Black Friday Buy and Buy - Value Seagate Seagate 8T Large Hard Drive Purchase and Transfer
Since purchasing high-capacity HDDs from Meiya in 2015, we have largely stopped buying BNM HDDs. Every year, we review our storage needs and purchase more hard drives, both domestic and international. Our annual capacity is usually sufficient to meet our requirements.
In 2015, the main hard drive we bought was... (specific model or brand). In 2016, the primary drive was also... (again, a specific model). However, by 2017, the situation had changed—there were some issues that led to a decline in our purchases.
The hard drive currently under consideration is the Seagate 8TB portable drive we bought in 2016. It's still functional and will be sold as a used item.
Product links: [Insert relevant links here]
There’s a difference between the Expansion and HUB models. The HUB comes with two USB 3.0 ports, allowing for additional device connections, which makes it slightly more valuable than the Expansion version. The hard drives themselves are essentially the same.
The EXP Black model costs $142.49, while the HUB version is priced at $149.99. This year, prices have dropped by about $20–$30 compared to last year. Plus, there are UnionPay discounts of around $10–$15. Even though the hard drive itself has restrictions, using different computers and accounts allows us to bypass these limitations.
At the time, this drive could be directly shipped to Central Asia. If you're a Prime member, you can get free shipping. You only pay 11.9% e-commerce tariff, but you miss out on the -15 discount. For items around RMB 1000, 11.9% is about RMB 119. If you can find a transshipment option cheaper than that, it becomes a better choice.
What’s the best way to ship this drive? Given its high value and light weight, it’s best to use a postal inspection company or a tax-transshipment service. Since it's a big-ticket item, I checked the Quartet options.
E-commerce channels can handle it directly, as they all charge 11.9% tariffs. Using Prime is better to avoid shipping delays.
In 2017, Quartet added tax-inclusive shipping options. Based on previous purchases, the EXP model weighs about 1.5KG, and the HUB is around 1.6KG. Shipping costs are approximately ¥104 (including tariffs) for EXP and ¥130 (including tariffs) for HUB.
Postal shipping is an option, but it tends to be more expensive than tariff subsidies and carries a risk of being charged 15% in tariffs.
Before Quartet introduced more tariff subsidy coupons, the discount was around 60% or 70%. Although I had already used some, this time, the Black Square offered another 20% off the tax package and postal vouchers. The four-party tax package (Quartet, Long Road, Long Water) is quite a journey from the US to China.
The shipping address is similar to the foreign warehouse address after registering with Quartet. Even if you choose different channels, the four parties mark them differently. For example, the tax package is labeled PESTS, and the e-commerce shortcut is IPS. But in practice, the actual address doesn't matter because it goes to the registered ID, and then you choose your delivery method.
Taking the 8TB HUB as an example, I received a random address through the four-party system. The PPS postal service was fast, with a $15 discount, and the final payment came out to $134.99.
I didn’t choose Prime this time because I had too many items, and I was worried about possible shipping delays once they arrived. Instead, I managed the order timing and delivery standards manually to control the arrival date.
The drive arrived at the Quartet warehouse on November 29th. I had planned ahead, paid the freight promptly, and used an 88 coupon. The weight was still 1.6KG, so the total freight cost after discount was (52 + 26 + 26) × 0.88 = ¥114.40. Adding the UnionPay -15 discount, it was almost equivalent to a ¥100 price point.
Regarding the transportation speed, the route went through Singapore first, then to China via Singapore Post. It was slightly slower, taking almost a month.
In contrast, the Taipei Post option was much faster, and I received the drive in just half a month.
In the end, the 8TB HUB reached me for about ¥995, including shipping. Selling the box for ¥100–150 made it a very cost-effective storage solution.
Let’s take a look at the real product. Many people worry about the safety of shipping HDDs, but there's no need to be concerned. When powered on and static, HDDs can withstand over 900Gs of impact. Plus, the internal packaging is well-protected. I haven't encountered any damaged units yet.
The HUB model comes with a two-year limited warranty, but it’s only valid in certain countries. Mainland China is not included, so repairs would have to be sent back to the US.
Some of the HDDs ordered this year are still in transit and will arrive soon.
To sum up, the tax-inclusive shipping channel through Quartet is something worth exploring. I placed a few orders and found that the real post should be the postal channel combined with some tariff gambling. If there are taxes, Quartet will compensate according to the agreement. So far, I haven't been taxed, so I haven't experienced the pros and cons of the compensation. However, this channel is a pity for high-value electronics like laptops.
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