Thinking of buying from eBay?

[BobLevine]

Edited October 23, 2008

The original article that this post referred to has expired but there's still quite a bit of good information in this thread.

The point is that eBay software is a risky purchase with much of it illegally pirated.

Bob

[Doc81harley]

All I can say is that program installed without a problem...Adobe shows it in my account as a registered program....Customer service verified the program was genuine....The program works without a hitch....Case closed!!!!

Thanks for all your feedback,

Kevan

[Guest]

Doc81harley wrote:

...Case closed!!!!

...Until you try to upgrade.

What dec9 was saying was that Adobe might change things on you if it finds out that the same serial number you registered was used by a dozen other people as well. If Adobe determines that your serial number is not really yours, you (and the other dozen people that are using it) will not be able to use that license to upgrade.

You can feel somewhat secure in that you have registered the serial # in your name. The only way that another person could contest that is if they can show a prior proof of purchase with the same serial #.

[Noel Carboni]

Kevan, I'm glad to hear you were able to confirm your copy is legitimate with Adobe.

I only asked about the "Deactivate" menu out of curiosity.  If it weren't there it might have indicated you had a problem.  It's supposed to be there, as you report that it is, with properly activated software.

I hope you noted the date and time that you spoke to Adobe (ideally, with the name of the tech support person or any other identifying info like a case number).  Even better would be an eMail or any kind of written response from them.

I find it unbelievable the number of people selling outright counterfeit, cracked, or fraudulent software.  As a software author myself I only hope to meet one of these pirates someday, somewhere where there's no one else around... 

-Noel

[bwalkerinc]

So many seem to think they have the right to copy and as a result steal from

those that are rightfully entitled to the revenue. I would love to see those

same people give away for free whatever they themselves make and see how

they react.

Software developers are entitled to sell their product. Others are not

entitled to copy it and/or sell it as a sideline business.

E-bay is filled with illegally copied software that is being sold as

legitimate, why do you think it is priced where it's at? The old saying "you

get what you pay for" is ALMOST ALWAYS true. When the price is too good to

believe guess what... It is! I simply cannot believe that grown adults are

shocked when they discover they purchased bogus software. Then on top of

that they think their entitled to Adobe support and have the nerve to

complain when Adobe refuses. You've got to be kidding me!!!

Save yourselves and your money, please people. When you're in the market to

buy software learn what the suggested retail is. Then learn what legitimate

sources are selling that exact same software for. Hint: E-bay is probably

not a legitimate source most of the time. Then when comparing prices

automatically ignore the low ball numbers as you will probably be ripped

off. Last but not least, if you're not dealing with a major player you are

probably better off by not buying. Better to pay more thru a known source

than risk your probably hard earned money!

[Ritz_Cracker]

I believe the deactivate command in the help menu is there to uninstall the program on your computer.  I had a bad copy of the program installed on my computer and Adobe Tech Support told me that was how to uninstall it.

[BobLevine]

That is most certainly NOT what's it's for.

All it does is deactivate the software so you can use it on a different machine without uninstalling it.

Bob

[Guest]

Doc81harley wrote:

Yes...I see a Deactivate in my Help Menu.  Does that mean something?

The presence of it (enabled, not grayed out) helps to indicate that you have a legitimate and activated installation. Some pirated versions might be using a volume license which could have a different menu option.

[Ritz_Cracker]

By registering your software with Adobe and their accepting it as a valid purchase I would think would be proof enough. 

If you followed the thread on pirated software, you will see their are numerous points of view on the subject.  To sum it up, it looks like you did well, but in the future I would suggest never purchasing software from anyone with less than 200 sales and positive feedback.  I still purchase software on Ebay and have done very well, but as with any auction, do your homework.  Best of luck with your new software.

James

[David Ayars]

Doc, I don't think anyone here can say one way or the other what will happen in your case.  There are legitimate and counterfeit copies of Photoshop sold on eBay.  Some of the fake copies that are sold on eBay come with licenses that work at first but then later will stop working, as you can see by reading the post right above yours, #475.  For more examples of the same situation, read through the entire thread. 

