The $6 Goodwill Score That Started It All
You're browsing the electronics aisle at Goodwill, surrounded by old printers, tangled cables, and questionable DVD players. Then you spot it: an external hard drive. No power supply, no original packaging, just a lonely black box with a $6 price tag. Do you take the gamble?
That's exactly what one Reddit user did in 2025, and what they found inside changed their data storage game forever. An 8TB G-Drive that appeared completely unused, still showing its original "G Drive 8TB" label. After shucking it (removing the drive from its external enclosure) and testing it in a JBOD USB enclosure, they discovered a perfectly functional hard drive—all for the astonishing price of $1.33 per terabyte.
But here's the real question: Was this just dumb luck, or is there a method to finding these storage goldmines? And more importantly, should you actually trust a nearly decade-old drive with your precious data?
Why Thrift Stores Are a Data Hoarder's Secret Weapon
Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other thrift stores have become unintentional treasure troves for tech enthusiasts. People donate electronics for all sorts of reasons: upgrading to newer models, not understanding what they have, or simply clearing out clutter. And external hard drives are particularly common finds.
Here's what makes them so appealing to data hoarders. First, most donors don't bother wiping drives properly. They might delete files or do a quick format, but the data often remains recoverable. Second, thrift store employees typically don't have the time or expertise to test every electronic item thoroughly. That $6 price tag? It's usually based on the item's appearance, not its actual functionality or capacity.
But there's a darker side to this, too. Some drives end up at Goodwill because they were failing or had issues. Others might have been part of a business liquidation where drives were pulled from servers after heavy use. The key is knowing how to separate the gems from the junk.
The Art of Drive Shucking: More Than Just Opening a Case
"Shucking" sounds simple—you just open the external enclosure and remove the internal drive, right? Well, sort of. The process has evolved significantly, and in 2025, there are right ways and wrong ways to do it.
Most modern external drives use standard SATA connections internally, but manufacturers have gotten clever about making them difficult to access. Some use proprietary connectors or glue the drives in place. Others have firmware that's specifically tuned for the external enclosure, which can cause issues when you try to use the drive internally.
The original poster's G-Drive is a perfect example of why shucking works. These are often just standard desktop or enterprise-grade drives in a fancy case with a USB-to-SATA bridge board. Remove that board, and you've got a perfectly normal hard drive that can go into any desktop, NAS, or JBOD Enclosure.
Pro tip: Always search for teardown videos or guides for your specific drive model before attempting to shuck. Some enclosures are practically designed to be destroyed during opening, while others have hidden clips or screws.
The 19-Volt Mystery and Power Supply Puzzles
One of the first things the original poster noticed was the missing 19-volt power supply. "19 volts, really?" they asked. This is actually more common than you might think, especially with higher-capacity external drives.
Many external enclosures use 12V internally for the hard drive itself, but they include voltage regulation circuits that can accept a range of input voltages. The 19V adapter allows for more efficient power delivery over longer cables or with cheaper components. But here's the catch: you can't just plug any 19V adapter into any drive.
Amperage matters. Polarity matters. Connector size matters. Trying the wrong adapter can fry your new $6 treasure instantly. If you find a drive without its power supply, your best bet is to either shuck it immediately (bypassing the need for the original adapter) or carefully source a replacement with matching specifications.
This is where having a universal laptop power supply with multiple tips and voltage settings can save the day. Just make absolutely sure you've got the polarity correct before connecting anything.
Testing and Validating: Don't Trust, Verify
The most critical step in this entire process isn't finding the drive or shucking it—it's testing. The original poster used a JBOD USB enclosure to test their find, which was smart. But let's talk about what you should actually be checking.
First, SMART data. This is the drive's self-monitoring system that tracks everything from power-on hours to reallocated sectors. Tools like CrystalDiskInfo (Windows) or smartctl (Linux) can give you the full picture. Look for:
- Power-On Hours: How long has this drive been running?
- Reallocated Sectors: Are there bad spots the drive has mapped out?
- Temperature History: Has it been running hot?
- Start/Stop Count: How many times has it been powered on?
Second, surface testing. A quick SMART test isn't enough. You need to write data to every sector and read it back. Badblocks on Linux or HDDScan on Windows can do this. Yes, it takes hours for an 8TB drive. No, you shouldn't skip it.
Third, performance testing. Is this an SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) drive or CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording)? SMR drives are cheaper to manufacture but suffer from terrible write performance, especially when nearly full. They're fine for cold storage but terrible for active use.
The Age Question: When Is a Drive Too Old?
"Still, it's nearly 9 years old so I'll treat it as such," the original poster noted. This is the right attitude. Age matters with hard drives, but maybe not in the way you think.
Manufacturers typically rate drives for 5 years of continuous use, but that's conservative. Many drives last 8-10 years without issues. The problem isn't necessarily the age itself—it's what happened during those years. A drive that's been running 24/7 in a hot server room for 8 years is very different from one that sat on a shelf for 7 years and was used lightly for 1.
Here's my rule of thumb: Any drive over 5 years old becomes "cold storage only" material. Don't put your only copy of important data on it. Don't use it in a RAID array where other drives depend on it. And definitely don't use it for anything mission-critical.
