Buy Legit Copies Of Popular Software For Less

There are places like softwareoutlet.com that sell gray-market and OEM pkgs.
I got two different versions of WordPerfect from a similar store, for pennies onthe dollar. Other software was just nicely discounted.

There is also eBay.

AdmNaismith

You can also check computer manufacturer sites. I recently bought a copy of Peachtree accounting software for less than half the price from dell. It was a full version, new in the box and wasn't even restricted to dell computers. If I have to pay for overpriced, poorly developed software every few years, I might as well save as much money as possible.

teh

Look for a previous version of the software on eBay. If you go two editions back you can get it for peanuts, and with most software you won't be missing much. For example, I got OmniPage 14 for next to nothing when OmniPage 17 came out. I'm still using it. It still does everything I need. If I want an upgrade, though, I can always go back to eBay and pick something newer but not this year's version.

Obviously this won't work for operating systems unless you're really into retro stuff.

I go to Amazon.com for cheap software. You can get fully legal versions for pennies on the dollar--its just that the software is "used," that's all. I don't recall my laptop complaining when I installed a version of Office 2007 that I bought on amazon at a steep discount.

Office Max recently had Dragon on sale for real cheap and I almost bought it. But in checking reviiews I found the new version has lots of compatibility problems. One reason, perhaps, for fire sale pricing.

aeronaut

You can also find opensource alternatives - trade MS Office for OpenOffice. Trade Photoshop for GIMP. You might not get all the features you could get in PS if you choose GIMP, but OpenOffice and GIMP should provide most of the important features.

You can even switch from Windows and stop paying for upgrades. I've installed Ubuntu as the only OS on all of the computers in the house - except one, which dual boots Vista.

Often, you can find the previous version of the same software for sale at newegg.com or surpluscomputers.com for much cheaper.. I'm sure there are other sites; I use froogle.com to look for deals.

David in Brasil

If you're in a town with a college, try the student bookstore. Some don't card.

FLEB

@FLEB:

Don't do this! If you are going to violate the software license anyway, you might as well just torrent it and save some money.

sick_and_ashamed

AcademicSuperstore.com

If you're a student, teacher, or parent of a student, you can get software (and other learning items/computer items) for cheap. You do have to prove you are a student/teacher/parent of student, and some software is not permitted for some (i.e., Google SketchUp Pro 7 Student License--you MUST be a student (faculty et al. does not count). Popular software is available too--if you're a student/faculty/school, you can get Photoshop Extended CS4 for $299. Here's the direct page to the eligibility requirements: [www.academicsuperstore.com]

After getting a bogus but very legit-looking (with hologram) copy of Windows XP via eBay, I wouldn't recommend that route.

Not affiliated in any way to the site or its products advertised, but I accidentally stumbled upon CostCentral.com. I noticed that they sell both licenses and copies of programs separately, such as Photoshop CS4 for $197.

The site looks legit enough, but if I buy a PS CS4 license and either download the demo from Adobe or buy the disc from their site as well, would I technically have a legal license and copy of the program?

[www.costcentral.com]

Look for open-source alternatives, and also go to college bookstores. If you have to bribe a student to get it, it's worth it...

QADude

Often you can get fully functional 'cracked' versions of most popular programs via bittorent and The Pirate Bay, but you need to make sure to run your virus scanner on anything you download this way. It's easy to pick up a computer virus if you don't.

PickledEgg

also try becoming friends with someone at the company. I once got a personal email address from a IBM worker just by chit-chatting with them for 15 minutes while an order processed. they normally have access to the company store at company prices, and might be able to throw you a bone.

@JohnnySaber: Depends on your school. At my university, even though alumni keep their .edu email addresses, the faculty purge their associated MSDNAA credentials.

@Red_Flag: This saved me a good bit of money on Microsoft Office. All you have to do is have a valid .edu email address. Lots of schools actually let you keep your school email forever nowadays, too.

JohnnySaber

OEM (System Builder) copies of software usually saves 20-50%. This is especially good for Windows.

Academic licenses are great - many times you don't even need an ID. Just hop over to your local university bookstore and see if you can grab a copy.

ffejie

If you're still in school, see if your university has an MSDN Academic Alliance partnership with Microsoft. Usually offers operating systems (XP, Vista, 7), Office, and developer tools (Visual Studio, Visio, SourceSafe) for free.

@beyondthetech: That's a PS CS4 volume license "level T ( 25000+ )"

If they are following Adobe's rules, you would have to buy 125 copies (125 copies X 200 points each = 25000).

For the single, non-academic license, it's $704.
[www.costcentral.com]

Upgrade version is $201.
[www.costcentral.com]

Add $24 for the actual software on DVD.

As for legitimacy, I looked up Cost Central on the Western PA BBB site and they have a very good A- rating.

@infmom: It'll work for operating systems at the moment... providing you want Windows 7. Just buy Vista from somewhere (pretty cheap now) and you'll bag yourself a free upgrade to 7. You won't be saving much, but 25% off is 25% off!

