Where to purchase MSDN Subscription

[SavantMan]

I've spent some time with the VB standard, and have convinced myself it's time to make the switch to .net

I've done some research and have concluded that what I want to do is purchase a MSDN professional subscription. Now for the tricky part... direct from MS, the current price is 1199... I can find other online retailers with slightly lower prices and was wondering if anyone here had found anyone with good prices that they would purchase from again.

 

[chiph]

Using Froogle (

http://www.froogle.com)

with this search string:
[tab]MSDN professional subscription -upgrade -acad
(to filter out some of the upgrade and academic versions)

I found this site at $875 that looks respectable:
[tab]

http://store.yahoo.com/elementsources/b3foncolmspr.html

(But I've never ordered from them)

Pricewatch (

http://www.pricewatch.com)

found this site for $827:
[tab]

http://www.trustprice.com/as/product_details.cfm?ItemNo=MS-MSDN7P

(But again, I've never ordered from them)

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[SavantMan]

Those are both great prices. I do have a quick question. Are all MSDN professional subscriptions created equal? ie: I want to make sure I am getting .net 2003 instead of 2002.

 

[chiph]

No, they aren't all equal. Some are upgrade prices (which you can't use if you're buying your first copy) or academic versions (which you can't use unless you're a student or faculty member). And, like you said, some are for the 2002 version (read the item description carefully to be sure).

I even found a terrific price on a version 6 (the old VB6 one), which I didn't even think was still available!

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[DwaineC]

But, Chip, a universal, first-time purchaser subscription on one site for $xxx is the same animal as a universal, first-time purchaser subscription on another site for $yyy... and I'm amazed at the price differences.

 

[SavantMan]

I agree Dwayne, I've seen prices for what I'm looking for (MSDN Professional) ranging in price from $1199 to just over $800. I can understand a bit of a discount, but we're talking about 25-30% here. I did find a location, where MSDN professional, first time user is $875 and is located in the same county I'm in (San Diego). I'll be checking with them asking very specific questions about version etc. I'm paying for this personally, so while I'd like to save the money if I can, I can't afford to buy the wrong thing either. If anyone is curious, the exact URL I'm looking at is:

http://www.software-wholesale.com/micmsprof70w.html

The listing says it's for the CD version, and I specifically want DVD's, both for the space savings, as well as the rebate.

 

[DwaineC]

Last year, a universal subscription went from $1,100 to $2,500+. I was very suspicious, as you are. I purchased the cheapest I could find, received the $300 rebate for DVD and it was the smartest money I ever spent. The dvd's keep coming every month...

I believe some of the distribution outlets might be cheating Microsoft, or they're purchasing lots at a cheap price... nevertheless, call the distributor and verify you're getting what you think you are...

You'll be grinning from ear to ear, just like me...

 

[chiph]

DwaineC -

Ever shop for tires? You'll find differences of up to 50% for the same size/brand of tire. Same thing -- different vendors charge different prices for the same product based on their cost structure, and how much profit they want.

Which is why I love the shopping sites so much!

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[SavantMan]

"Let the buyer beware" is definitely important to keep in mind also. I did contact one of the distributors with questions and was informed the product they are offering at $875 is for Version 2002 not 2003. I did enquire about the price of 2003, but have not recieved a response yet.

 

[SavantMan]

In case anyone looks at this thread in the future, I thought I'd pass along some info. If you own a licensed copy of any of the .net standard products you are eligible for the upgrade package, which will save you considerable amounts of money, and the product is no different. I paid $715 through Amazon... the upgrade package appears to be a little more difficult to find via 3rd party vendors.

 

[jconner]

I purchased my Universal MSDN from a guy on eBay and have had absolutely no problems with it. I paid $899 for it and then got a &300 rebate for getting it on DVD. The guy I purchased it from had a strong rating and many previous customers, and he set it up for me and everything rocked! I got my rebate from Microsoft and it was all totally legit.