Pro Tools 10HD upgrades on ebay

[harrybarnes]

How can these upgrades from 7 and 8 be sold so cheaply on ebay? Are they genuine and how do the sellers get them? Anyone had experience of this good or bad.

[SilkBasilar]

Not sure how it will go but Im about to find out....Im going from HD8 - HD10 with one of these evilBay dudes (hopefully).

Paid thru PayPal, so you can usually turn it around if its a bogus journey. All your really paying for is an activation code, as long as this is ligit, the rest is done and downloaded thru the actual Avid site so its not going to be a crack.

...I just read this back and it sounds like Im trying to convince myself its going to be ok....I will let you know how it rolls, money has been down for several hours & so far no contact.

After getting some quotes on HD upgrades I figure Avid are just taking the piss and letting the pros subsidise the home consumer...." hey AVID, just bring out an MP3 player and be done with it "

[WombatStudio.Org]

Started in Cubase, moved to Digital Performer so I bought an MBox2mini simply so I could try mixing in ProTools - came with PT8LE ...

I've upgraded twice via eBay:

PT8LE crossgrade to PT9 w/iLok (came with a guy's Eleven, he didn't need it) I installed/registered September 12, 2011 - Guess what came out October 21, 2011? Grace period October 1st. (register/release dates +/- 3 days).

PT9 crossgrade to PT10 - when I received it, it was a crossgrade from LE so realistically I could have sold it and got the right thing, but I didn't. Seems this was from a store.

Yes, nervous but I checked feedback etc., and saved a buncha money.

[Craig F]

I know someone that did it and it was fine for him.
Just check the sellers history it be sure.

[SilkBasilar]

I can see your point Wombat and its valid but I think the original poster was referring to Pro Tools HD upgrades. The retail price for the HD upgrades are vastly more than what the current eBay seller is advertising and grossly more than what others pay for LE/Express versions. But to put some minds at rest, I did it and my experience was all smooth. I paid, got my activation code 48hours later, logged into my Avid account, download iLok licence and the software and all is sorted. I saved more than $1000 on the 8HD to 10HD upgrade alone.

I now have HD10 TDM at the studio and HD10 on my tiny Macbook at home (just quietly, I think the Macbook is pissing its pants from anxiety)

[Ghost In The Attic]

Originally Posted by harrybarnes

How can these upgrades from 7 and 8 be sold so cheaply on ebay? Are they genuine and how do the sellers get them? Anyone had experience of this good or bad.

The sellers get them through a relationship with Avid. I recently purchased an HD 8 to HD 10 upgrade for cheap on Ebay. Within hours the seller gave me a code with a link to Avid's site to download and authorize the software. Everything was authorized through Avid's website. All the Ebay seller did was take my money and arrange the sale with Avid. It was very easy and saved me a lot of money (over half off).

Be sure to ask the seller first how long it will take them to get you the license? I had one seller tell me 2 weeks and another said the same day. So, make sure you know how responsive they will be before you pay.

[terhardp]

Hi. I apologize for "resurrecting" this relatively old thread, but I'm in a similar situation / doubt right now, so I hope that someone with more experience could reassure me.

I've planned to purchase PT10 to PT11 upgrade from Avid Store, however, I didn't taken in the account the Euro conversion + VAT, so I was suprised when the store totaled the upgrade price to abt 290€. Since I've invested quite a bit in virtual instruments recently, the price of this upgrade is simply too steep for me at this point. I've found an eBay listing from a highly respected seller (according to eBay) for PT to PT11 (vanilla) upgrade priced abt. 190$. This sounds very tempting, but as I've never purchased downloadable software from eBay before, I have some concerns.

1) First of all, is this business legit? On what basis some eBay sellers may sell Avid downloadable software on such discounted price?

2) What about the future upgrades / Avid support if one chooses to buy PT upgrade this way?

3) How this works exactly? I suppose the seller would need to deposit the licence on my iLok2 account.. Also, what about the download links; do you get them as well and from where?

If somebody has an experience in purchasing PT upgrades from eBay, please share it.

Many thanks.

[nst7]

If they're actually selling you an upgrade, then it's an activation code. You would enter that code on the Avid website. Avid would then send the license to your Ilok account, and make the installer available for download.

[terhardp]

nst7, thank you for your reply.

So, if you buy PT upgrade from a trusted eBay seller, you get the activation code you then put in your Avid Account which enables you to download, register and activate the new software. I'm I right? Then I assume you should be able to upgrade from this version in the future if needed without problems.

I still don't understand the catch, however. How can an eBay seller legally sell PT upgrades on such lower price than Avid Store? But if this is legit, at least formally, I would take the plunge, as the price of the PT11 upgrade in official Avid Store is really steep, especially for us EU customers.

[nst7]

That's how it should work.

Keep in mind that the upgrade is very specific. The Ilok license they send you will be for an upgrade, and it will look for the previous version Ilok license, which it will then make you surrender to be replaced by the new one.

So make sure it is the exact upgrade you need - in your case a PT10 to PT11 upgrade, not a PT9 to 11, or PTLE to 11, or PT M-Powered to 11, etc.

If the description on Ebay seems kind of vague, that could be a red flag right there.