OT: The variable pricing of After Effects CS5

I'm bowing to necessity, taking the plunge and getting After Effects CS5.

Adobe sells it for $999. The majority of other reputable sites (like B&H, Adorama, etc) also sell it for $999.

Amazon has it listed at $726, which looks nice but the fine print says that the vendor is a company called "Market Warehouse".

[www.amazon.com]

Other vendors in a google shopping search turn it up at even lower prices. I'm asking a dumb question, but it's safe to assume that everything off-price is a bootleg, right? How else does a single vendor sell something for $270 less?

You might be seeing academic pricing which is a lot cheaper than pro pricing because you are only supposed to use those versions in school.

Whenever I purchase software I only go through reputable dealers because it's not worth headaches if it does turn out something is not quite legit with the software. Then you have to deal with Adobe and the vendor to figure it out.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
biscardicreative.com

What Walter said. Pinching pennies will get you into trouble in the long run. I buy 90% of my stuff from my friends at Toolfarm. If you are only getting AE, and not Photoshop CS5 (which is what I would suggest...getting the Production Premium CS5), toolfarm has AE alone for $989.00:

[toolfarm.stores.yahoo.net]

If you can get yourself a RETAIL BOX of AE Pro or STANDARD 7.x or higher, the upgrade price is only $299:

[toolfarm.stores.yahoo.net]

Either way...worth every penny.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Adobe has various discounts going through some select industry groups.
I have purchased Adobe upgrades using these offers which have varied between 10% and 20% off, maybe up to 25% back in spring of 2009 as the recession was rolling in.

It looks like currently they have a 15% off offer.

Here is one group through which it is available.
[www.editorslounge.com]

see banner at bottom of the page.

You must order from Adobe directly.

What they said, and often vendors don't realize that they are selling you an upgrade and not the full version. Make sure about that before you take the jump.

Adobe's pricing policy is awful and has been for years. Love the products, but don't understand why they won't conform pricing worldwide. Production Premium CS5 (English Version) here in Europe costs more than double than in the US. If you purchase from a source in North America to try and get a fair price, the EULA says that you can't export it. If they'd clean up their pricing, there would be a lot less piracy.

Not an issue for you, but I'm venturing that a lot of others here on the forum wish that Adobe would price fairly for all users.

Of course, I do remember getting an old version many, many years ago for $1.00 when I was in Thailand. Hardly legal tho but it worked. Would never do that now.
Steve

steve-sharksdelight

Buy a previous version used on Amazon -- be sure to get a version that'll be eligible for a CS5 upgrade, then buy the CS5 upgrade. You'll save a bunch of $$, and is totally legit. Did this myself last spring after CS5 was announced.