Member Avatar for D4Stone

Is it safe to purchase MS Office 2007 or 2010 on Ebay. Why can I buy it so much cheaper then the regular retail price? Is it legal?

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Short answer: buying older boxed Office on a marketplace can be done, but it requires verification and carries extra risk — especially because those versions are no longer supported. Office 2007 and Office 2010 reached end of support (Office 2007: Oct 10, 2017; Office 2010: Oct 13, 2020), so they no longer receive security fixes. (Microsoft end‑of‑support table). (learn.microsoft.com)

Practical pre‑purchase checklist (concrete, documentable items to ask the seller for): sealed retail packaging photos showing the Microsoft packaging and hologram, a clear photo of the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) label or product card, a scanned copy of the original invoice/receipt, and a clear statement whether media (disc/USB) is included or it’s a download/code only. Avoid listings that offer a single product key or “key only” without paperwork — Microsoft’s buyer guidance explains what genuine packaging and key distribution typically look like. (How to Tell — Shop guidance) (What to look for — packaging/COA examples). (microsoft.com)

If you receive something that doesn’t activate or looks wrong: open a case through the marketplace immediately, keep every piece of packaging and the sales record, and report the item to Microsoft’s counterfeit program — Microsoft documents how to submit counterfeit reports and may assist. Note that marketplace buyer‑protection rules vary and some digital/intangible items are excluded from protections, so physical packaging and paying through the platform’s checkout matter. (Report counterfeit to Microsoft) (eBay Money Back Guarantee — coverage & exclusions). (microsoft.com)

Good instincts from and — verify thoroughly or choose a current, supported purchase path. Buying a current retail/subscription edition avoids activation headaches and gives security updates; Microsoft’s modern offerings and upgrade guidance are described on their site. (). ()

Summary: don’t buy based on price alone; require verifiable packaging/invoice, use platform checkout, document everything, and be prepared to escalate through the marketplace and Microsoft if activation fails.

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Member Avatar for chrishea

If they are significantly cheaper, they may be pirated. They could also be OEM versions that are supposed to be sold with a PC (but you should be able to register it).

There are a lot of free equivalents out there (e.g. Open Office, Lotus Symphony, Google Docs, Zoho Office etc.) but if you really need MS Office, then check with the seller that it is a legal version that can be registered and check that they have a strong rating (i.e. you can hopefully believe them). I saw a sealed copy of MS Office 2007 on EBAY for $199US and that is pretty good compared to the price at the Microsoft store for Office 2010 (about $650).

Member Avatar for D4Stone

Thanks for the help. I am aware of the free equivilants but have not yet looked at them. I guess I should start there and see if they work for me. Thanks everybody

Member Avatar for caperjack

start with open office ,it's ms office compatible,as maybe be many of the others ,I only had experience with Open office

Edited by caperjack because: n/a
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