(Dead, price raised) Seagate 12tb exos enterprise hdd manufacturer recert (2yr warranty) $105 shipped

As a friend I would advise be careful with these. Greymarket IT resellers employ all sorts of weird but sophisticated "creative relabeling", SMART-clearing, and fake-warranty shenanigans that get by most people unless you know what to look out for.

These particular drives from this seller have no manufacturer warranty and so if a drive dies you're at the mercy of the seller's website to a) not go 404 in the middle of the night, b) actually offer to replace it - a buyer has zero leverage to compel them to anything unlike a manufacturer warranty that has some legally binding componentry. They usually will agree to replace but you have no leverage if they don't.

A discussion at STH about these drives/seller- https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/18tb-recertified-seagate-exos-189.38262/page-2
 
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I've been buying manufacturer recertified drives from this site for a while now, over a dozen drives, and have never had problems with any of them. This isn't some scam site, they have been around for a while. The drives always arrive extremely well packed.

With that said, I've been burned by Seagate way too many times. I have a box of dead drives and 90% of them are Seagate. No thanks. Every few years I figure "maybe they have got their act together" and try Seagate again, only to get burned again. At some point you either need to learn your lesson or simply admit that you are a masochist. As long as there are alternatives, I'm done with Seagate.

I just picked up two of these drives, which are 14TB Western Digital drives of Hitachi lineage. Still under $10/TB
https://serverpartdeals.com/collect...12e-512mb-3-5-se-manufacturer-recertified-hdd
I have not had a Hitachi drive die in over a decade and I have quite a few still in operation with over 100,000 power-on hours.
 
I've been buying manufacturer recertified drives from this site for a while now, over a dozen drives, and have never had problems with any of them. This isn't some scam site, they have been around for a while. The drives always arrive extremely well packed.
The implication isn't that they're a scam site. They don't need to be. They're more operating within legal bounds and grey area. That Seagate has some of their own issues doesn't really change that or necessarily relate.

Point is, just assume at least zero warranty when buying these. Also, don't assume a "manufacturer recertified" label on the drive means its actually manufacturer recertified, or that Seagate even produced that label. Not accusing SPD of anything here, just trying to convey the slippery nature of greymarket / recert drive resale. Seagate will likely have no record of the serial# even though a somewhat recent manufactured-on date may appear on the label.
 
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I've been buying manufacturer recertified drives from this site for a while now, over a dozen drives, and have never had problems with any of them. This isn't some scam site, they have been around for a while. The drives always arrive extremely well packed.

With that said, I've been burned by Seagate way too many times. I have a box of dead drives and 90% of them are Seagate. No thanks. Every few years I figure "maybe they have got their act together" and try Seagate again, only to get burned again. At some point you either need to learn your lesson or simply admit that you are a masochist. As long as there are alternatives, I'm done with Seagate.

I just picked up two of these drives, which are 14TB Western Digital drives of Hitachi lineage. Still under $10/TB
https://serverpartdeals.com/collect...12e-512mb-3-5-se-manufacturer-recertified-hdd
I have not had a Hitachi drive die in over a decade and I have quite a few still in operation with over 100,000 power-on hours.
The Seagate Exos are the Seagate quality of old--I bought some of the first 16TB Exos and they're still doing great and have picked up a few more along the way. They're on par with any other enterprise class drive from HGST, WD, or Toshiba ime.
 
Point is, just assume at least zero warranty when buying these.
This is a good rule of thumb whenever you're buying drives that are not new or not from an authorized retailer. Wiggling out of a non-existent warranty is a very popular game among storage resellers.
 
I brought a couple 14tb x16 exos refurbished from them and had no issues. They were well packaged when I received them.
 
That's not really their angle on drives like this in terms of where they derive their margin. It has more to do with how/where they source the drives from, and how they modify/manipulate the drives once they get them to create perception. It's fairly sophisticated.

You keep implying that this site is engaging in nefarious and deceptive practices. While I have no doubt that there are plenty of shady websites/resellers out there, do you have anything beyond pure speculation to show that any of those accusations apply to this specific site? Usually shady websites don't last long. Once they get a bad reputation, they disappear and reappear with a new name. In contrast, this site has been around for at least a decade and I've heard nothing but good things from those who have bought from them.
 
That's not really their angle on drives like this in terms of where they derive their margin. It has more to do with how/where they source the drives from, and how they modify/manipulate the drives once they get them to create perception. It's fairly sophisticated.
Yes, but this also means they are essentially 'self warrantying' so every warranty they honor is essentially a drive they lose money on, and companies generally fight warranty claims.
 
You keep implying that this site is engaging in nefarious and deceptive practices. While I have no doubt that there are plenty of shady websites/resellers out there, do you have anything beyond pure speculation to show that any of those accusations apply to this specific site? Usually shady websites don't last long. Once they get a bad reputation, they disappear and reappear with a new name. In contrast, this site has been around for at least a decade and I've heard nothing but good things from those who have bought from them.
They have a parent company or some sort of affiliation with a group of companies that have all had issues at one point or another. Or at least this is my recollection from my online reading.
 
