Gen 3 - 2012 Prius III Loud AC Compressor

I keep seeing g good used compressors on Ebay under a hundred bucks

 

How do you know they are good? Because they said so?
Awful risky.

 

I am in the same situation. I plan to do the work myself. Most ebay compressors offer a 30-day return policy. If I pay $1000 for a new one or $100 for a used one, I can afford to be risky. I plan to buy one and when it arrives, I will hit the ground running. I will know within 30 days if it is good or not. If faulty, I will move on to the the next $100 compressor. I will try to buy one with low miles from New England Canada or Alaska, wih mild summers. Is there a test to know if an ebay compressor is good without installing it? For example, my compressor has metal shaving in the oil, causing it to fail the insulation resistance test. Perhaps if I poured out some oil, then test it for traces of metal? (I might need to add some oil first)
These compressors fail often. Where do the worn-out ones end up? Ebay.
Did you notice that 2010 and 2011 models have a different compressor than 2013 to 2015? Did they redesign it to last longer? And, the newer ones will not fit on my 2010 model.
Or, I can use my Prius as my winter-time car.