Why won't Intel force the BAN of Engineering Samples sold on eBay?

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Engineering Samples are the property of Intel. Many people have a need for a Used CPU but they might not understand the difference between a production unit and an engineering sample. Or they might not know how to identify such before actually running said CPU in a system. I was in the latter group. I had the need of a used CPU and I turned to eBay. When I received said CPU and ran it, things were not working as I expected. I did some research and discovered that I was sold an engineering sample. While they might be fun to play with, they are not meant for day to day operation. The most important factor is that they BELONG TO INTEL! Now some people wouldn't care who technically owned it, if said person had it in their hands then it was theirs. . I think that most people would want to do the right thing and not perpetuate the practice. At the very least the unauthorized sale of ES CPUs unjustly enriches those resellers because they paid nothing for the items and it dilutes the market for authentic resellers. It also hurts Intel's reputation when people who make these purchases don't understand that they didn't buy a production CPU and go on to blame Intel for making a product that doesn't work as expected. It would not take much effort on Intel's part to talk with eBay to, at least, curb the sale of Engineering Samples.

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Hello lifeofgold,

Thank you for contacting Intel and for bringing this matter to our attention. My apologies for any inconvenience.

Intel(R) Engineering Sample Processors ("Intel ES Processors") are considered the sole property of Intel and are provided by Intel under nondisclosure and/or special loan agreement terms with restrictions on the recipient's handling and use. ES Processors are not for sale or re-sale. Please contact your vendor or place of purchase if you have received an Intel ES Processor in place of a production processor.

More information regarding Intel(R) ES processors is available on our Web site:

Information About Intel® Engineering Sample Processors http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/processors/000005719.html

I have forwarded your message to our Legal and Security departments for review. They will contact you directly if more information is needed.

Regards,

Amy C.