Is it safe to buy windows keys off 3rd party sites?

[Themfolks]

I see a lot of big youtubers promoting this. Is it ok to buy a key for a few bucks instead of buying it straight from Microsoft for $100+?

[gergy008]

2 minutes ago, Themfolks said:

I see a lot of big youtubers promoting this. Is it ok to buy a key for a few bucks instead of buying it straight from Microsoft for $100+?

This is a very well-documented question already, and the answer is it depends. You can have your key pulled randomly as you're buying an enterprise key, but other than that usually fine. The sites themselves- depends on the site.

[Tech Reprise]

11 minutes ago, Themfolks said:

I see a lot of big youtubers promoting this. Is it ok to buy a key for a few bucks instead of buying it straight from Microsoft for $100+?

I bought all of my Windows and Office keys from 3rd party sellers and all of them are working fine till date. The windows 10 key was from the time the RTM Windows 10 was launched. The Office key is a Retail 2021 Pro Plus that binds directly to your Microsoft Account.

[SkilledRebuilds]

Win10 OS registered and still going after like 3 years now, multiple machines are fine with varying length of time using keys.

[aisle9]

Goody two-shoes answer: don't use third-party sites. Only download and install 100% Microsoft-approved Windows copies and keys.

 

Perfectly reasonable answer: they're MSDN keys. Sure, they can be locked, and sure, you can lose them, but in practice I have never once had that happen. *well known online auction site, maybe not the one you think though* is usually cheaper than all the Youtuber-endorsed sites, and much safer. Those third-party software sites will make you pay extra for a "warranty", and even then you have to jump through several hours worth of hoops to prove that it's a bad key. Even then, you don't get your money back, just a second key from the same seller that may or may not be bad as well, and the warranty does not carry over. With *aforementioned site*, if the code doesn't work, you open up a return saying that the code doesn't work, and within a few days you've got your money back.

 

The "you asshole" answer: look on Craiglist for a garage sale that says "computer". My best guesstimate is that at this point, three out of four garage sale desktops are going to be an HP tower with a Windows 7 sticker on it. See if they'll take five bucks or something. If so, hey, cool, new toy that you can flip for $50. If they don't, just take a picture of the Windows 7 sticker, use that to activate Windows 10, then install Windows 11 if you so choose.

[SansVarnic]

3rd party is a grey area, while the forum allows the discussion, we cannot offer specific sites to use or not use. They are buy-at-your-own-risk. If you do use grey market, the forum cannot assist you in fixing/repairing or validating the OS key.

 

Moderators and the forum at large will only recommend official retailers to you.

 

This is a grey area only for reasons that even though Microsoft recognizes that the grey market exists, they are not willing to outright ban them. If the key you get works? good, if they don't, your only loss is the money you spent. Microsoft's current system for cracked and pirated versions works for them and it costs more money for them to try and enforce the DRM than not, so they let grey market slide at the buyer's expense rather than their own. 

There was an article about this during the early windows 10 days, that I can't recall it at the moment but has been mentioned and a whole topic post about it here in forum you can look up.

 

The only downside is if you chose a bad site to go to like, for example ebay and get scammed or worse trojan/virus from, you're pretty much on your own. 

 

I have used a 3rd party myself once, it worked. Will I do it again? maybe, but not likely. 

[aisle9]

1 hour ago, SansVarnic said:

The only downside is if you chose a bad site to go to like, for example ebay and get scammed or worse trojan/virus from, you're pretty much on your own.

FYI, I just edited my post to remove reference to the big e. FWIW, if you're required by the seller to install anything provided by them to enable a gray-market key for an OS, a game, productivity suite, anything at all, you are doing it so wrong in so many ways. If the key doesn't work with any and every installation of that software, most importantly the installation media you can get for free from Microsoft, you're just bending over and spreading your cheeks.

 

To the other point, the big e is safer than any of the sites endorsed by other YouTubers, for the reasons I laid out in my post. Key doesn't work from a third party shady "deals" site? Hey, tough titty kid. Doesn't work from the big e or locks up within 30 days? No questions asked refund, either from the seller or directly from the big e if the seller refuses to give you one.

[SansVarnic]

57 minutes ago, aisle9 said:

To the other point, the big e is safer than any of the sites endorsed by other YouTubers, for the reasons I laid out in my post. Key doesn't work from a third party shady "deals" site? Hey, tough titty kid. Doesn't work from the big e or locks up within 30 days? No questions asked refund, either from the seller or directly from the big e if the seller refuses to give you one.

Understood. I used it as an example only, not to personally undermine them. Chances of refund/resolution are indeed better, but I would rather example eBay rather than name any other site breaking my own rule.

[SteveGrabowski0]

At least for Windows makes no sense whatsoever to buy keys off resellers unless you just want to pretend you're not pirating. The only legit licenses you can buy for a computer you build for yourself is a retail license you'd buy directly from Microsoft or from an approved retailer like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, newegg, etc. OEM license is only valid if it's a computer you're selling to someone and supporting yourself. Microsoft considers third party keys the same as piracy and outright piracy is easier than buying the third party key anyways, so I see no point in paying some third party thief just so you can pirate Windows.