Another update, the eBay seller finally approved the return, which they waited until the last day in which eBay would step in. Usually if the item is defective the seller is obligated to pay if they want the item back. In this case they're in China, and they claimed they weren't able to issue a shipping label, meaning I would have to pay the cost upfront and hope it gets included in the refund.
They gave me an address in Australia, which to be honest I thought might be better than shipping to China, but when I checked the cost, almost every carrier was calculating $100-$160 for a 4.5oz package. The least expensive option was a prepaid international envelope from the US Postal Service for $50.
I informed the seller, to which they requested a video demo in exchange for not having to ship it. Crossing my fingers this will be the last of it and they'll just issue a refund.
As for the local vendor, they informed me that they have to special order it, and they should be receiving it today. If all goes well I should get in a few more days.
I guess this is just the toll to pay trying to maintain an old printer. I look back at the prints I used to make, and the quality keeps me motivated that I just need to get a new printhead.
I've compared them side by side with prints from a Prograf 1000, and I actually prefer my older prints. Although I understand pigment prints are more durable, there's something about the ink sitting on top of the paper, and perhaps just how this particular Prograf 1000 was profiled, that I find the Pro9000 prints to look richer.
