Question about CD keys

[tflaigjr]

I bought manny games from here but they were released. Will you get pre order bonus for game? You don’t get a key till release. I went this route because it gives me 3 months payoff game through PayPal. Wanted get ultimate edition.

It’s not a game breaker if don’t but was just curious. Thanks

[Jackson Lamb]

Nguyên văn bởi Virake:

Nguyên văn bởi PuffyLunk:

I've used CD keys for nearly 18 years and never had a key not be delivered. Don't smear, its just regional pricing being taken advantage of. Nothing sus.

that's literally the "sus" in question.

You really do not know what you are talking about based on the comments you've made in this thread and users here would be best served filtering you and moving on.

You're making claims about the legitimacy of products from sites like CDKeys and GMG that simply are not true - in no way, shape, or form is buying a key from a reseller akin to piracy. That is factually wrong and completely undermines any points you were trying to make about the moral implications of buying from a reseller. Even if we were to listen to your arguments about the morality of buying from resellers, neither you nor I could possibly say if developers/publishers actually lose any money from people buying from resellers. Only the the developers/publishers know the specifics and they generally aren't willing to show revenue breakdowns to prove one way or another - and, no, a moderator of the Game's Steam forums does not count.


If this were illegal, the publishers would have recourse to have the site(s) taken down or at the very least stop them from selling the product.

If this were illegal, Steam would block the keys, as they have done in many situations where people have bought keys from key market places like Kinguin where keys are frequently obtained illegally.

GMG, CDKeys, Humble, and a range of others are not market places, they are resellers. Your beef is with key marketplaces where any user can sell any key that they obtained by any means and aren't especially well policed by the site owners - just like Kinguin. Not like CDKeys.

[Liquidus Talon]

Nguyên văn bởi Iamlegend:

Nguyên văn bởi ManInTheBoat:

Even Humble Bundle???

Yes.

The only legit stores for a digital version of Stalker 2 are Steam, Xbox, Microsoft Store, Epic Games and GOG.

Would like to warn you on this. Grey market stores are promising keys on release if you pre-order, but a bunch of people will scammed, and the only winners in this will be scammers.

Again, there is no way to buy a Steam key online for Stalker 2 in 2024.

Hey there.. If English is not your first language, I apologise, however.. Your statement (as other replies have stated, also), although well intended, is not fully correct.

It is better to be accurate, so perhaps please reconsider your wording. It might be better just to outright recommend Steam, and state 'not all third party Steam keys' are legitimate generally, without explicitly implying that you can only buy Digital Steam keys from only the stores you've quoted.

Humble Store, GreenManGaming, Games Planet, and a bunch of other legitimate retailers do provide Steam keys from the Publisher. It is up to the customer to investigate further whether the third party retailer they are buying from is an authorised (official) reseller.

[Liquidus Talon]

Nguyên văn bởi Brother Barry:

Nguyên văn bởi Virake:

that's literally the "sus" in question.

You really do not know what you are talking about based on the comments you've made in this thread and users here would be best served filtering you and moving on.

You're making claims about the legitimacy of products from sites like CDKeys and GMG that simply are not true - in no way, shape, or form is buying a key from a reseller akin to piracy. That is factually wrong and completely undermines any points you were trying to make about the moral implications of buying from a reseller. Even if we were to listen to your arguments about the morality of buying from resellers, neither you nor I could possibly say if developers/publishers actually lose any money from people buying from resellers. Only the the developers/publishers know the specifics and they generally aren't willing to show revenue breakdowns to prove one way or another - and, no, a moderator of the Game's Steam forums does not count.


If this were illegal, the publishers would have recourse to have the site(s) taken down or at the very least stop them from selling the product.

If this were illegal, Steam would block the keys, as they have done in many situations where people have bought keys from key market places like Kinguin where keys are frequently obtained illegally.

GMG, CDKeys, Humble, and a range of others are not market places, they are resellers. Your beef is with key marketplaces where any user can sell any key that they obtained by any means and aren't especially well policed by the site owners - just like Kinguin. Not like CDKeys.

