Is it legal to sell Microsoft sotware on ebay?

rdwarr

juno wrote:

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

The only advice we should give here is how to operate successfully within the rules of eBay. We can discuss whether those rules are good or bad but what we can't do is imply that if the rules are broken you'll get away with it.
Given the above,
YOU CANNOT LIST OEM SOFTWARE FOR SALE ON EBAY WITHOUT THE HARDWARE FOR WHICH IT IS INTENDED.
So, if your copy of Windows XP says "For Distribution only with a new Dell PC" that's what it means. You can't sell it with a case screw and hope to get away with it.
EBay's OEM policy is here.

mike230652

chompie,


I think rdwarr summed it up well. To sell the software knowing it's in effect illegal is against eBay rules.

Trying to hide the markings showing it should only be sold with the original hardware would be extremely unfair on any buyer and could have repercussions for you.

...but it's up to you and your conscience how you deal with it....how would you feel if someone mis-represented an item to you and sold it to you illegally??

Mike

princessmoneysaver

Could you not sell it on Amazon?

rdwarr

YvonneCrossland wrote:

Could you not sell it on Amazon?

Not legally.
Not on eBay, not on Amazon, not at the Boot Sale, not down the Pub

soolin

rdwarr wrote:

Not legally.
Not on eBay, not on Amazon, not at the Boot Sale, not down the Pub

This reminds me of a Dr Seuss books...not on a bus, not in a car, not in a street and not in a bar...

Seriously though, like rdwarr says, and like one of the original links I posted said, you cannot legally sell this without the hardware to go with it.

Soo

davery83

I sold a boxed, original microsoft office 97 on ebay for £15.
Considering it was only a year ago and the software was 8 years (at least!) old I was pleased with the selling price - as long as you have a licence you should be ok. State clearly what you are including, I mentioned that everything that was in the box (original manual, CD, licence etc) and you should be ok!

soolin

davery83 wrote:

I sold a boxed, original microsoft office 97 on ebay for £15.
Considering it was only a year ago and the software was 8 years (at least!) old I was pleased with the selling price - as long as you have a licence you should be ok. State clearly what you are including, I mentioned that everything that was in the box (original manual, CD, licence etc) and you should be ok!

If you read the rest of the thread you will see that there is a difference between fully licensed stand alone products and OEM software. The OP has some OEM software which cannot be sold without the hardware that it came with.

Soo

Moglex

soolin wrote:

If you read the rest of the thread you will see that there is a difference between fully licensed stand alone products and OEM software. The OP has some OEM software which cannot be sold without the hardware that it came with.

The hardware it came with?

Or just qualifying hardware?

I know of several reputable companies who will sell various manufacturer's OEM software (including microsoft's) with some token piece of hardware. For some reason a lot of companies are very lax when specifying what is qualifying 'hardware'.

Edit: Of course, they are selling it for the first time. Subsequent sellers may well need to include the original hardware it was purchased with.

davery83

soolin wrote:

If you read the rest of the thread you will see that there is a difference between fully licensed stand alone products and OEM software. The OP has some OEM software which cannot be sold without the hardware that it came with.

Soo

Sorry, I understood that - I was just stating that if anybody had read this thread and were going to ask about software that was not OEM it is worth selling if you don't need it.