EDIT: Nevermind, see first reply. Hello, all! I am considering purchasing a laptop on ebay. I didn't see a COA in the pictures (they are actual pictures of the laptop, not stock pictures), so looked it up online to see where they are located. Well, they aren't there in the pictures on eBay. The OS does come pre-installed, however. At least initially it was legitimately licensed, as I looked up the service code (could barely make it out in the pictures of the bottom of the computer) on Dell's website and it was a legit purchase. I have contacted the seller, and so far have not received a response. The laptop is a very good deal from what I can tell, and am hoping someone else doesn't buy it before I get a response (it's a buy-it-now). On top of that, I am going to be leaving the country at the end of next week, and am hoping to have some time to shake down the laptop before I leave to make sure there are no issues. So, here's my question: Is this even an issue? I reinstall my computers on a yearly basis, but it looks like I can retrieve the key from Windows with some software. Should this be something to worry about, or should I just go ahead and make the purchase? They've got like 99.7% feedback with several thousand sales, so they're definitely not a fly-by-night, here-one-day-gone-the-next seller. Thanks! ElectroPulse
Nevermind... Just ignore this thread... Spent some looking for information about purchasing laptops without a COA, and stumbled upon this information: It turns out when Windows 8 comes from the factory, there is no COA. The license key is built into the BIOS. So, looks like there is no issue with the laptop.