Dubiously cheap Windows 7

[WildW]

I keep seeing suspiciously cheap Windows 7 keys on eBay - cheap as in £15 rather then £80 to £100. Sellers typically claim the key is supplied directly by Microsoft, passes all activation and WGA checks, never expires, etc. The drawback is you just get the key by email, no media/etc . . . but since I have a retail Windows 7 disc and that's what it claims you need. . .

Naturally I am dubious about such cheap offers, but the sellers frequently have 100% ebay feedback. Does anyone know exactly what kind of mechanism these sellers are using, and the legitimacy of these keys?

 

[Stevem627]

Probably volume license keys and while it may work, they are not legit. If it looks too good to be true...

 

[JackMDS]

If you are expecting some one to tell you that there is a legit product like this.

FWIW, take it from me. There is Not.

 

[WildW]

I'm not remotely surprised. One of those things that you'd be more inclined to believe if the price was higher. I know there are cheaper licences available for education/etc, and presumably to system builders of a certain size.

I do sometimes think Microsoft are missing a trick by not selling discounted additional keys without media/etc for enthusiasts. I have various old hardware that could be pressed into good service again but I can't justify spending out the full price for extra Windows licences.

 

[Emulex]

i got a ton of promo win7 ultimate - they are full install versions but say promotion not for sale - meaning it was a prize - so i just keep them around and give them out to personal friends who are needy. some less ethical folks would sell these items.

 

[Blazer]

craigslist also has some of the same listings on cheap win 7 os, so i called and spoke with the seller, seller stated they purchase 10 license keys at a time and downloaded the iso from the microsoft site, also stated they are vlk keys and are activated at install automatically so anyone using thier product would not have to activate, and installing MSE would show that the os and keys are ligit, never expire and will not be revoked/disabled, will update from the ms update site, can be reinstalled, so i dont know whats going on, others have a more indepth understanding of how different lic are to be used, its my understanding that vlk lic are intended for institutional/commercial use and not intended for personal use.

also on ebays site some of those os sellers with high feedback counts appear to be selling/buying pdf files to drive up feedback scores, all the more reason i stay away from ebay, real shady place there.