Before You Buy Software on eBay!

Before You Buy Software on eBay
eBay can be a great place for finding great deals on software but before you place a bid on some software, here are a few important points you should take note of:

1. Read the fine print again to ensure that the software is a full retail version and not a trial CD, beta evaluation, upgrade version or even an OEM version that ships only with the hardware.

2. If the software is old or not sealed inside a box, always ask the seller to send you real photographs of the installation CDs with hologram and software manuals that came along with his purchase. This is to confirm that the seller owns the authentic version of the software.

3. Read the item description very very carefully. Make sure that it is not the academic version of the software which are generally available at significantly discounted prices but only students, faculty members and educational institutions are allowed to buy them.

4. If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If the eBay seller is willing to sell Adobe Creative Suite or Microsoft Office 2003 at rock bottom prices, they are pirated software for sure. [see real screenshot from eBay where Adobe CS2 is available for $33 alongwith Adobe Premiere Elements]

5. Always compare the eBay's price with the retail price of the software. You may also want to add shipping charges, insurance and other taxes / custom duties applicable in your country. Infact, there have been cases when people were found selling freeware software on eBay.

6. Never purchase software from eBay sellers with low feedback scores. Don't buy software from new ebay sellers who are yet to receive a reputation.

7. Try to get the address and phone number of the software seller before finalizing the purchase. Check the items that he has sold in the past and if possible, get some feedback from his previous customers on eBay.

8. Most software titles now require you to activate the installation over internet before you can use them. Also, vendors may have their own policies with regards to transferring ownership of software. You should always confirm these things before the purchase.

9. The EULA document in most cases allows the owner to install the software on two computers though you aren't allowed to use them simultaneously. You should confirm that the seller has uninstalled all copies of the software from his systems.

10. The safest bet is to buy only software that is available in sealed retail boxes.

Hope these guidelines will help some of you!

 

great article, software is one thing I like to buy new and from the source.

 

nice article, i would never buy software from ebay anyway

 

Really useful article.

I have seen many unscrupulous sellers at ebay, specially those who offer programs and script that does not belong to them or even worst, technical information submitted as "product".

Yesterday I saw an offer that explains CSS tricks posted at Microsoft Knowledge Base, but under an ebook format

 

thanks for the tips! i will utilize them when i buy software on ebay

as of now i dont trust ebay software..

 

Great article, thanks for the tips and will definitely reference them if I ever make a software purchase on ebay.

 

What wrong with OEM? I have been running an OEM version of XP for years with no issues. I registered it. It is a perfectly legal copy of XP.

 

i agree that it is best to nver buy software from an online auction. only a recognised online/street retailer, or even the producer itself! too risky otherwise.

 

consider open source or freeware

that why u cant get ripped off except if there are viruses

 

Hey there, i hope you guys enjoyed this article. Well as for that dont forget