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

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

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!

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.

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.

For my two cents:

Finally got my own original version of CS5 - expensive investment but hopefully worth the price   after having dealt with some strange eBay DVD sent from China....

Is this place safe?

Link deleted

>Any place selling academic versions with no requirement for credentials is not legit, IMO

I work at a University, so buy education versions where the license allows personal use outside the education organization (pretty much all of them, as far as I know... but I do check first to make sure I can use the software at home)

Your "IMO" is actually fact... an education reseller is supposed to require proof of school identity... looking around at Adobe's product or store information area will lead to a link where Adobe describes their requirements for someone to sell education versions of their software... ah... here are some links

http://www.adobe.com/education/students/studentteacherlicensing/school _listing.html

http://www.adobe.com/education/students/studentteacheredition/eligibil ity.html

http://www.adobe.com/education/students/studentteacherlicensing/

The only two I have bought from DO require proof http://www.studica.com/ and https://www.academicsuperstore.com/

Even the bookstore on my campus requires a student or employee ID

So having read all the responses from 2008 to 2010, I still am not sure if the questions has been answered.  Here's my dilemma.  I want to upgrade from Premiere 3 to Premiere 8.  Ebay is auctioning a copy of 8 at around $30 to $40.  Adobe sells it for $80.  Can I assume that the Ebay product is fraudulent and I should buy from Adobe for the full retail price.  The Ebay price is very tempting but after reading all the comments, I'm 75% convinced that I should forego Ebay altogether.

Lou,

I have stopped buying software on eBay because most of it is counterfeit.Most of what's being discussed in this thread pertains to Adobe Photoshop (not Elements), which is a $650 piece of software, not $80 as Elements is. So you might think that there's little incentive for counterfeit fraud with the $80 software.  But that's not true.  Inexpensive software is often counterfeited as well and sold on eBay.

Without looking at the specific auction you have in mind, it's hard to offer an objective opinion about any one auction.  If you post the link, they'll edit ithe link out of your post here, so don't bother.

I did just look at the active eBay auctions for PE8 in the price range you mention.  I didn't see any Buy It Now auctions in that range.  There are half a dozen auction listings starting in that range that will most likely end with a selling price closer to $50-60, not $30-40, even though they're starting at $30-40.  There is one seller who has listed dozens of copies of unboxed Photoshop Elements 8, some in this price range as auctions, others as Buy It Now or auction sales starting in the $50-60 range.  Selling dozens of copies, unboxed, are strike one and strike two, for increasing likelihood of fraud, as far as I'm concerned.  He doesn't specifically say so in his listings, but he implies that he is selling OEM copies which must be distributed with hardware, because he includes hardware in the auction. I don't know whether PE8 is legitimately distributed in the way described in his listings, but it can be counterfeited, stolen, or purchased wholesale that way, easily.

There is only one auction in this price range that looks like it might be for a retail copy of PE8. Someone is selling only one copy, and he's never listed and sold other copies before. He claims he got it as a gift but already had it, so he's selling his extra copy. That's one good reason to sell software as a bargain.  One concern: he admits opening the box, to see if what was inside matched what he has.  A little odd, but maybe we overlook it.  Another concern, did the person buying this as a gift for him buy a legitimate retail copy, or did he buy a fake one, too, or even steal it?  There's no way to know, although the fact that his copy comes in the box helps a bit.  Boxes can be and are counterfeited, too, though.

Nobody is going to sell multiple legitimate copies of retail Adobe software at half price, until the product has been discontinued, because it's too easy to sell it for more.  You could wait until PE8 is discontinued for PE9 and snap it up on clearance from a legitimate retail outlet.  You could also check legitimate online retailers such as Newegg and amazon or stores for a better price than Adobe's.  Those are safer bets than buying on eBay.

What you say sounds nice, but just keep in mind that PayPal will sometimes consider the transaction complete and legitimate if something was delivered.  It doesn't have to activate or meet expectation for them to refuse to refund your money.

-Noel

Sorry if you read thier rules and rules of  Ebay they have no option but o

refund. In early days of CS4 I used this approach on 3 occasions and got instant

rebate each time.  One was for 250 pounds.

Philip Davies 

If you have gone thrrough the questions and answers first and still hit problem

then most sellers of repute will refund you anyway.

Even Adobe allow you to unregister a copy so that you can sel it on and buyer

can re register it.They also allow you to try any serial number given you to

make sure its genuine before you purchase.

Philip D

Philip D

I wonder why is eBay allowing people to sell Adobe software, when people can actually go to Adobe website and get a genuine copy.

My guess is that eBay clearly knows that most of them are pirated copies and few genuine sellers. But they just like the money they get as commission.

>why is eBay allowing people to sell Adobe software

Considering the number of items on eBay (over a million a day?) there is simply no way for eBay to "police" each and every item

Post a negative rating for the seller, with the comment they are selling pirate software

just got one from ebay, is cheap and sometimes they ship fast.  There was one auction where I won and they never ship it to me.

<link removed>

Good point