windows operating system price difference

[johnyb98]

Hello dear members.

 

Please, I would like your help to help me distinguish (if there is) the huge difference I see in price if someone wants to buy a Windows operating system. Let's take as example a DSP version of Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. I see in eBay a strange huge difference in price between the whole packet of a dvd + activation key and, from the other side, only the activation key. In first case, there is an average $ 45 - $ 55, and in second case of only key the average price is $ 6 - $ 12. They are both brand new. So, is it indeed true? Is there such a difference? If I have the installation dvd, there is absolutely no reason to buy the expensive version.

 

In second case of low price, hundreds of buys. Who would go and give the first case money?

 

Thank you for your time !

[zlolslavez]

Those key only products are what is considered to be grey-market, as the keys are obtained in unusual ways. Basically they will likely activate but you have no guarantee that it will stay activated, where the dvd with key should be a normal key (although I'm not sure how much I trust eBay sellers with that). I have a grey-market key for six months now and been fine but YMMV.

[LogicalDrm]

Win7 has been discontinued. As it wasn't sold digitally originally, cheaper keys are from dead OEM PCs, laptop's etc. Pricier ones are actual retail and OEM copies, but as they are closing on support end date, they cannot be sold as equal to Win10.

[johnyb98]

Thanks for your answer. The same thing happens to Win10. You can find better price activation keys only.

[LogicalDrm]

18 hours ago, johnyb98 said:

Thanks for your answer. The same thing happens to Win10. You can find better price activation keys only.

Well, yes and no. With Win10 you still have Microsoft selling keys too. They do sell USB installers too, but pricing is about same with just digital licenses.

 

The cheap keys are grey market ones, and no one but seller knows where they did come from originally.