Here's a good hint as to which you have, though not definitive: if you seemed to get a "great deal" on eBay, say $250 for CS5, from a seller who's been registered on eBay for a month and is selling lots of copies of CS5, the risk of later problems is high even though your license seemed to register.  For a full version of CS5, the lower the price drops below $600, the higher the likelihood that the key is fake, because authorized dealers don't sell software for less than they paid Adobe to get it and for less than it's worth.   If on the other hand you paid full price from somebody whom you can see on the Internet is an Adobe authorized dealer, and if they have been selling copies of Photoshop for years, even though it's on eBay,  the risk of later problems is low.

Beyond that, I think you'll just have to wait and see what happens.

[bwalkerinc]

This whole thread borders on the absurd. Obviously there can be exceptions

but here it is in a nutshell:

Most who choose to purchase Photoshop on E-bay are looking for the quick

score on saving money. They already know up front it's a copy; they simply

don't care. When Adobe states they won't support they act indignant. You may

think Adobe is greedy or whatever you wish to call it but at the end of the

day it is their license and they have every right to ask for whatever sum

they feel is appropriate. You have every right to walk away.

[Ritz_Cracker]

I cannot speak for anyone other than myself, but I entered this forum because I had a legitimate problem that Adobe tech support could or would not solve.  Along the way other individuals participated in helping me resolve the problem and for that I am grateful.  Also on occasion, the thread would deviate from the subject a bit, but that is to be expected because we all arrived here with different skill sets.  I also learned that there are a few who having nothing better to do, like to spew diatribes from the sidelines.

Occasionally I get input from knowledgeable Nobel Laureates such as yourself.  Had I wanted a clean Adobe product or suite for free, I would have gone to a website like "The Pirate Bay" where one can get any Adobe software at no cost virus free with valid activation numbers.  But of course you already knew that.

For me, my software issue was resolved.  Occasionally I still get an email from someone who has similar problems on this thread, so I offer whatever suggestions I can because this what these forums are about.  If you want to be part of the solution, that's great.  But if all you want to do is cast dispersions and character assassinate then can I suggest that you look for a more age appropriate forum like Sesame Street.

James

[Doc81harley]

I only came on here because I saw this thread and wanted some feedack because I bought a program off eBay.  My concerns have been resolved to my satisfaction.  It seems that most of the replies were to convince me that I will regret buying off eBay.

Be that as it may, I hope I was not character assasinating anyone.  I was just looking for responsible feedback, not to be chastized for being an idiot.

Kevan

[Guest]

Cool it James – you don't own this thread. It's been running for several years and has hopefully put a lot of people on guard regarding the apparent authenticity of many eBay fakes.

[Ritz_Cracker]

I was only responding to a specific message from a specific individual.  Please go back and read his original post and you will understand why I responded like I did.  No offence to anyone else.

[SkipRunge]

You seem to be implying that I bought a copy on ebay knowing it was basically stolen.  Personally, I resent your implication.  What I bought, I bought in good faith and paid a reasonable price for it, as--i am sure--did others in this thread who had a similar experience.

The rest of what you say is overstating the obvious.  Just what is your point?

[Ritz_Cracker]

I was not replying to your posting at all.  If you look at the message, it is a reply to a specific individual.  I was responding to a posting that insulted anyone who ever purchased software on Ebay.  If you follow the thread backwards, you can find the original post.  The reason I was critical is that there are individuals who for whatever reason think anyone who purchases software from a third party is depriving Adobe of revenue.  You are the third person today who thinks I was writing about them?  Does anyone out there ever check the receipent address to a specific post?  So once again, please don't shoot the messenger.

[Guest]

James Svos wrote:

If you follow the thread backwards...

James, Skip was responding to the same person you were. You can see that in Skip's post just like we can see who you responded to.

Would you two like to grow up?

bwalkerinc clearly stated that there can be exceptions (such as yourselves). Don't you two act so offended to an innocent post.

Congratulations to those of you that have successfully purchased software from eBay. You are a minority.

[Doc81harley]

James is not the bad guy here, nor is he responsible for some of the feedback being posted.  I went back and looked at the specific person he was referring to when he made his post, which I don't think many others did. The person he was referring to did make a comment that by buying off eBay we already know they are copies and not original software and  are just looking to find Adobe products at unreasonably low prices.

Is it illegal for an authorized distributor of Adobe products who buys in bulk quantities to sell them on eBay?  I see no problem with that and not all who sell products of any kind should be pigeon holed as being dishonest because they choose eBay to sell their items on.  That not only goes for software programs but for any products sold on eBay or any auction site.  I buy a lot of gold and silver coins off eBay, and there have been times I was ripped off but that doesn't mean all sellers of gold & silver coins are fake or a ripoff.

