These are as far as I have ever been able to tell actual, working licenses. I'm on my 3rd copy of use between different devices over probably 6+ years now, Microsoft blesses my pc still as authentic, so not like it dies after a few months or eventually figures itself out. My current win10 copy I've used for 2+ years, and still have versions on older systems I don't use as much anymore, but presume they'd start and update without issues without going into Pirate Edition mode.
One thing that is a bit otherwise sheisty, I did buy a 2-pack of win10 licenses, used the first, and went to use the second a few weeks later, and the key no longer worked, but contacting them they did regenerate me a key that works. I've also had them give me keys that didn't work immediately too, but again support will give me new working keys.
I contemplated for a bit on this, wondering just how legal or shady these are, and went down some rabbit holes of thought. One thought was they just randomly try keys until they use some online means of validating them, sell them as quick as possible, thus if I wait too long they're already DOA. I'd imagine later MS would put me into Pirate Mode lockdown if so...
Second, I tend to think these are more than likely just sold dirt cheap via 3rd world countries where Microsoft will take what it can get, even pennies vs. just having Billions of people using the same pirated WinXP copy as it was in the early 2000's and beholden to inherent insecurity. Cisco and other mega manufacturers do this commonly in 2nd and 3rd world nations, as otherwise no one could afford them legitimately there, but hey stupid westerners with more money than brains, sure we'll take that $200 windows license fee! Obviously they'd rather have $200 than $7, but when you print money as licenses as they do, copper or paper, it's all cash, and they'll take what they can get.
Think about that some, how does that make *you* feel? Makes me want to crumple a dollar bill and throw it at Microsoft quoting Bricktop from the movie Snatch: "If I throw a dog a bone, I don't want to know if it tastes good or not." Besides, I've more than paid the microsoft tax over the past 30 years for windows licenses on devices I never needed or used with Linux.
I'd love someone to actually explain how these work and what the racket is. Other companies do this, I saw another random asian company ad on lifehacker selling the same win10 keys for like $20 bucks, and an hour later they had ads for windoze licenses "on sale" for $179. Something tells me there would be bloody murder and "Night the Lawyers Attack" if Best Buy started selling windoze copies for $7. Knowing is half the battle, so why pay more?
-mb