@infmom: This is an excellent choice for MS Office, especially if you want Excel and Access. The older versions work just fine!

I tend to avoid Ebay, but it's a pretty good place to shop for this kind of stuff I'll admit.

pdok

@wjglenn: Good point - although I've actually never had a problem with this. I had a copy of Windows XP OEM that I activated like 10 times (on the "same" computer) each after a significant upgrade.

Memory, new HDD, new install, new mobo, new mobo and proc, new video card etc.

At what point is the machine no longer the same machine? I would argue the mobo, or the HDD, but that seems arbitrary, and I would scream bloody murder at anyone that said I couldn't reinstall my OS if my HDD broke.

ffejie

If you're looking for games, be sure to check out gogamer.com.

@ffejie: Just keep in mind the limitations of OEM software. According to the license, once it is installed on a machine, the license is tied to that machine permanently. With a non-OEM license, you are allowed (legally) to move the license to another machine.

@wickedcupofjoe: We got a bunch of good stuff for the kids' computers this way. All we needed was proof that they were in school (in their cases, K-12). We used copies of report cards for one and a letter from the principal in the other. Picked them up office and some Adobe stuff for a song.

BTW, if you're thinking of Adobe, go the Suite route. You can get the academic version of Photoshop for a couple hundred dollars (US dollars), but you can get their basic suite for just about a hundred more and it includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, and more.

@Xjep: In their school store, or as part of something like the MSDN Academic Alliance? Most schools don't advertise things like MSDN Academic Alliance unless you are in a class for the applicable software. Ask around and you may be surprised.

heartlessgamer

The small non-profit I work for signed up for TechSoup: [www.techsoup.org] - we get the software we need for pennies. They organize donation programs from companies like Dell, Microsoft, Adobe, and distribute the products to qualified 501(c)(3)s - worth a look if that applies to you.

skyesong

@PickledEgg: Hooray for felony theft! Or not...

@sick_and_ashamed: depending on the software, you may not be violating any licenses. It could be a contract violation for them to sell it to you, but a lot of the software offered by my university has no extra licenses or conditions of use (the condition being that you have to be a university student when you get it, but you can use it indefinitely after graduation).

psychiccheese

Subscribe to some of the more popular deal sites such as slickdeals.net, bensbargains.net, techbargains.com, and fatwallet.com. Some of them (I can only vouch for slickdeals cause I'm used this feature) allow you to set alerts for certain phrases, which helps if you're looking for a certain piece of software.

@ffejie: Lucky you; at my school everything is full retail price

@Nitrokart knows CPR and took that guy's wallet:

Have you had good luck with GIMP? I've been comparing it to the latest Photoshop Elements, and GIMP runs noticeably slower. Even simple operations like making rectangular selections or using the paint bucket have a 1-2 second lag time.

These simple operations are a breeze for PS elements.

I'm running the 24" 2.66gh iMac w/ 4GB RAM.

If you're looking for games, subscibe to Steam's rss feed; I got half-life 1 for $1 and the orange box for $10

as a student, many tech classes have programs such as the Microsoft Alliance which allow you to have fully licensed software for cheap-as-free

@psychiccheese: I think these two statements contradict each other:

"depending on the software, you may not be violating any licenses."

"the condition being that you have to be a university student when you get it"

So, not only are cheating the developer, you're also lying to the bookstore.

I can get really cheap legal software from the university I go to, although for cost measures Windows Vista and Mac OS X are just upgrade discs, not full software. It's still pretty good. Who can get Vista Ultimate legally for only 14 bucks?

@beala: yeah, I guess I didn't phrase that very well. I think what I was trying to say, was that it wouldn't be you that violates the license, but the bookstore, for not checking that you're a student.

psychiccheese

Just got a twitter notice that vmware is 40% off for the next 3 days, so $189 for workstation.

SushmaPulvillus

@CreepinJesus: I only just installed XP Pro a few months ago. I'm not a rapid OS adopter. :)

@imafall3nstar: Wow, I wish my dad still taught at IU. :)

@JBu92:
Yup. This is the best route. I got Vista Business, MS OneNote, and MS Visio for free.

@jeffk: eBay is fine as long as you check the feedback rating. I've never been shafted on eBay.

xizdaqrian

Also gog.com is great for classic games

GiraldoMelampus

Indiana University partnered with Adobe and now staff and students get CS4 Design and Production Premium for free. It's great!

imafall3nstar

@techgoddess: now with more tech than goddess: I also like Microsoft's Ultimate Steal thing they've got going on. It's limited in what you can get, but Office 2007 Ultimate, and an upgrade disk of Vista Ultimate for $60 each isn't a bad deal at all.

Of course Microsoft's retail training site is great too. After taking a few courses I'll be getting a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate for $10. I'm not sure if its upgrade or full, but for $10 I don't really care.

Woden501

I raid my universities MSDN every semester. Though they do not post Office licenses, which is a shame.

D0rk