Software is sold through different channels, and the channel decides what you are actually allowed to do with it. Most stores never explain this. Here is the whole picture.
The four licence types
Retail — also called FPP or ESD
Sold to individuals through authorised distribution. Transferable to a new device. Full publisher support. This is the only type we sell.
OEM — System Builder
Supplied preinstalled on a new computer. Permanently tied to that machine's motherboard. Microsoft's own rules state that OEM software must be preinstalled on a new PC and that COA labels cannot be distributed as standalone items. If someone sells you a standalone OEM key, they are not authorised to do so.
Volume — MAK, KMS or LTSC
Issued to organisations under an agreement covering many devices. Not licensed for individual resale. These are the keys behind almost every suspiciously cheap listing online. They activate today and can be deactivated in bulk months later.
Subscription
Access for a fixed term — Microsoft 365, antivirus. Ends when the term ends unless renewed. We sell these as prepaid annual terms.
How to spot a volume key before you buy
If any of these are true, you are almost certainly looking at a key the seller is not licensed to sell you.
- The price is far below the publisher's. Microsoft's own price for Windows 11 Pro is around €259. A €15 key is not a retail licence.
- The product is called "Professional Plus" or "LTSC". These are volume-only editions. Microsoft has never sold them to consumers at retail.
- Adobe software is advertised as "lifetime". Adobe stopped selling perpetual licences after Acrobat 2020. Acrobat Pro 2024 and the Elements family are three-year term licences. Nothing Adobe currently sells is perpetual.
- The listing never states the licence type. Sellers who cannot say "retail" usually cannot say it truthfully.
What Microsoft says about reselling volume keys
"Reselling MAK keys violates Microsoft's licensing terms and can result in deactivation or legal action." Microsoft also warns that third-party keys "may activate initially but later automatically deactivate."
Region locking — why we sell to Europe
Microsoft states plainly that product keys "must be redeemed in the country or region where they are purchased." A key sourced from a US distributor will fail to activate for a European customer, and the reverse is equally true.
We stock European (EMEA) licences and sell to European customers. It is a smaller market than selling everywhere, and it is the reason our keys activate.
Our guarantee
Every licence we sell comes from authorised distribution with an invoice behind it. If you ever want to see the distributor invoice for a licence you bought from us, email support@aegiskeys.com and we will send it.
If a licence fails to activate within 30 days of purchase, we will help you activate it. If that cannot be resolved, we will supply a replacement key or refund you in full.