But for archival storage? For media collections where you have another copy? For experimental projects where data loss wouldn't be catastrophic? Absolutely. That $6 drive might have another 2-3 years of useful life, which at $1.33/TB/year is still an incredible deal.
The Data Security Minefield
Let's address the elephant in the room: used drives often contain other people's data. The original poster mentioned their drive was "completely empty," but that's not always the case.
I've personally found everything from family photos to business documents to... let's just say "personal media collections" on thrift store drives. And sometimes, the data isn't even deleted—the previous owner just disconnected the drive without properly ejecting it.
Ethically and legally, you need to handle this properly. If you find personal data, you should securely wipe the drive before using it. Not just a quick format—a proper multi-pass overwrite. DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) is the gold standard here.
But there's another concern: malware. What if the previous owner's computer was infected, and that infection wrote itself to the drive? Or what if the drive itself has firmware-level malware? These are extreme cases, but they're not impossible. Always wipe and test before connecting to any system containing important data.
Building a Budget Storage Array: Strategy Over Luck
Finding one $6 drive is lucky. Building 50TB of storage for under $100 requires strategy. Here's how the pros do it:
First, they visit regularly. Thrift store inventory turns over quickly. The person who goes every Saturday morning finds the good stuff. The person who goes once a month finds what's left.
Second, they know what to look for. Western Digital Elements and My Book drives often contain Red or White label NAS drives. Seagate Expansion drives frequently have Barracuda Compute drives inside. Some models are more shuck-friendly than others.
Third, they have a testing workflow. When I bring home a potential drive, it goes straight to the "quarantine" bench. It gets wiped, tested for SMART issues, surface scanned, and only then does it graduate to the "usable" pile. This might seem excessive for a $6 drive, but it prevents problems down the line.
Finally, they match the drive to the use case. That 9-year-old 8TB drive? Perfect for backing up my media server. A newer 4TB drive with low hours? That might go into the main NAS. A drive with some reallocated sectors but otherwise healthy? Cold storage for Linux ISO files.
When Thrift Store Drives Make Sense (And When They Don't)
Let's be real: not everyone should be hunting for drives at Goodwill. If you're storing irreplaceable family photos, business documents, or anything where data loss would be catastrophic, buy new drives with warranties.
But for data hoarders building media servers? For homelab enthusiasts experimenting with storage configurations? For anyone building a "disposable" backup of already-backed-up data? Thrift store drives are perfect.
Consider this: A new 8TB drive might cost $120 in 2025. That's $15/TB. The Goodwill drive was $1.33/TB. Even if it only lasts one year, you'd need to replace it 11 times before you spent as much as the new drive. And if it lasts three years? The economics become ridiculous.
The key is redundancy. Never trust a single drive, especially a used one. Use RAID, use backup software, use the 3-2-1 rule (three copies, two different media, one offsite). Your storage should be resilient enough that any single drive failure is just an inconvenience, not a disaster.
Common Mistakes New Drive Hunters Make
I've seen people make the same mistakes over and over. Let's save you the trouble:
Mistake #1: Assuming capacity from the label. That "1TB" external drive might actually contain a 500GB drive. Manufacturers sometimes reuse cases. Always check the actual capacity in your operating system.
Mistake #2: Skipping the surface test. "It mounts, so it's fine!" No. Just no. A drive can mount perfectly while having serious issues. Test every sector.
Mistake #3: Using the wrong file system. For large drives, NTFS (Windows) or ext4 (Linux) are fine. But consider ZFS or Btrfs if you want built-in checksumming and data integrity features.
Mistake #4: Mixing drive types in RAID. Don't put that 9-year-old Goodwill drive in a RAID array with brand new drives. The different failure probabilities and performance characteristics will cause problems.
Mistake #5: Forgetting about noise and power. Older drives are often louder and draw more power. That 8TB drive might add $15/year to your electricity bill. Factor that into your cost calculations.
The Future of Secondhand Storage
As we move through 2025, the thrift store drive market is changing. SSDs are becoming more common finds, though they present their own challenges (wear leveling, limited write cycles). Larger capacity drives (12TB, 14TB, even 16TB) are starting to appear as early adopters upgrade.
But the fundamental appeal remains: somewhere between corporate e-waste and consumer upgrade cycles lies a sweet spot of perfectly usable storage at rock-bottom prices. The skills to identify, test, and repurpose these drives are becoming increasingly valuable as data storage needs continue to grow exponentially.
And let's not forget the environmental angle. Giving a 9-year-old drive another 3-4 years of useful life keeps it out of a landfill. In a world increasingly concerned with e-waste, that's not nothing.
Your Turn to Hunt
So, should you start scouring Goodwill for hard drives? If you've got the time, the patience for testing, and the right expectations, absolutely. Start small. Buy one drive, test it thoroughly, and see how it goes. Learn what SMART attributes to watch for. Figure out your preferred testing tools.
Remember the original poster's approach: cautious optimism. They didn't assume the drive was perfect. They tested it. They acknowledged its age. They planned to use it appropriately (cold storage). That's the right mindset.
That $6 drive wasn't just a lucky find—it was a demonstration of how much value still exists in what others consider obsolete. In 2025, with storage needs growing faster than ever, learning to find and validate these hidden gems might just be one of the most valuable tech skills you can develop.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to check what's new at my local thrift store. I heard they got a shipment in this morning.
