Why Office can legally be cheaper
A previously used Office licence may, in the EU and Switzerland, be resold. The European Court of Justice ruled on this in 2012 with judgment C-128/11; for Switzerland, Art. 12 para. 2 CopA applies by analogy. That is why a verified Office licence from such stock costs considerably less than the new product in the Microsoft Store. This is legal and not a trick.
So there is a genuine, legally sound reason for cheaper prices. What does not exist is a legal way to sell Office for a single-digit franc amount.
Behind extremely low prices there is almost always a different mechanism: the keys are licensed for other regions of the world, such as China, India or Africa, and may not be sold here at all. Such incorrectly region-coded keys sometimes activate briefly and are then, by Microsoft, blocked again server-side at any time, sometimes weeks after the purchase. Anyone who buys this way takes on not only a financial but also a legal risk.
How to recognise a dubious Office offer
- Unrealistically low price. A single, privately resold licence might cost 20 francs at a flea market on a one-off basis. A dealer who systematically offers Office for a single-digit amount cannot do so from legal stock. This is the clearest warning sign.
- No real company behind it. Many ultra-cheap sellers have no real company behind them. There are journalistically documented cases involving made-up addresses and tax numbers and no reachable support. In that case neither the invoice is valid for tax purposes nor the licence is legal.
- Dubious key origin. Keys from third countries with incorrect region coding, for example from China, India or Africa, may not be sold here. Microsoft can block them server-side at any time, even weeks after activation.
- No guarantee if blocked. If the key is blocked, dubious shops offer neither a replacement nor a refund. The buyer alone bears the risk.