eBay Win 7 keys...

by cgarrity Nov 6, 2009 12:43AM PST

A few days ago I was looking for another copy of Win 7 and checked eBay. There are several "keys' being sold there for $30-$50. It's unclear whether the keys include the Win 7 DVD.

In the word descriptions, the sellers claim the keys they are selling are from MS.

Anyone know if these are legal keys or is this some kind of eBay scam?

Discussion is locked

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by Jimmy Greystone Nov 6, 2009 12:54AM PST

No, they wouldn't include the install DVD. This would be strictly for the code that lets you activate Windows.

As for the legitimacy of it... I'd be pretty wary myself. I'd say there's a better chance than not it's a scam.

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hmmm

by jeff_windows_team Nov 6, 2009 1:36AM PST

If you have to ask for a second opinion, chances are you could be saving money but buying trouble.

Quick question- Are you a college student?

If you are let us know, and if you aren't then I would recommend buying from a name brand retailer.

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No to college student...

by cgarrity Nov 6, 2009 1:49AM PST

I know about the college discount, but I don't qualify. I was one of the thousands that ran Win7 RC and as the program was winding down, I took advantage of the $50 offer for a copy of the retail version when it came out. Actually I bought 2 of them. We have 4 computers in the house and at the time, I wasn't sure if I wanted to put Win 7 on all of them or not. And I didn't want to lay $200 on the line in case I didn't.

So now I have on copy on my brand new iMac running under BootCamp and it's probably the best computer I've ever owned. The other copy is going on one of my laptops. Since all I need is a key, I may give eBay a shot. Or I may just buy 2 more of the $120 packaged units.

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keys

by jeff_windows_team Nov 6, 2009 1:55AM PST

If you decide against the ebay method and think that you will eventually have a need for 3 upgrade keys instead of just the two you mentioned, you might also want to consider the Family packs which comes with 3 upgrade keys for around $150.

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Good point!...

by cgarrity Nov 6, 2009 2:19AM PST

The 3 pack is definitely a better deal than 2 @ $120 each. I'll have to give that some thought.

Thanks for the suggestion.

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family packs sold out in a couple of days

by roadlife Dec 29, 2009 6:27AM PST

To the microsoft people who recommend buying family packs instead of using ebay, thanks to microsoft's method of selling family packs in a limited amount but with unlimited purchase all of them were bought out by EBAYERS!!!!!
within days of family pack release they were all bought. my staples said a guy bought every single copy! Same occurred on amazon, etc.

Tell your bosses at Microsoft -- they are the ones facilitating a black or gray market in their own products, and chasing people with three PC's at home, and not in college, like me to ebay!!!

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if you must ebay

by enos7 Dec 29, 2009 6:37AM PST

I take it you got your original copies from the microsoft store? Be careful then if you by just keys from ebay. Even if the keys are legit, you have to make sure that they aren't OEM keys as those won't work with original microsoft retail discs.

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Just picked one up last week.

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Dec 30, 2009 1:24AM PST

At a retail store so they are out there. The problem is that retailers are unsure of demand or don't get it. So keep looking at Office Max, Amazon and such.

Bob

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Reminder about genuine Windows

by TaraS_WinTeam Dec 30, 2009 3:21AM PST

It really is in your best interest to purchase legitimate copies of Windows 7 from a trusted retailer. Learn more about Genuine Windows and checking your product key here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/genuine.

Tara

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