Yes, but this also means they are essentially 'self warrantying' so every warranty they honor is essentially a drive they lose money on, and companies generally fight warranty claims.
All good, I wasn't actually disagreeing with you though. :) But because of the way (companies like this) tend to source and then modify the drives for resale, a small percentage of natural replacements ends up not mattering.
 
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do you have anything beyond pure speculation to show that any of those accusations apply to this specific site?
I wasnt speculating, but going into detail here would just be a google-searchable blueprint for copycats. And everyone else won't care. If any longtime account here does care I'd be happy to DM them.

I've no axe to grind with this site, only suggesting caution in investing into too many "manufacturer recert" drives.

Usually shady websites don't last long. Once they get a bad reputation, they disappear and reappear with a new name. In contrast, this site has been around for at least a decade and I've heard nothing but good things from those who have bought from them.
They're not a shady website, didnt mean to imply that. Have known of them for a long time. The pricepoints telegraph their particular resale strategy and methods *for specific drives like this*, and a couple test buys confirmed it.

The problem with hearing "nothing but good things" is the red flags are only detectable under the right microscope, plus some inside knowledge on the math of the business model.
 
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Hopefully my account is a longtime enough. I’m interested in you bringing down the curtain. DM’s open.
 
My data set is tiny but I have 8 16tb exos drives and 2 12tb models; the 16tb ones have been superb and both 12tb drives failed within six months of purchase. I am currently feeling uneasy about their 12tb models. Zero reservation about the others.
 
I wasnt speculating. But unfortunately going into detail here would just be a google-searchable blueprint for copycats. And everyone else won't care. If any longtime account here does care I'd be happy to DM them.

I've no axe to grind with this site, they're not unique. Only suggesting caution in investing into too many "manufacturer recert" drives from here.


Didn't say they were a shady website. Have known of them for a long time, done multiple test buys and no surprises. The pricepoints telegraphed their resale strategy and methods *for specific drives like this* before the test buys confirmed it.

The problem with hearing "nothing but good things" is the red flags are only detectable under the right microscope plus some inside knowledge.
I am interested as well. I'm not clambering for more HDD-based storage at the moment (I have a handful of 8TB WD "shucked" white labels, either shuck'd myself from MyBook/Elements or bought from [H] FS/FT and the general online discourse about identifying the drives , variants, and features was pretty solid) , but I am interested if there is some degree of widespread graymarket nonsense going on that is hard to discern under normal circumstances until you get burned. I'm curious if this phenomena or a similar one could affect other potential deals on not just storage, but other stuff like networking hardware etc.
 
I recently purchased a 14TB Exos from them and it was DOA, they sent an advanced RMA on the replacement and it checked out. The smart data showed 0 hours so I assumed it had been reset.
 
I have also purchased refurb drives from goharddrive.com

A lot of their drives have 5 year warranties, and I have had to replace two drives in the past and they replaced them quickly for me. And have similar prices to the above website, but more brands available.
 
I have purchased a total 5 drives from them and they arrived quickly and well packaged, no issues with any of the drives so far, all are being used in 2 seperate boxes as daily backup drives.
 
All good, I wasn't actually disagreeing with you though. :) But because of the way (companies like this) tend to source and then modify the drives for resale, a small percentage of natural replacements ends up not mattering.
Oh sorry, lol. It shouldn't matter if they have factored in the warranties, but most companies still fight a legit warranty.
 
Do these work like regular HDs? If I use them as a data backup drive, will it spin if my computer isbon regardless of data access? Also, does anyone know if "manufacturer refurbished" means the drive will show "0" power on hour?
 
Do these work like regular HDs? If I use them as a data backup drive, will it spin if my computer isbon regardless of data access? Also, does anyone know if "manufacturer refurbished" means the drive will show "0" power on hour?
They should. Enterprise drives generally work the same way as others except are designed for reliability vs noise or power usage.. I had to tell my synology not to spin them down, which means these drives should follow the normal commands for spin up/down even if they don't have any defaults to spin down.

It seems like it will have 0 hours--not sure if that is because smart data is wiped or if it truly was remanufacturered--this is part of the risk if the warranty isn't honored.
 
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Do these work like regular HDs? If I use them as a data backup drive, will it spin if my computer isbon regardless of data access? Also, does anyone know if "manufacturer refurbished" means the drive will show "0" power on hour?
The one that I bought had "0" hours on it. I heard someone else got one that had "12". I assume that mine was cleared to 0 but who knows.
 
The one that I bought had "0" hours on it. I heard someone else got one that had "12". I assume that mine was cleared to 0 but who knows.
thats good to know. By manufacturer refurbished, I would hope they brought the HD to like new condition with any original defects fixed and not just a superficial cleaning. If the hours are close to zero, Im going to take the jump and say its practically like new
 
ordered and got mine today.
They check out on seagate's website but says not covered by them.
A chat with the website says they are covered for two years by them.
 
ordered and got mine today.
They check out on seagate's website but says not covered by them.
A chat with the website says they are covered for two years by them.
Covered directly by seagate? Did you need to register?
 
I have also purchased refurb drives from goharddrive.com

A lot of their drives have 5 year warranties, and I have had to replace two drives in the past and they replaced them quickly for me. And have similar prices to the above website, but more brands available.
Only looked at the 14TB X16, but $15 more for an additional 3 years of warranty is not bad.
 
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