New processors can only be sold by authorized distributors (you'll end up without a warranty if you purchase from an unauthorized distributor). Virtually anyone can sell you a used processor, but understand that you have no warranty when purchasing them this way. In addition, be very careful accepting used processor; there are a lot of slime buckets out there who are (illegally) attempting to sell Engineering Sample (ES) and Preproduction (PP) processors. Do not purchase these; they contain silicon errata, which could affect normal operation, and most motherboards will not install microcode updates onto ES/PP processors, thereby exposing you to even more errata. If you find that someone is selling you a ES/PP processor, get your money back if you can. If you cannot, report them to ALI management. At the same time, provide a complete report to Intel including all details that you can gather (including pictures of both sides of the processor) so that Intel can also go after these slime buckets.
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