Oem?

Simply put is OEM bad? I know all you get with an OEM hard drive is just the unit in a antistatic bag. Doesn't that make it unsafe to transport and very liable for damage? Also would it be better to just buy them retail?

No, hard drives can take a lot of shock when they are not running. I haven't bought a retail drive yet and all mine are still working.

OEM just means "original equipment manufacturer." It means, as you said, you don't get any cables, etc, just the hardware. This does not, however, mean it is liable for damage...two of the drives I've bought from Newegg were OEM, and the drive itself comes in antistatic packing, and then they're cushioned appropriately in packing peanuts, etc.

Heh. When I moved I just piled mine (my own personal ones) in a cardboard box. They're pretty hardy.