasan Perusahaan Prai
13600 Prai, Penang, Malaysia
Attn: WD Service Operations Receiving
Phone number: +604-5099132
The above is the information you would have to attach to the package in the case where you have to return a faulty drive. I think it cost me around $30 AUD to ship back then. Could be a lot more expensive now.
That is the reason my drives are Seagate. Free returns on RMA after you've jumped through all the hoops. Plus the return address is in Sydney. Think last time I sent a drive back it took 3-4 days to get my replacement from the day I sent the faulty one back.
Thank you both for all the info
Have you tried any physical shops for your type of hard drives lately?
Given the end-of-financial-year sales are coming soon you might find yourself a good bargain.
And you'll also have the peace of mind of returning your hard drive to your place of purchase if something goes wrong. No return shipping costs to worry about.