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If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
There is no denying the success of EBay. Which is great if you own Ebay stock.
But when buying POS software or hardware beware.
Much of the new software that is sold on eBay is what's known as “gray market” product -- items that have somehow made their way out of the normal distribution chain.
It's also known as "OEM" software -- a term that frequently appears on eBay listings. It stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer and simply means it's an authentic version of the product, not a copy.
POS software is licensed to 1 physical location, and normally can't be transferred. If acquired through an unauthorized seller, you will probably violate the license agreement, which can terminate your license or the license you thought you had. You probably will not have support, and are essentially using illegal software.
One of the most common types of OEM software is programs intended to be sold with another product.
For example, a maker might bundle copies of software Elements when its hardware products leave the factory.
A retailer or distributor removes the software, and then sells it to a third party who lists it on eBay. The packaging on that software might not be the same as the full-price version.
Software makers contend that gray market sales violate terms of the licenses that control use of their products.
There are really only two problems with sellers on eBay. One, they do not deliver the product. Two, they deliver the wrong or defective product. If the seller does not deliver the product, your first course of action is to contact them, if you can find them. Many off shore sellers appear to be in the US but are not. They will typically us gmail, hotmail or yahoo fictitious email addresses. Try enforcing the law of Russia for example or Detroit when the seller is in France. If contacting the seller does not produce results, you can contact eBay and file a complaint and ask for assistance regarding the transaction. This can take weeks and months and you are still out the money.
What happens if the product you receive is defective, missing parts, incompatible or very different from what was described in the auction? Again, your first course of action is to contact the seller. The fact is that you probably do not have a warranty because the seller is not authorized, unqualified to provide support, will not provide support, and the manufacturer will not provide support, or parts or any kind of help.
Payment by Paypal and other 3rd party processors. The reason many of these sellers only accept Paypal, or other easy to get payment processers, is because they can't qualify for a merchant account. Need I say more?
Feedback ratings are bogus. That is the reason they brag about hight ratings. The majority of feedback is frivolous, has no merit, is automatic from boiler plate sources, and or is exchanged for positive feedback to the buyers account.
"Untested" items from sellers that only seem to sell "untested" items. More often than not in such cases, "untested" is just another way of saying "broke." Beware that even if this seller is an honest liquidator who really doesn't know if it works, you still only have a 50/50 chance of receiving a working item.
"Almost the real thing" items. Watch item descriptions for rip-off items and "GENUINE items like EPSON BRAND!" and check descriptions closely for phrases like "GENUINE COMPATIBLE MANUFACTURER'S PART." Whether the word is "not," "like," or "compatible," what it really means is "FAKE."
Astronomical shipping. Too often new buyers are taken in by the low price items... only to find that shipping will be charged at $99.99. Even if you get the item, you've overpaid by a serious amount, and let's face it; do you really want to take a chance doing business with a seller like this at all?
Seller-absent listing. When you see a listing that seems completely generic, as though a features list were copied straight from a book and the photo was taken straight from the box, and there's no additional information to let you know anything about the seller, think twice before you bid. This often indicates that there is no actual item for sale, and that this seller actually did copy the description from a book and the photo from another website, and is now trying to sell an item that he or she doesn't actually have.
Though it's always tempting to want to see eBay as an entirely safe place for fun trading and great deals, if you keep an eye out you'll see a surprising number of listings that fall under these criteria.
