$299 Deal on A TON of Microsoftware

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3663452078&category=41888

This guy claims you can buy 10 copies of Windows and Office and a bunch of other stuff for $299 if you're a Microsoft Reseller/Integrator/etc.  Is this true?  Anyone know about this?

Ken Klose
Friday, February 27, 2004

Might be the MS Action Pack. I got that a couple years back now and it had loads of copies of Windows, Office, Visio, Project, etc, etc, and was meant for VARs. It only cost a couple hundred pounds, so it was a very good deal, even though it was only licensed for a year. Now I've got MSDN Universal, so I let the Action Pack subscription expire.

OTOH it could just be some gray market / OEM pack, or indeed a complete pirate copy.

Steve Jones (UK)
Friday, February 27, 2004

Yes, I think it is the ActionPack.  Here's an info page:

http://members.microsoft.com/partner/salesmarketing/partnermarket/actionpack/actionpackus.aspx

eBay is really bringing out the slime.

I also noticed Microsoft has lowered the price of the "Empower ISV" program to $375:

http://members.microsoft.com/partner/isv/empower/default.aspx

That gets you a MSDN Universal subscription.  Just have to promise to realease an app in a year (that's all).  I wonder what the penalty is for failing to do that?  That's doesn't appear to be addressed in their FAQs.

Doug

Doug
Friday, February 27, 2004

Wow!  I post a question like this in the middle of the night and get two high-quality responses in less than an hour!

Gosh!  I *LOVE* this site!

Ken Klose
Friday, February 27, 2004

The Empower deal was covered around the turn of the year, the consensus was that as the licence on the software expires after a year and its non-renewable, unlike the regular Universal subscription, that if you failed to relaease an application and progress in the Partner program nothing much was going to happen.

I've finally received an invoice from Microsoft for the Empower plan, after first they couldn't get to the web site (temporary router problems) and then didn't realise that I'd paid online so I was rung up by this guy with a very Austrian kind of accent demanding money.  After I explained they already had the debit card details he went away.

So now I'm just waiting on the DVDs, which is irritating because if  I'd known it was going to take this long I'd have gone out and bought version 8 of Visual Foxpro rather than wait for the MSDN.

Simon Lucy
Friday, February 27, 2004

Ken, off topic, but just for the record, it is not the middle of the night everywhere on the planet.

Like they say, the world won't end today because it is already tomorrow in Australia!

Tapiwa
Friday, February 27, 2004

http://images.andale.com/f2/101/120/11575300/1075980248020_MS_Software_Advisor.JPG

Is there even such a thing as a "Microsoft Certified Software Advisor / System Builder"?

That logo looks home made.

GuyIncognito
Friday, February 27, 2004

Not just home-made, but mistyped ("Advior") as well. That's pretty nasty.

Dennis Forbes
Friday, February 27, 2004

Tapiwa - but don't forget, I'm an "ugly American" and don't acknowledge a world exists outside our borders.  Heck, I barely acknowledge the American Midwest!  Except of course when Playboy does a "Girls of Ohio State" issue. :-)

Ken Klose
Friday, February 27, 2004

Oh, brother! This Ebay guy is an idiot. A "one time consulting fee of $19.99". And he is misrepresenting the Action Pack, it is intended to be restricted to consultants and IT professionals.

For free, I will post the link. I have the Action Pack. I paid $99 during a promotion last year. Even at $299 it's a bargain. You basically get every non development platform thing they sell.

http://members.microsoft.com/partner/salesmarketing/partnermarket/actionpack/actionpackus.aspx

Bored Bystander
Friday, February 27, 2004

A $99 promotion last year?  Why di *I* never hear about these things!  Is there some mailing list or something that I should be on to not miss out on these things?

Ken Klose
Friday, February 27, 2004

It came through one of the IT magazines's email lists. I think it was 'Networking Magazine'. It sure wasn't promoted very much. Basically they gave you a referral code which you entered into the ordering page for the action pack, and the final price at the checkout was $99 plus shipping. The deadline was June 30.

BUT even at $299 it's almost mandatory for someone in this business. And you get four quarterly updates.

Bored Bystander
Friday, February 27, 2004

Outside the States only for resellers.

Stephen Jones
Friday, February 27, 2004

We have this - I think it was £199 + VAT in the UK. I've been very happy with it; there are a few apps that I wish it included like the new MS Virtual PC but that's only on MSDN if I remember correctly.

James U-S
Saturday, February 28, 2004

The Action Pack update I just received contains Virtual PC.

Bored Bystander
Saturday, February 28, 2004

I'll look forward to my next update then :) It wasn't included in the last update but was publicly available at that time so I assumed it was not available.

James U-S
Sunday, February 29, 2004

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