Honestly I recommend going with used/refurbished. Taking a cursory look at ebay 9a are still going for $450-$500, which is crazy, but regular 9 are going for about the same price and 8a seem to be going for about $250
2nd hand Pixel 8a are holding crazy prices still ... My 8 Pro is having many issues so I'm gonna be looking for a 8a or 9a soon. 9a looks like a really nice device (no camera bump is great).