Buying safely online

• get as much information about the company or person you're buying from as you possibly can. If you're buying from a company, ask for their full address and phone number. Be wary if they won't explain their policy on returns, service and warranties.
• check the item you're interested in buying (from the photo or ask the seller):
  • is there a hologram on the disk?
  • does the product come in its original box?
  • does it come with a Certificate of Authenticity (or CoA)?
  • is it a recovery disk? (A recovery disk is one you get with pre-installed software so that you can "fix" the software if it stops working properly. It's not meant to be sold separately; if you buy it, you won't be legally licensed and you won't get any support.)
• for more on CoAs and how to tell if media is genuine click here.
• if the price looks too good to be true, it probably is. But people who sell sophisticated fakes often advertise them at just below the normal retail price so you think you're simply getting a good deal. So price is important, but it's not the only thing you need to think about.
• comparison sites are a great resource for looking at products and how much they cost.
• find out if the software has been used before. Has it been installed before?
• is it for consumers (home use) or for business use?
• using a secure payment method is a good way to make buying online safer. Don't pay with cash or instant money transfers.
• keep print outs of your order page, emails, receipts and invoices.

At the moment there are only two authorised sites in the UK where you can buy digital downloads of Microsoft software. One is Microsoft Store where you can buy Microsoft Windows®, Office® or Expression® software directly from us. The other is the Ultimate Steal site - the software there is only available to students and staff at educational institutions. If you want to buy any Microsoft software as a digital download you should avoid auction sites and peer to peer (P2P) file sharing sites.