Is it legal to sell Microsoft sotware on ebay?

chompie

hi, i have lots of old software which i no longer use, that has all the certificates and codes (original)

is it ok to sell this on ebay, or will either party take offence?

cheers

Aiadi

You paid for it, you owned it and you can do whatever you like with it. I can't see why you can't sell it. It feels the same as selling your laptop or PC with the software supplied with it. Others can correct me if I am mistaken though.

rdwarr

It is legal to sell it if (and only if) you have the licence for it. That's the piece of paper that comes in the box with the discs and manuals.
Having said that, 99% of Microsoft software on eBay does not have a licence and is therefore illegal.
By your post it seems all is in order; genuine software always gets some serious bids so good luck with the sales. Make sure that your auction clearly states you have the licences (show a picture too).

rdwarr

Aiadi wrote:

You paid for it, you owned it and you can do whatever you like with it. I can't see why you can't sell it. It feels the same as selling your laptop or PC with the software supplied with it. Others can correct me if I am mistaken though.

Close. But you pay for it and you don't own it You just have a licence to use it.

slowen

I would list it as long as you have the license as the worst that can happen is ebay remove your item, I remember reading a while ago certain designer / cosmetic companies don't like people sellining thier goods on ebay as it makes them look cheap and and they tell ebay to remove the items as they only want them being sold in the shops / places they want.

Don't know if this still happens on ebay though

soolin

You can't sell OEM software on ebay,http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/oem.html

You might also want to check out the 'Potentially Infringing (copyright & trademark) section here:

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/items-ov.html

Microsoft stuff is a very grey area, there are lots of reported problems where people have listed it and get their listings pulled. It might seem like a minor inconvenience but it is worth bearing in mind that if you get enough warnings on your file your account will be suspended. Whether or not you will have problems selling properly certificated and licensed products depends on whether your competitors decide to try and cause problems or not.

Soo

frivolous_fay

I sold my Win '98 and Win ME successfully last week.

I made it very clear they were genuine.
I listed all the relevant authentication stuff (CoA, CD key, etc)
Where possible I showed this in the photo.

I got £21 for ME and £18 for '98 upgrade.

FYI, my copy of '95 got pulled. Could be because my fantastically good quality photo showed that it was only for distribution with a new PC... ;-) Oops!

chompie

thanks all.
i will take my chances and list them, although on a couple i will have to hide the "for distribution with new PC" markings

cheers

soolin

chompie wrote:

thanks all.
i will take my chances and list them, although on a couple i will have to hide the "for distribution with new PC" markings

cheers

That could be problematic as OEM software is not necessarily the same as a stand alone version, and may not act like the full version so you may mislead the buyers which in turn causes concern and may mean you get not as described complaint.

For info about OEM see here:

http://www.helpwithpcs.com/jargon/oem.htm

Many sellers get round the problem of selling OEM by selling it with some hardware. I really wouldn't risk selling something and not being absolutely precise in your auction description.

Soo

mike230652

chompie...


You say........

" on a couple i will have to hide the "for distribution with new PC" markings "

Personally I think you'd be inviting the buyer to come straight back and neg you...........not saying they will , but it's a possibility...since you're admitting you shouldn't be selling it since it's OEM. If it doesn't perform to the buyer's satisfaction you're leaving yourself open to problems.

Sorry if this seems negative, but you need to think of both sides.

Mike

juno

I just had one auction pulled by Ebay for this. But it sold before they removed it