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During the Auction: Avoiding Pirated Software continued ...

When the Software Arrives
Even if you take every conceivable precaution prior to bidding, it's still possible to become the unknowing victim of software piracy. After you place a winning bid and receive the software, you'll want to examine it to ensure its authenticity. A quick and cheap copy is unmistakable: a "tinted" CD-ROM (such as green or gold) indicates it's a CD-R, not a factory-fresh original. Text on the CD-ROM also can be a giveaway--the words "Sony 64 minute blank CD" say it all.

More elaborate copies are harder to spot; in fact, the most elegant forgeries can arrive shrink-wrapped with boxes and manuals complete with anti-piracy holograms. If you receive a copy that well made, you might never know the truth.

A Buyer's Tale
What about Kevin Frank? After confronting the shady seller and getting nowhere, he filed a fraud claim with eBay. Under eBay's SafeHarbor insurance policy, he was quickly refunded $78--the $103 he lost less a $25 deductible. Will he buy software via online auction again? Perhaps.

"If it were that much money, I would insist on talking to that person by telephone first. And I'd definitely prefer doing business with someone with a street address rather than a P.O. Box. But telephone contact would be mandatory," he said. "If it were more than $200, I'd definitely use an escrow service."

Dealing With Deadbeat Sellers
Identifying Questionable Auctions
Verifying Items

Kevin Savetz is a freelance computer technology writer specializing in the Internet. Send him email at savetz@northcoast.com.