topic Re: Buying sky pucks in Sky Stream

Buying sky pucks

Ebonymadi2908 — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 03:42:35 GMT

Hi so I've seen a few people selling sky pucks online i already have one in my home but need an extra 2 but I can't justify paying an extra £80 so is it possible I buy off a seller (Facebook) and still be able to set it up on my sky at home?

Re: Buying sky pucks

james8981 — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 05:18:55 GMT

@Ebonymadi2908 wrote:
Hi so I've seen a few people selling sky pucks online i already have one in my home but need an extra 2 but I can't justify paying an extra £80 so is it possible I buy off a seller (Facebook) and still be able to set it up on my sky at home?

Hello @Ebonymadi2908 mydestinycard,
Buying Sky pucks from a third-party seller (like on Facebook) and setting them up with your existing Sky system can be risky. Sky pucks are typically tied to the original purchaser’s account and may not work if bought second-hand. Additionally, Sky’s terms of service might not support using hardware purchased from unofficial sources.

For a reliable setup, it’s best to purchase additional pucks directly from Sky or authorized retailers. This ensures compatibility and support from Sky if any issues arise. If cost is a concern, consider contacting Sky to see if they offer any discounts or payment plans for additional pucks.

Best Regards,
James Henry

Re: Buying sky pucks

MarkGoldsmith — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 06:35:55 GMT

@Ebonymadi2908 wrote:
Hi so I've seen a few people selling sky pucks online i already have one in my home but need an extra 2 but I can't justify paying an extra £80 so is it possible I buy off a seller (Facebook) and still be able to set it up on my sky at home?

@Ebonymadi2908 Since Feb 2023 Sky pucks are not owned by the customers and are loaned from Sky whilst a customer has an active contract.

Whilst that does mean there are a limited number of customer owner pucks out in the wild for those who got one prior to Feb 2023 you are at risk if you purchase one from the open market (unless you fully trust that the seller did have the puck prior to Feb 2023). If you purchase a puck that is not owned by the customer and should have been returned to Sky, Sky are within their right to demand you return it if you try to register it against your account.

Re: Buying sky pucks

Exiled-in-HH — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 06:43:11 GMT

What payment guarantees do you get with Facebook ... will you get a full refund and free returns if it doesn't work?

You will also have to pay extra to Sky for Whole Home😉

Re: Buying sky pucks

TimmyBGood — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 08:31:08 GMT

@Ebonymadi2908

As noted above, it's pucks acquired alongside a Glass television set between October 2021 and October 2022, and then additionally the pucks sold as a standalone product between October 2022 and February 23rd 2023, which are legitimate for resale and can be added to a different Sky account and used to view subscription content. All pucks distributed since then are loaned by Sky.

Unfortunately there's no way of telling the difference physically: the only indication will be in the details of the Sky account itself.

Re: Buying sky pucks

PSC133 — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:32:09 GMT

I have been running Sky Stream alongside Apple TV 4K boxes with the Now TV recently added facility of 4K HDR Ultra Boost for several weeks.

Despite the slightly inferior itvX and iPlayer apps on the Apple box I have concluded that, for my viewing habits, Apple boxes are the way to go. A particularly useful feature for me is that I can now control all programming with my Control4 remote.

I have 6 pucks which I own that were purchased from Sky in October 22. My question is this:-

Should I try to sell the pucks on eBay (they can legitimately be added to other Sky accounts) or should I bin them?

Why would anyone purchase a puck from eBay (at sometimes extortionately high listed prices) when pucks can be loaned by Sky for £39.99 which have the guarantee of replacement in case of failure.

I have no reason to re-use the pucks in the future and would only rejoin Sky if the puck hardware was ever improved.

Re: Buying sky pucks

Mister_Dalek — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 09:55:43 GMT

@PSC133 wrote:
I have been running Sky Stream alongside Apple TV 4K boxes with the Now TV recently added facility of 4K HDR Ultra Boost for several weeks.
Despite the slightly inferior itvX and iPlayer apps on the Apple box I have concluded that, for my viewing habits, Apple boxes are the way to go. A particularly useful feature for me is that I can now control all programming with my Control4 remote.

