Decoding Microsoft / Windows Licence Keys

[dna]

Websites such as groupon sometimes have offers of "bargain" licence keys for Windows / Office etc. There are lots of warnings to sugest the keys are not valid retail ones but enterprise ones which Microsoft may subsequently block.

Searching online, it would appear that there is no way to check if a key is valid or what type of licence it is without installing it and activating it through the microsoft servers.

Is this true or are any of you in the know sufficiently to be able to recognise a key as enterprise / OEM etc rather than a Retail one?

I'm asking as I could be tempted to buy a licence if I could check it's validity before installation and then return it unused if not a proper retail one

 

[Yorick]

I've bought keys from Ebay. Never a problem.

 

[Gellyneck]

Websites such as groupon sometimes have offers of "bargain" licence keys for Windows / Office etc. There are lots of warnings to sugest the keys are not valid retail ones but enterprise ones which Microsoft may subsequently block.

Searching online, it would appear that there is no way to check if a key is valid or what type of licence it is without installing it and activating it through the microsoft servers.

Is this true or are any of you in the know sufficiently to be able to recognise a key as enterprise / OEM etc rather than a Retail one?

I'm asking as I could be tempted to buy a licence if I could check it's validity before installation and then return it unused if not a proper retail one

I've bought various copies of Office 2019 and Windows 10 Pro from Groupon, ComputerActive, etc (all reputable sources and not from eBay, etc).
Just checked the version of Office 2019 installed on the laptop I'm using, this one from \ via GroupOn, and Command Prompt returns "Retail Channel".