Kevan

[Guest]

It is no challenge to see what post James was replying to and it is no challenge to see a prefaced note about likely exceptions in that post.

bwalkerinc wrote:

This whole thread borders on the absurd. Obviously there can be exceptions

but here it is in a nutshell:

Most who choose to purchase Photoshop on E-bay are looking for the quick

score on saving money. They already know up front it's a copy; they simply

don't care...

There was never any blanket statement that all software on eBay is pirated and people looking to buy on eBay must be pirates. James was just overreacting by focussing on part of a post without reading the whole thing. Let's lighten up and move on.

I don't entirely agree with bwalkerinc's assessment about 'most' people knowingly buy pirated software on eBay. I think most people are simply ignorant. But I see no reason in arguing bwalkerinc's comment like some have here, thinking that it was any sort of personal attack. There are more personal attacks in the responses to bwalkerinc.  It is time to grow up.

[bwalkerinc]

I have a favorite saying at work because it seems so many people read only a

part of what is written and here is that saying: "Words have meaning". In

other words make sure you write what you mean and read what others write.

You just may end up with the meaning. Leaving things out is liable to give

you the wrong meaning.

[bwalkerinc]

You might not have an understanding of how much of a discount can be had.

These huge discounts in the legitimate business world simply don't exist.

Compare prices on software and assume you will have issues with the low

balls out there. Can an excellent and legitimate bargain exist from time to

time. We both know it can but the chances are against you.

I don't live in a bubble. Who knows how many people get ripped off on ebay.

It's a daily event. Can you tell me how many people get ripped off when

buying direct from Adobe or say folks like B&H Photo in New York or other

well known legitimate vendors? Zero. It doesn't happen. Ebay is filled with

stolen and or fradulant product as well as legitimate stuff but how do you

know with certainty you're not about to get ripped off? Most of the time you

don't. Every industry in America is now faced with stolen product ending up

on eBay because so many out there are looking for "super deals". Yes, some

of it is legit but much of it is stolen or copied from our very own

employers. You know why there are always thieves... Because there are always

buyers. No buyers, no thieves.

[Noel Carboni]

EBay anecdote:

I bought a refurbished workstation on eBay.  That worked out to be a good deal, actually.

However...

When the seller was unable to provide the exact hardware he'd advertised (he'd advertised a blu-ray DVD but didn't have one), he offered to "make it worth my while by throwing in a bunch of great software".

The machine arrived with no blu-ray but with cracked copies of Photoshop Extended and a whole host of other expensive software.  I reported his butt in a heartbeat to every vendor.  I probably should have blackmailed him into sending me more hardware but I just don't get into that kind of stuff.

The good news is that Adobe, Microsoft, and the others all responded that they were going to take the report seriously.

As far as that software goes, it is long deleted, as I replaced the single disk drive he'd shipped with a couple of new high reliability drives for a RAID C: and formatted the one he shipped for use as my Photoshop scratch drive D:.

How people think they can get away with such crap is beyond me.

-Noel

[bwalkerinc]

I absolutely believe that the majority of software purchases on eBay are

fraudulent copies. Of course, there is some legitimate business going on

with eBay derived software but it is in the minority. If the price is too

good to believe, it is.

So as not to offend anyone this is not aimed at anyone in particular. Just a

statement of fact. Those that look for the cheapest on any given software

product on EBay will probably lose their money. If you can't afford the

software thru a known legitimate source take the time to save up rather than

risk whatever you're getting ready to lay down on the line. A good solid tip

for life in general.

[bwalkerinc]

If you tell me what you paid for it I will look into the MSRP and also what

known vendors are selling the product for and I will then form an opinion as

to whether you should have known there was risk involved in the purchase. As

I'm sure you realize my opinion will really only have value to myself and

won't accomplish anything of value for you but perhaps you might be able to

look at it as a learning experience for future purchases. I've never

purchased bogus software in my life as I have always dealt with known

vendors that are selling at what appears to be a realistic price. Once the

price is too good to believe you have probably gone too far out on the

proverbial limb.

[_Phos_four_dots_]

Hey Bob...could you please shorten Jeff's SuperLink? You could use this: http://xrl.us/bgge4 (Link to cgi.ebay.com.au) (as generated by http://metamark.net)

For that matter, the link doesn't even need to be there at all. A description would suffice.