I have 6 pucks which I own that were purchased from Sky in October 22. My question is this:-

Should I try to sell the pucks on eBay (they can be legitimately be added to other Sky accounts) or should I bin them?
Why would anyone purchase a puck from eBay (at sometimes extortionately high listed prices) when pucks can be loaned by Sky for £39.99 which have the guarantee of replacement in case of failure.

I have no reason to re-use the pucks in the future and would only rejoin Sky if the puck hardware was ever improved.

If you own them then sell them. People will buy them.

I sold my customer owned puck earlier in the year and got £80 for it on eBay. I paid Sky £20 for it pre-Feb 2023.

Re: Buying sky pucks

PSC133 — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:31:19 GMT

@Mister_Dalek wrote:
@PSC133 wrote:
I have been running Sky Stream alongside Apple TV 4K boxes with the Now TV recently added facility of 4K HDR Ultra Boost for several weeks.
Despite the slightly inferior itvX and iPlayer apps on the Apple box I have concluded that, for my viewing habits, Apple boxes are the way to go. A particularly useful feature for me is that I can now control all programming with my Control4 remote.

I have 6 pucks which I own that were purchased from Sky in October 22. My question is this:-

Should I try to sell the pucks on eBay (they can legitimately be added to other Sky accounts) or should I bin them?
Why would anyone purchase a puck from eBay (at sometimes extortionately high listed prices) when pucks can be loaned by Sky for £39.99 which have the guarantee of replacement in case of failure.

I have no reason to re-use the pucks in the future and would only rejoin Sky if the puck hardware was ever improved.

If you own them then sell them. People will buy them.
I sold my customer owned puck earlier in the year and got £80 for it on eBay. I paid Sky £20 for it pre-Feb 2023.

To paraphrase my long-gone grandmother. "There's nowt so strange as folk".

Maybe I'll give it a go.

Re: Buying sky pucks

Mister_Dalek — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:35:15 GMT

@PSC133 wrote:
@Mister_Dalek wrote:
@PSC133 wrote:
I have been running Sky Stream alongside Apple TV 4K boxes with the Now TV recently added facility of 4K HDR Ultra Boost for several weeks.
Despite the slightly inferior itvX and iPlayer apps on the Apple box I have concluded that, for my viewing habits, Apple boxes are the way to go. A particularly useful feature for me is that I can now control all programming with my Control4 remote.

I have 6 pucks which I own that were purchased from Sky in October 22. My question is this:-

Should I try to sell the pucks on eBay (they can be legitimately be added to other Sky accounts) or should I bin them?
Why would anyone purchase a puck from eBay (at sometimes extortionately high listed prices) when pucks can be loaned by Sky for £39.99 which have the guarantee of replacement in case of failure.

I have no reason to re-use the pucks in the future and would only rejoin Sky if the puck hardware was ever improved.

If you own them then sell them. People will buy them.
I sold my customer owned puck earlier in the year and got £80 for it on eBay. I paid Sky £20 for it pre-Feb 2023.
To paraphrase my long-gone grandmother. "There's nowt so strange as folk".

Maybe I'll give it a go.

People will buy anything on eBay. I once sold an empty cardboard box for £35 on there. It was the box for a 1970s toy which I no longer owned. Someone who did own the toy but not the box bought it.

£35 for some 40+ year old cardboard. The mind boggles.

Make sure you mention on your listing that your pucks are customer owned - they're more likely to sell.

Re: Buying sky pucks

Pfcmick1474 — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 13:52:36 GMT

I bought 2 second hand sky pucks from eBay, one was more difficult to set up but got it going in the end.

I've noticed on my Sky account that they are now registered to me as owning not renting. Well worth the money.

