Do you think these are fake hard drives?

3 x WD5000BEVT:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370111701186

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320317728456

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370111705749

They actually have 'PS3 Compatible' or 'Mac Compatible' logos on the drive labels. That seems very unlike WD. Quite a few being sold on eBay at the moment.

I have a feeling they may be fake. What do you guys think?

 

If the guy wasn't a power seller on ebay I might say that they are fake but he has 99.1% rep which isn't bad at all. I would just buy the drive off of newegg though since they sell 500GB drives for $110USD and by the way those drives work on PS3 and mac usually regardless as long as you can plug them in.

 

Go to the 3D view, and mouse over the flashing circle on the left side of the platter. It says the drives are available up to 320GB. The auction is for a 500GB. That's already a warning sign for me.

 

I'm thinking that those labels are just photoshopped on.

Looks legit to me, with that feedback. I'll bet that they are all the same drive though, since the "PS3" isn't in the offical text or logo.

Greg

 

I personally have never seen labels as such on a hard drive BUT the seller does have almost 500 sales and 99.1%.

I would suggest you send him/her message and ask.

They do however look legitimate...Atleast to me..

 

WD does in fact have a 500GB drive.

However, previous to their releasing the Scorpio Blue 500GB (5400 RPM), there SATA 2.5" drives maxed out at 320 GB which is why that older graphic says 320GB maximum.

I would say its legit!

 

Well the Western Digital 500GB 2.5" exists since months ago? The WD5000BEVT..

 

I don't think they are photoshopped and there is no way that WD would put those logos on the labels. I know he has good feedback but he may be hoping no one notices. When was the last outbreak of fake drives - was it the Maxtor debacle?

I know they exist, I already have 2

 

I've found another one on another site: http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/103505173/WESTERN_DIGITAL_SCORPIO_MAC_BLUE_2.html

In specs it says "PLEASE NOTE: SUITABLE FOR MAC USE ONLY" which just can't be true.

I smell something fishy here...

 

Well, you asked us and we gave you are honest answer.

To tell you the truth, there is almost a 0% way for you to tell from a picture.

Everything seems legitimate IMO and it is a common practice in the computer "business" to market things toward "Macs" and PS3's.

For example, look on Newegg.com, they have a special section of "Mac" Ram.

EDIT: As for your second post...I am not too sure what I think of that site. They do not seem legit...

 

Yeah it looks dodgy and it's the only other site I can find with 'Mac Compatible' WD drives. Totally agree with what you said about Mac products but they are official products that you can find on the respective manufacturers' websites. These are no where to be found on official sites.

 

I personally wouldn't buy those hard drive from that seller. The fact that the item is from Hong Kong and the labels are different makes me think twice. Being a powerseller on ebay doesn't mean much nowadays (I'm also a power seller too), it only means you've sold many items and ebay will favor the seller if you get into a dispute. In addition, most people will leave feedback immediately after they receive the item (or within 1-2 weeks), so it's hard to tell how reliable those hard drives are and if they are covered by the manufacture warranty.

 

I just think they have applied the logos to draw more customers. The PS3 + Mac logo that the guy @ ebay has advertised.

 

I agree ^^

Like I said earlier, it really wouldn't hurt to message the seller...

If you don't get a reply or you get a "shady" reply then just move on.

 

Do a google search on the complete P/N: WD5000BEVT-00ZAT0. You can see the "00ZAT0" suffix on the picture. You'll then find a something like a Japanese website selling something like this.

WDC-WD5000BEVT[45717](WD5000BEVT-00ZAT0)

[ウエスタンデジタル][内蔵HDD]
WD Scorpio Blue 5400rpm 500GB 8MB SATA 2.5inch ◆ WDC-WD5000BEVT

So do these exist? yeah.

 

Yeah the full part number exists but if they are fake what's stopping them copying all the details from a legit label. I really don't think those label have been 'shopped. Look at all three images:





Although saying that you can see boxes around the logos... hmmmm. Maybe they've stuck small labels on the actual drives. No they can't have done that as the anti-static bags are sealed. Weird.

I'm not going to buy these as I can get them for just over £80 in the UK anyway but I'm intrigued now.

 

Well, if you're asking if the seller is legit, that's a whole 'nother ball of wax.

First off, they're in Hong Kong. I've only purchased one item from there and that was a cell phone body. It was cheap, I took a chance and it was ok. Otherwise, I can't recommend purchases from abroad from any country.

Secondly, there are an awful lot of "private sellers" on their feedback. Can't see their purchases and habits. That's two strikes.

I take that back, their purchases are private, not the sellers.

I know man, you take your chances. It's the price that's grabbing you?

 

Well it was as some went yesterday for about £50 which is a bargain but as they are all going for about £70 / £80 now it's not worth the risk being that I can get them for £82 anyway.

 

Hi.

Do you have a link to where they are for sale at £82 in the UK.

Thanks

John

 

They were £82 here but they put the price up this morning. Luckily I have 4 in my basket and they still have the old price. Free delivery too.

 

£83 here: http://www.ballicom.co.uk/new-products-2/scorpio-500gb-sata-150mbs.p402032.html

 

Well I had a reply from the eBay seller:

I vote dodgy.

 

Hmmm maybe not. Second reply:

"The pre-boot partitions on drive itself have been slightly modified to accomodate the different hardware they are to be used in" - does that sound plausible? Have WD done anything like this before?

 

V interesting thread

 

I've emailed WD to see what they say about it.

 

I think it's possible they're fake. The seller's responses don't sound particularly reassuring at all. They could be like the $10 PSP batteries that get sold all over eBay with the Sony logo and everything, but if you examine it closely, it doesn't match the genuine batteries at all and they hold barely half the charge time. I personally wouldn't risk buying from this seller for something as important as a hard drive. In fact, the only time I buy from Hong Kong is when the price is uber-cheap and I'm perfectly fine with getting a fake (like a wrist strap or no-name backup headphones).

 

I've just had a reply from Western Digital:

 

You will be contacting ebay about this issue, right?

 

I've given Western Digital the eBay links so it is really up to them to investigate what's going on. They have only said that the labels are fake and if you look at the pictures very carefully you can see there is a darker section surrounding the PS3 and Apple parts. Maybe the drives have been opened and had stickers put on them and then resealed in new anti-static bags. Who knows. The thing is there are hundreds listed on eBay now:

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