Thank you for sharing your experiences.
I have bought 3 bulbs off ebay, and have had different results each time. I bought a 10K bulb I really like, but it only lasted 8 months before it would turn on for about a half hour then shut off. I have a 20K bulb that I love, and have been using for almost a year no problems. I cant tell how bad its color have shifted though, i mean it visually looks blue but who really knows what color spectrum its putting out . The corals dont seem to mind it, but its over a softie tank in the basement all GSP, green mushrooms, and xenia. And last i have a 14K bulb over the reef in my bedroom. I have been running the 14K bulb for about 6 months and it has started flickering and shifting colors. But the most i have paid for any of these bulbs is $15 with shipping.... so even if you only get 6 months thats only $30/yr. Something to think about cuz maybe i would get better growth with a better bulb??? Who knows. Oh yeah also I run my bulbs at least 8 hrs a day thats a factor too.
Most have a tendency to color shift drastically in a short amount of time. I have even heard of accounts of them "blowing up", which I take to mean shattering. I know name brand MH bulbs arent cheap, but its not cheap to keep replacing with ebay bulbs either. I wouldnt take the chance. Just my two cents.