Re: Buying sky pucks

Fothergill1 — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 14:08:55 GMT

hi @Pfcmick1474 and welcome to the forum. I suppose it is a matter of choice but personally I feel more comfortable with having the puck on loan. A couple of mnths ago my loan puck developed a fault and had to be replaced which Sky did free of charge. If I had owned the puck I would have had to purchase a new one.

There is no rental charge just a one off fee of £39.95 which I agree is a little over the top but it will be to cover the actual cost of the puck, remote and cables as well as administration and carriage. If you need a replacement you do not have to pay this fee again.

Re: Buying sky pucks

TimmyBGood — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 19:34:57 GMT

@Pfcmick1474 wrote:

I've noticed on my Sky account that they are now registered to me as owning not renting.

Yes: as long as they were being sold legitimately (because their first user had them from Sky before 23rd February 2023) then every subsequent sale transfers ownership.

This includes all pucks between October 2021 and October 2022 during which time they were only obtainable alongside a Glass television set, and for the first four months after Stream was released as a standalone product.

Pucks first acquired from Sky after 23/02/23 were loaned to the initial user and so are never transferable even if a non-return fee has been paid.

Re: Buying sky pucks

Ashok_890 — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 12:09:38 GMT

@Pfcmick1474 - How did you overcome the issues to link the Pucks to your account? I've bought one from eBay but it say it's linked to someone else's account.

Re: Buying sky pucks

BenJoBanjo — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 12:29:43 GMT

@Ashok_890 wrote:
@Pfcmick1474 - How did you overcome the issues to link the Pucks to your account? I've bought one from eBay but it say it's linked to someone else's account.

You need to contact Sky. After factory resetting the puck you will need to register it against your account... as long as the puck isn't already owned by Sky, in which case you are using stolen property.

Re: Buying sky pucks

Ashok_890 — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 12:39:11 GMT

Thanks for the response. It was sold as brand new on eBay. I guess I could return it through eBay as it's missold and linked to someone elses account? Sky may reject my request.

Re: Buying sky pucks

MarkGoldsmith — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 12:43:46 GMT

@Ashok_890 wrote:
Thanks for the response. It was sold as brand new on eBay. I guess I could return it through eBay as it's missold and linked to someone elses account? Sky may reject my request.

Its worth noting there was only a small period where the Sky Stream pucks were customer owned, over the past couple of years the ownership model switched whereby the pucks are owned by Sky and only loaned to customers and need to be returned when TV subscriptions are cancelled. If the seller on ebay is claiming its brand new, then its likely not one of these customer owned pucks from 3-4 years ago and is indeed a stolen stream puck. ( I have recently seen posts on this forum about customers receiving empty Sky Stream packages when they have ordered Sky Stream so there certainly could be people intercepting pucks to steal them and then selling them on ebay).

Re: Buying sky pucks

BenJoBanjo — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:40:18 GMT

@Ashok_890 wrote:
Thanks for the response. It was sold as brand new on eBay. I guess I could return it through eBay as it's missold and linked to someone elses account? Sky may reject my request.

Yeah, your safest bet is to return it. If you want a Sky Stream puck, get it from Sky. If you've already got a subscription with them then just add the Whole Home sub and you'll get the first one loaned to you for free. Additional ones come with the £39.95 activation fee but that then does cover you for any number of replacements should it fail or malfunction during your contracted period. Owning a puck is pretty pointless anyway as they're useless without a subscription.

Re: Buying sky pucks

TimmyBGood — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 17:58:43 GMT

@MarkGoldsmith wrote:

@Ashok_890 wrote:

Thanks for the response. It was sold as brand new on eBay. I guess I could return it through eBay as it's missold and linked to someone elses account? Sky may reject my request.

Its worth noting there was only a small period where the Sky Stream pucks were customer owned

October 2021 to October 2022 when they were sold alongside Glass televisions, and then November 2022 to February 2023 as a standalone product, so a total of about 16 months.

There are probably more owned pucks around than you'd think because of the sales during that first year after launch when Sky was shipping a whole lot of Glass sets, a significant percentage of which would have had one or more pucks with them.

The change to loan was implemented on 23rd February 2023.