You can easily check if these are retail keys after installing and activating. Microsoft gives you the instructions on how to do this here: https://learn.microsoft
Here below is a cut-and-paste from the terminal window of what someone get with a key from this deal. (The ID fields sanitized to protect my own license, of course). Some people are getting MSDN subscription Retail version of MS Office 2021 ProProfessional.
MSDN subscription keys are NOT supposed to be resell and should ONLY be use by the single MSDN subscriber.
PS C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16> cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus
Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.812
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
---Processing--------------------------
---------------------------------------
PRODUCT ID: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-AA467
SKU ID: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-c4a078e8912d
LICENSE NAME: Office 21, Office21ProPlus2021MSDNR_Retail edition
LICENSE DESCRIPTION: Office 21, RETAIL channel
LICENSE STATUS: ---LICENSED---
Last 5 characters of installed product key: XXXXX
=====================================
Top Comments
See all the dozens of other posts promoting this grey market license key junk
EDIT: Just reread the post and answered my own question:
"One-time purchase installed on 1 Windows PC for use at home or work"
Join The Conversation
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!
239 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Why?
And I'm not necessarily passing judgement . But gray market licenses are pretty much a crapshoot. Slightly less risky than BS stolen software but that's about it .
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
To each their own. Good luck shoppers and naysayers!
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank gscharp
The keys are legal/legit from M$ but the vendor violated the sales agreement and will (in my experience at least) eventually be invalided as a result. Again, that's not this specific vendor but I'm guessing "software key hub" just serves as a point of sale for the people that do this (similar to the now banned /r/MicrosoftSoftwareSwap). By the time M$ catches on that specific vendor has already shuttered and it's too late for their "30 day money back guarantee." Just something you may want to factor nto the "savings" those keys provide.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank aoeuaoeuaoeu
FUD
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Join The Conversation
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!