The noticeable issue with what you've stated, is exactly where stated Retailer maybe sourcing their Keys from.

CDKeys, although have good customer ratings, (as I notice you've described as well) do not source their Steam keys via more direct sources in all cases (this is how they are able to offer low prices). Their original company is based in Dubai.

Game retailers like Green Man Gaming, Humble Store & maybe even Games Planet (I've not double/triple checked into Games Planet) tend to source their keys more ethically (not grey market).

If ANYONE is in doubt about the legitimacy of their purchase for a Steam key, they are best off pre-ordering / purchasing a license (aka. purchasing said game) from the Steam Store directly.

[Jackson Lamb]

Nguyên văn bởi Liquidus Talon:

The noticeable issue with what you've stated, is exactly where stated Retailer maybe sourcing their Keys from.

Which are not illegal sources. Taking advantage of regional pricing by purchasing from other regions, and in the case of CDKeys tax incentives by doing business from Saudi, are not illegal or illegitimate.

Nguyên văn bởi Liquidus Talon:

Game retailers like Green Man Gaming, Humble Store & maybe even Games Planet (I've not double/triple checked into Games Planet) tend to source their keys more ethically.

The moral implications of buying from resellers is really the only argument that exists. This is not a question of legitimacy - hence why it is exceptionally rare for keys from CDKeys to end up revoked - like users in this thread are trying to make it out to be. Illegitimacy implies the keys are illegally obtained when that simply isn't true.

[PuffyLunk]

And here I was thinking CD Keys reverse engineered a CD Key generator so that it actually spits out legit CD Keys. Then they "Fine Tune" the machine to dial in the source signal to new games releasing an viola! Bona Fide CD Keys.

[Obiwan]

Nguyên văn bởi THE FOUNDATION:

Just got my Key from Instant Gaming so i guess they were legit

No they are not.

This nonsense needs to stop.

There is no "shades" of legitimacy there is no "more ethical" this is why we call it GREY because the way it works is actually very black and white.

LEGIT sellers source the game DIRECT from the Publisher. End of. There is no maybes or ifs or buts the keys come DIRECT from the Publisher and commission etc. is agreed that is how it works.

Any key site that did not get it's key DIRECT from the Publisher is not legit.

Just because you receive a key does NOT make them legit.

This does not mean the key wont work, it doesn't mean that you are guaranteed to face issues but the people saying "i have never had issues" doesn't mean that it is legit, you can buy a car from a chopshop and never have issues - it still isn't the manner to which is was intended to be sold and distributed.

By all means it is tempting to purchase from such sites because they reduce prices and things are hard right now but have some courage in your convictions don't fabricate rationale that doesn't exist or try to "Prove" that it is all OK because you don't want to accept it isn't.

I also personally feel that if you acquire games from such places you revoke your right to complain or consider yourself a legitimate customer because you did not acquire the game by the means that the owners intend and it's like anything else in life that is acquired that way - you don't get to complain to the manufacturer.

[Obiwan]

Nguyên văn bởi Brother Barry:

The moral implications of buying from resellers is really the only argument that exists. This is not a question of legitimacy - hence why it is exceptionally rare for keys from CDKeys to end up revoked - like users in this thread are trying to make it out to be. Illegitimacy implies the keys are illegally obtained when that simply isn't true.

Actually such sites are contractually obligated to sell direct to the consumer only, thus if said site decides to sell on keys to grey market and split commission it is 100% in breach of contract and thus by way of general western law - illegal.

If you purchased said key then it is consequently - illegal.

You all need stop making up rationale to justify stealing.

Just because you want to believe it works that way doesn't mean that is how it works.

[Jackson Lamb]

Nguyên văn bởi Obiwan:

Any key site that did not get it's key DIRECT from the Publisher is not legit.

Incorrect.

[PuffyLunk]

Nguyên văn bởi Obiwan:

Nguyên văn bởi THE FOUNDATION:

Just got my Key from Instant Gaming so i guess they were legit

This does not mean the key wont work, it doesn't mean that you are guaranteed to face issues but the people saying "i have never had issues" doesn't mean that it is legit, you can buy a car from a chopshop and never have issues

The straw pulling in this statement is stretched so wide, I was almost convinced that people can just walk up to 18 year old chop shops and get the same confidence I get from purchasing from CD Keys. No matter how much you huff and puff, these keys are legit. You're just too smooth brain to see it.

[Animal Mother]

Ive spent hundreds of pounds from CDKEYS.

Never had a problem, even had refunds. Customer service is always on point.
Lots of rubbish spouted about them, grey Market? ever bought a electronic item? multi region blu ray player? that's grey imports, whole process is set up to price fix all kind of goods.
Only benefit is the 2 hour change your mind play for 2 hours.
Ive bought this exclusive hard copy from Amazon, still no key sent, yet people already have them.
You pays your money you make a choice.
Dont let it put you off ive saved £20 on some games whilst some wait for a steam sale.

[Morbid]

Nguyên văn bởi Iamlegend:

Hey, the keys from these websites are not legit.

The only way to get a Steam key for Stalker 2 in 2024 is to buy a physical edition.

Any 3rd party website telling you they can sell you online a pre-order key is suspicious.

Absolutely false information the keys from CDKeys dot com are legit unlike market places like G TWO A and Kinguin etc

[Kaslain]

Nguyên văn bởi Elder Drake:

I would not buy a key for this game from a reseller for two reasons:

1. The devs arguably are making game history pushing out a AAA title in the middle of war. Watching the documentary was inspiring.

2. Games like Battlestar Galactica Deadlock recently revoked all keys from resellers for every product they make years after release. On a AAA title this is not something I would risk because you do not know if the key you got is legit, meaning not a stolen credit card or chargeback scheme.

Yeah but legimite keyseller like humble dumble gets their key from the game studio, If they sell on Steam for 60€ they get 42€ (Steam takes 30%) so they can sell keys to companies for let's say 50€ and Steam don't take cut since it was not bought tru Steam. Ofc all The grey sites are different thing

[Obiwan]

Nguyên văn bởi Morbid:

Nguyên văn bởi Iamlegend:

Hey, the keys from these websites are not legit.

The only way to get a Steam key for Stalker 2 in 2024 is to buy a physical edition.

Any 3rd party website telling you they can sell you online a pre-order key is suspicious.

Absolutely false information the keys from CDKeys dot com are legit unlike market places like G TWO A and Kinguin etc

if they were legit you wouldn't be censored from Steam using them.

Valve are fully aware of who is and is not legit that is why you can type greenmangaming.com humblebundle.com and fanatical.com with no issue.

These are recognised and authorised resellers.

[Nomadski]

Isn't Humble now owned by the owners of IGN? I wouldn't call them scammers. Morons maybe, but not scammers.

[THE FOUNDATION]

Nguyên văn bởi Obiwan:

Nguyên văn bởi THE FOUNDATION:

Just got my Key from Instant Gaming so i guess they were legit

No they are not.

This nonsense needs to stop.

There is no "shades" of legitimacy there is no "more ethical" this is why we call it GREY because the way it works is actually very black and white.

LEGIT sellers source the game DIRECT from the Publisher. End of. There is no maybes or ifs or buts the keys come DIRECT from the Publisher and commission etc. is agreed that is how it works.

Any key site that did not get it's key DIRECT from the Publisher is not legit.

Just because you receive a key does NOT make them legit.

This does not mean the key wont work, it doesn't mean that you are guaranteed to face issues but the people saying "i have never had issues" doesn't mean that it is legit, you can buy a car from a chopshop and never have issues - it still isn't the manner to which is was intended to be sold and distributed.

By all means it is tempting to purchase from such sites because they reduce prices and things are hard right now but have some courage in your convictions don't fabricate rationale that doesn't exist or try to "Prove" that it is all OK because you don't want to accept it isn't.

I also personally feel that if you acquire games from such places you revoke your right to complain or consider yourself a legitimate customer because you did not acquire the game by the means that the owners intend and it's like anything else in life that is acquired that way - you don't get to complain to the manufacturer.

Chill bro it ain't that deep