A great deal of the hacked and pirated Adobe software out there now is embedded with malware. So you can be pretty sure that what someone’s getting on those auction and vendor sites is not legitimate, not able to be legally transferred, and possibly even quite unsafe. Further, there is no such thing as an “OEM” version of it.

The only safe way to purchase genuine software for download is through the Adobe Store.” For their mainline product, Creative Cloud, the software itself is non-transferable, thus it is never validly sold on eBay. Avoid all online auction sites - they’re rife with counterfeiters. And then it’s too late.Īdobe clearly states, “Purchasing from known and trusted sources is the best way to avoid risks. Unfortunately, a serial number may be blocked or revoked at some point later when re-activating or reinstalling Adobe software in the future. And it’s not a new problem.Īnd the buyer may not find out right away. The simple reason is – and the real problem is – that 90% of the software sold on places like eBay is counterfeit! Yes, it’s true. No, because in this area, reputation matters… a lot. Why doesn’t Adobe recognize the people that go through those places? Doesn’t that seem unfair? Can’t these software vendors who you’ve never heard of before be trusted? You may not be able to transfer the software to someone else, nor be able to get product support or upgrade to the next version, etc… You also aren’t able to return the software to get your money back from Adobe like you normally can. You cannot provide an accepted proof of purchase – so you can’t formally prove you own the products. Meaning, you think you own the genuine article but effectively you don’t.

So as a result, Adobe will not officially recognize any of those buyers as actually owning their software. The first problem is that Adobe does not recognize these venues as valid or authorized resellers, they are fully disregarded and invalid. It could be Creative Cloud, CS6, Photoshop, Lightroom, Acrobat, Elements, or any other title – in a retail, student, full or upgrade version… or sometimes it’s the “OEM” scam, or the plausible-sounding “extra” volume license swindle, or an illegal black or “gray market” import.īut it’s actually not a very good idea at all. Some folks think it might be a good idea to try to save a few bucks and buy Adobe software off of eBay, Craigslist, Amazon Marketplace, or from any vendor or seller who is unfamiliar.

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