How to spot a risky seller of Windows and Office licences

The market for digital licences in Bulgaria is large and varied. There are entirely correct traders, and there are also offers where the buyer ends up without a working product and without a proof of purchase. The difference is almost never in the price itself — it is in what the seller provides around the key: a contract, an invoice, a warranty and support.

Below are the specific things you can check yourself before you pay.

1. Are there clear details about the trader

Every trader selling to consumers in the EU is obliged to publish company details and a contact address. If the site has no company name, registration number and working channel for contact, you have no one to turn to if there is a problem. Check also whether there are sections for terms and conditions, the right of withdrawal and a privacy policy.

2. Do you receive a document for the purchase

The invoice is not a formality. It is your proof that you acquired the licence, and it is mandatory if you are buying for a company and want the expense recognised. If the seller offers payment only by personal card or in a way that leaves no trace, that is a serious signal.

3. Exactly what type of licence you are buying

The listing should state clearly whether the key is Retail, OEM or part of a Volume agreement. This determines whether you will be able to transfer the licence to another computer and whether the activation will be permanent. Listings along the lines of “a key for Windows” with no qualification at all usually mean the seller himself does not know what he is reselling.

If you are not sure what the difference is, see our explanation of OEM, Retail and Volume licences.

4. Is there a warranty and for how long

For digital content, Bulgarian legislation provides a two-year statutory guarantee of conformity. A trader who writes “the key is sold as is, without warranty” or gives you 24 hours to make a claim is in practice transferring the whole risk to you.

Ask directly: what happens if the key does not activate in the third month? The answer should be a replacement or a refund, not silence.

5. How the key is delivered

Normal practice is for the key to arrive by email, together with a link to Microsoft's official installation file and a short instruction. If they send you a ready-made ISO file from an unknown source, an installer with a “built-in activator”, or ask for remote access to your computer, stop. These scenarios carry a real risk to your data.

6. Is the activation permanent

After activation, check the status of the licence yourself. Open the command prompt as an administrator and enter:

slmgr /xpr

If you see a message that the computer is activated permanently, all is well. If you see an expiry date, the licence is temporary and will stop working. For more detail, see our article on activation errors.

7. What a low price actually means

The price by itself proves nothing. Legitimate licences can cost considerably less than the recommended retail price — for example when licences from closed-down companies are resold, or under volume agreements. But the low price should be explainable: the seller should be able to say where the licence comes from and why he can offer it at that price.

The problem is not the cheap, but the unexplained.

A short checklist

• Company details and a working contact on the site
• An invoice after payment
• A clearly stated licence type
• A written warranty and return conditions
• Delivery of a key + an official link to Microsoft
• Permanent activation, verifiable with slmgr /xpr
• Support in Bulgarian

How we work

At Litsenzi.bg you receive a key by email within minutes, a link to the official installation file, activation instructions in Bulgarian and an invoice. If the key does not activate, we take on the case — a replacement or a refund.

Have a question before buying? Write to us — we answer both before and after the order.