mel Loc: Jacksonville, Florida

I hope this will help some of you hogs. Go to Ebay and search for a member " proavisid ". He sells Nik, Topaz and others at prices you will not beleive. He is in the U.K. and you get the programs directly from the source. I would asume that this is legal, but by all means let me know if you find out it's not.

Elle Loc: Long Island, NY

I've seen those ads on Amazon and Ebay, whether from your named individual or not I can't recall and they are almost certainly illegal. The Amazon ad I read was for an unboxed copiy as the reason they were below the normal price. Topaz only sells their products as Downloads and their site plainly states that...so getting a disk is the first clue that something was off. The Ebay offerings are slicker. There were five offerings each at different ridiculously low prices for a bundle that costs $279 if you don't own one of the applications as a single. Each with a different seller name but the seller's description were all but the same for three of them and the same for the other two..The first three directed the buyer to download trial copies and he would email the registration key...the other two claimed to be sending a disk with the information.

Very clever setup by these people. They may hold a legitimate key and send everyone the same number activating the trial copies or they may be using a keygen to generate a new one. In any case, buyer beware. The downloaded copies will work for 30 days..at the end of that time the key given may or not have activated the product..in any case not a legitimate copy.

mel Loc: Jacksonville, Florida

You would think that Ebay would not allow illegal software to be sold on their site.

Riverbud Loc: Fresno, Ca.

You will see this allot on ebay I bought a program off ebay and when I tried to register it was when I found that it was only a copy. I did get my money back but had to delete the program. Beware

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Here is what Nik says. Waiting for response from Topaz. As the age old adage says, caveat emptor.

Dear Bob,

Thank you for contacting Nik Software. Yes, any of our software that is sold at a price that seems too good to be true is almost certainly pirated. They appear on eBay and Craigslist a lot. If you are in the market to get our software, I highly recommend either purchasing directly through us or through one of our authorized resellers. Even going through Amazon may not be a good idea, as people can sell their own personal copies there, which may still be registered to them. If buying from Amazon, ensure it's coming from an authorized reseller. You can see our reseller list here: http://www.niksoftware.com/store/usa/entry.php?view=reseller

mel Loc: Jacksonville, Florida

Not quite so Elle, They do sell disks, not just Downloads. Here's proof of that.

Elle Loc: Long Island, NY

Not quite so Elle, They do sell disks, not just Downloads. Here's proof of that.[/quote]

Sorry...but THEY DO NOT SELL DISKS!..If you visit Topaz site, their statement on the subject is clearly visible at the top of the page where their products are listed. The disk photo illustraited is a pirated copy in my opinion. Anyone can make up a disk label like the one seen, or at least anyone familiar with burning disks. I'd be able to do it in a heartbeat myself. I'm not saying the copy will not work but it is certainly not a legitimate one. The key # given is either a legitimate one where the same number is being used over an over or one that has been generated with a key gen. There are sites where almost any popular program can be found, pirated with no apologies or cover and people who frequent them for a small subscription fee who want programs they can't afford to buy and are willing to chance that they will work for them. This selling them on legitimate sales sites is a new wrinkle. If someone has the chuzpah to sell an illegitimate copy on Ebay, putting a label like this on it is a piece of cake.

mel Loc: Jacksonville, Florida

My, you really got hot under the collar. I bought the disk 2 years ago, and if it is a bootleg copy, then it was a real good one, and Topaz has been keeping it updated for me and accepted the registration, so, put a cold towel on your neck, grin, and bear it. They may have changed their policies since then. But don’t say I bought an illegitimate copy.

Elle Loc: Long Island, NY

Sorry if I seemed to be coming on too strong but I wanted to emphasize the chance people are taking when buying a pirated or illegimate copy..and the "proof" you posted might be misleading. As I said they may or may not work. Another poster mentioned that what he got was a trial copy. Topaz is obviously not checking against their registration database at this time as they should be or these scams on Ebay would be picked up. I can't say that Topaz didn't issue disks at one time but they sure don't now. Might be interesting to find out. Anyone who buys these programs on Ebay does so in good faith..it's not like going to a Warez site..and therein lies the problem aside from the legal aspect. There can be deeper discounts with educational or military credentials and the like but when someone offers a $279 suite for peanuts, something is amiss.