Bought game on flea market, how to deactivate from other account

[XDUR]

Hi today I bought The Orange Box at the flea market. When I want to install the game, I get the message that it's a duplicate code.
I don't have any contact information from that person, so I can't ask him to deactivate the game. I do have the physical game and code, and I can click the "retrieve account" button, which sends a mail to the previous owner.
Is there a way for me to know the e-mail address from the previous owner, so I can ask him to deactivate the game? Or can Valve deactivate this on his account after having my proof of ownership? Or do I just keep spamming that person with the "retrieve account" key, and hope that he will deactive this game?

[Cathulhu]

You don't. Games are permanently bound to an account and can not be removed, transferred or re-activated. You bought a nice coaster for your glass/cup. Not much else you can use it for.

[JPMcMillen]

And this is why you don't buy used PC games... ever.

All too often the code has already been used meaning that it's useless.

[XDUR]

If that's true, why is my old Half Life 2 game not on my account anymore?

[C²C^Guyver |NZB|]

NEVER buy used retail boxed PC games. EVER. The key will ALWAYS be already used.

[XDUR]

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

And this is why you don't buy used PC games... ever.

All too often the code has already been used meaning that it's useless.

I bought 10 games at the flea market today. 6 of them have a serial code I had to enter, and The Orange Box is the only game that I can't install because the serial has been used … I'm pretty sure the other serial codes also have been used ...

[C²C^Guyver |NZB|]

Originally posted by XDUR:

If that's true, why is my old Half Life 2 game not on my account anymore?

You can remove games from your OWN account.

Valve will NOT remove a game from one account and transfer it to another account, nor wil they provide you with another accounts' information.

[Theblaze]

Originally posted by XDUR:

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

And this is why you don't buy used PC games... ever.

All too often the code has already been used meaning that it's useless.

I bought 10 games at the flea market today. 6 of them have a serial code I had to enter, and The Orange Box is the only game that I can't install because the serial has been used … I'm pretty sure the other serial codes also have been used ...

Probably because the keys hasn't been used in the first place.

Keys are one time use and as mentioned above, removing a game from your account doesn't make the key useable again.

[Ogami]

Originally posted by C²C^Guyver |NZB|:

Originally posted by XDUR:

If that's true, why is my old Half Life 2 game not on my account anymore?

You can remove games from your OWN account.

Valve will NOT remove a game from one account and transfer it to another account, nor wil they provide you with another accounts' information.

Also, even if you remove a game from your own account ,the key is still locked to that account.
The license is just deactivated and can be turned on anytime you want.

Once a Steam key has been used its forever bound to that Steam account.
Thats it.

[XDUR]

Well, the other games are not Steam games, so that's probably why they do install when entering the serial key.
I remember everyone getting mad when Microsoft anounced that the XBOX One would not let you play used games, so they changed their used games policy. Apparently … Valve got away with it and no one seems to care.

[C²C^Guyver |NZB|]

Originally posted by XDUR:

Well, the other games are not Steam games, so that's probably why they do install when entering the serial key.
I remember everyone getting mad when Microsoft anounced that the XBOX One would not let you play used games, so they changed their used games policy. Apparently … Valve got away with it and no one seems to care.

There's nothing to get away with. I can go buy a sealed Steamworks game from 2010 and input the key and bam. It works. You bought a used Steamworks PC game which was already tied to an account.

XBOX One ≠ PC

[Ogami]

Originally posted by XDUR:

Well, the other games are not Steam games, so that's probably why they do install when entering the serial key.

Well of course they will work. They are not tied to a online account. So its most likely older games that dont use Steam. On Steam a game is forever bound to the account it got bought/activated on.
There is no digitial resale of games. Nowhere.

[XDUR]

Some are older, Crysis is from the same year and some are a couple years newer like Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box.

I guess I'll have to keep in mind not to buy used Steam games anymore.

[Count_Dandyman]

Originally posted by XDUR:

Well, the other games are not Steam games, so that's probably why they do install when entering the serial key.
I remember everyone getting mad when Microsoft anounced that the XBOX One would not let you play used games, so they changed their used games policy. Apparently … Valve got away with it and no one seems to care.

Try inputting a code for extra content from a used copy of an XBOX game and see how that works out for you or heck try playing that used XBOX game without having the disc in.

Theres a reason things are different on PC

[XDUR]

Originally posted by Count_Dandyman:

Originally posted by XDUR:

Well, the other games are not Steam games, so that's probably why they do install when entering the serial key.
I remember everyone getting mad when Microsoft anounced that the XBOX One would not let you play used games, so they changed their used games policy. Apparently … Valve got away with it and no one seems to care.

Try inputting a code for extra content from a used copy of an XBOX game and see how that works out for you or heck try playing that used XBOX game without having the disc in.

Theres a reason things are different on PC

Do you mean this person can still play The Orange Box without having the discs?

[Count_Dandyman]

Originally posted by XDUR:

Originally posted by Count_Dandyman:

Try inputting a code for extra content from a used copy of an XBOX game and see how that works out for you or heck try playing that used XBOX game without having the disc in.

Theres a reason things are different on PC

Do you mean this person can still play The Orange Box without having the discs?

Yep once a game tied to an online service is activated to your account you don't need the discs it came with at all. And it's not just Steam that it works that way for Origin, Uplay, Battle.net amd Zenimax all work the same way.

Theres a reason people say don't buy used PC games in general and not just the Steam ones.