You can also send suspect products direct to us via our Product Identification service. Find out more at: www.microsoft.com/uk/piracy/
Buying the cheapest software could be a costly mistake
It's not the price that's crucial, but whether what you get is genuine/h1>
Microsoft and eBay have a common aim: to protect their clients and prevent copyright infringement. On this page you will find information and links to sites that will help you to buy genuine software.
Many eBay buyers and sellers are honest and reliable, but unfortunately there are also sellers who take advantage of the anonymity of the Internet to sell counterfeit products, individual product components or worthless copies. However, you can protect yourself against illegal offers and nasty surprises by doing some careful research before you buy.
As part of our strategy to protect eBay buyers eBay will remove pages offering blatantly illegal items.
Take great care when hunting for a bargain
You can purchase virtually anything from online marketplaces and from time-to-time you can pick up a real bargain. However, sometimes a supposed bargain can turn out to be fake. Buyers of such software have no legal right to use the software. If discovered in possession of illegal software buyers must remove the software from their PC and destroy any copies (e.g. CDs). Furthermore, only genuine software offers after sales service and support, and only genuine software guarantees genuine quality.
Tips for buyers:
Find out how to identify the differences between legal and illegal software at Microsoft's How To Tell site: www.howtotell.com
Be wary of the sale of individual components such as user manuals, end user licence agreements (EULA) or certificates of authenticity (COA). As a rule Microsoft does not sell components individually.
Find out what the standard range of retail prices is from catalogues, specialist magazines or from specialist stores before you buy.
Be wary of compilation CDs. A compilation CD usually contains several programmes developed by different manufacturers. Genuine Microsoft software is not sold on compilation CDs.
Watch out for copied or burned CDs; it is illegal to make copies of genuine software CDs (with the exception of back-up copies - depending on the product and licence agreement. Back-up copies may not be resold)
Bear in mind that you may not necessarily receive what you see on the vendor site. A picture of a legitimate product on offer does not guarantee that the product delivered will be genuine.
Exercise caution in online marketplaces: contact the seller by e-mail or telephone before making a bid if possible and ask searching questions about the product, the original packaging, what is included in the delivery, documentation, licence type and upgrade options. A seller, who does not provide an address or fails to respond to e-mails, does not inspire much confidence.
Tips for sellers:
Make sure that you buy Microsoft software from an authorised source or originating from an authorised source in Europe) in order to reduce the risk of purchasing illegal software.
Familiarise yourself with the product components of your Microsoft software. Keep all components wherever possible so that you can resell the complete package.
Microsoft software labelled 'Not for Resale' on the individual retail packaging is clearly not to be resold.
The license supplied with software pre-installed on a PC is often referred to as "OEM". An OEM license lives and dies with the machine it was installed on. Do not buy or sell OEM software other than in accordance with the license.
If you want to sell your school/university version, you must make sure that the buyer is also entitled to use this type of version in accordance with the end user agreement and agrees to comply with the licence provisions. Selling to unauthorised persons outside the designated educational field is not permitted.
Useful sites:
For more information on how to trade safely on eBay please visit:
