Is it better to buy directly through Steam or buy through a third party to get Steam key?

[jerry.z]

Buying a Steam key through a third party can discount a lot, usually about 75%. However, are there any downsides to buying a key than buying directly through Steam? Could someone answer this question, thanks


[EDIT] I wasn't asking about the safety of the key and the validity, because I'm buying through a good source. What I am asking is about what will change inside Steam for the game. For example, will my scores get on the leaderboard? Will I get trading cards? etc.

[riggz666]

buy keys from authorised sellers or buy through steam.
do not buy from grey market resellers and you will have no problems.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Buying from an Authorized reseller or Steam is fine as you are guarnteed a legit key that won't get revoked at a latter time.

Buy from what ever one is cheaper. In suggest https://isthereanydeal.com/ as that is a well know price comparison site.

The benefit from buying through Steam though, is the game is automaticaly added to the account AND you have two weeks (with less then two hours of game play) to get a refund if there is an issue with the game.

Keys purchased out-side of Steam are non-refundable.

[🍋 Lemonfed 🍋]

buy directly on steam unless that the third party website is official like bundle stars or well known and trust worthy like humble bundle.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

you can refund steam purchases.

trading for keys can lead to scammed items.

[jerry.z]

Originally posted by riggz666:

buy keys from authorised sellers or buy through steam.
do not buy from grey market resellers and you will have no problems.

I meant that does redeeming a key vs. buying directly have differences? Like will you get all of the features etc.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Originally posted by jerryzhu2004:

Originally posted by riggz666:

buy keys from authorised sellers or buy through steam.
do not buy from grey market resellers and you will have no problems.

I meant that does redeeming a key vs. buying directly have differences? Like will you get all of the features etc.

For the game it's self? There is no diffrence unless stated on the game's store page (such as exclusive DLC or other extras).

[riggz666]

it's usually the same product as if you bought it on steam.

[StunnzaJeth]

Is this a serious question?

OF COURSE it is better to by directly through Steam. The reason it is cheaper to buy from thirdparty companies is due to the risk involved.

[Teksura]

To clarify something about the term "authorized reseller". If you can't say the name of the website on the Steam forums because the filters remove the link, do not buy from them. Some sites exist which are non-authorized resellers and may end up giving you keys which are no good, or may end up revoked. Anything listed on isthereanydeal is authorized. If it's some random site you never heard of, just ask on the forums if it is an authorized seller.

[jerry.z]

Originally posted by StunnzaJeth:

Is this a serious question?

OF COURSE it is better to by directly through Steam. The reason it is cheaper to buy from thirdparty companies is due to the risk involved.

Yes, it is a serious question, as many people have already treated it as so.

[J4MESOX4D]

Originally posted by StunnzaJeth:

The reason it is cheaper to buy from thirdparty companies is due to the risk involved

There is zero risk assuming the retailer is authorised. Sites like Humble Bundle, Bundlestars and Greenmangaming are all reputable online retailers who obtain keys direct from the developers/publishers themselves.

The likes of GMG who are even partnered with several major publishers like Square Enix buy keys in bulk at a wholesale rate which means they can offer them much cheaper whilst still retaining a decent base margin. As Valve takes an estimated 30% cut for each key sold on Steam; pubs/devs keep their entry prices high for this reason along with Steam being seen as a premium store with a significant global reach. Just because a site is selling something cheap; doesn't mean there is risk and people shouldn't be put off from using it for this reason. This site https://isthereanydeal.com/ tracks all games and their prices across all authorised sites that hold digitial distribution licences too.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Originally posted by Teksura:

To clarify something about the term "authorized reseller". If you can't say the name of the website on the Steam forums because the filters remove the link, do not buy from them. Some sites exist which are non-authorized resellers and may end up giving you keys which are no good, or may end up revoked. Anything listed on isthereanydeal is authorized. If it's some random site you never heard of, just ask on the forums if it is an authorized seller.

That is not really an indicator. The sites that are filterd are due to referrals spam or other forms of spam, not because they are a grey market reseller. Not all such sellers are filtered either. That is why it is best to stick with name brand retailers for purchases.

[Shinobuuu]

This mostly depends on which region you are from, it is obvious that buying keys from Steam, guarantees you that it is working & legit. But sometimes the prices might be expensive.

But in various other regions like Europe, US-based gamer mostly uses 3rd party websites or price comparison websites like https://www.allkeyshop.com/ to buy keys.

At the end of the day, we all buy game keys from those websites which is the cheapest.

[Cathulhu]

Don't necro threads and advertise unauthorized resellers known to sell stolen goods.

[smensink06]

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