Why there are legal low-cost keys
Software licences may be resold. This is the principle of exhaustion, confirmed by the ECJ ruling C-128/11 of 2012 and, under Swiss law, by Art. 12 para. 2 CopA. A verified pre-owned licence therefore costs considerably less than new goods from the manufacturer. This is a genuine, legally sound price advantage.
This advantage does, however, have a lower limit. A licence from a lawful source, verified, with an invoice and support, cannot be sold for a single-digit franc amount. Anyone offering that is selling something else.
The line between cheap and dubious
- Cheap and reputable. A substantial discount on the manufacturer's price, but a realistic market price. With a VAT invoice, with support, with an activation guarantee.
- Suspiciously cheap. A single-digit price, no invoice, no reachable support.
- Activation guarantee instead of a promise about origin. As a buyer, you cannot verify the origin of a licence yourself. What matters: a provider with a genuine commercial register entry and a valid VAT ID, and an activation guarantee with free replacement should a key ever fail to activate. Check the dealers yourself below.
- Guarantee as a safety net. A reputable provider stands behind functionality with an activation guarantee.