About buying games as gifts when on sale and trading them later

[Mandelbrot]

So, I just thought of something...

What if, I buy a game as a gift when it is on sale, say 75% off or something...
And then, after the sale ends or after 30 days (whichever is later) I post on that game's discussion forum that I have a gift copy for trade for steam market stuff worth say 35% of the game's base price, so that I effectively get 10% profit?
For example, I buy HL2 for $2.50 (75% off) then trade it for $3 or $3.5 worth of market stuff.

Is this legal? Does it go against the Steam agreement?
If it is legal, is this a viable strategy?

[Start_Running]

Technically not illegal but keep in mind. anyone who wanted it likely already grabbed it during the sale.

[Mandelbrot]

What if I do this at the mid point between 2 sales?

[Start_Running]

Again.. you prbably won't get much for your work. YOu'd naturally wind up competing with everyone else who had the same idea so you'd be getting in a price war. and again, most who want the game will have likely already purchased it during the sale.

Plus the value of digital items like skins and such is shall we say imaginary

[Mandelbrot]

You have a point, it is just that I have not noticed anyone doing this. And I don't care if the value is imaginary as long as I can sell it on the market. I will of course have to compensate for the cut that valve takes from every market purchase.
Actually, given the amount of price fluctuations this will still be a gamble, unless I keep a large safety margin.

[Hanomaly]

Автор сообщения: Keyur Joshi

You have a point, it is just that I have not noticed anyone doing this. And I don't care if the value is imaginary as long as I can sell it on the market. I will of course have to compensate for the cut that valve takes from every market purchase.
Actually, given the amount of price fluctuations this will still be a gamble, unless I keep a large safety margin.

You cannot "sell any games" on the market. Not even ones in your inventory.

You can TRADE them with other users for "items", but there is no system in place to "sell them on the community market" for money or whatever.

[Mandelbrot]

Автор сообщения: Hanomaly

You cannot "sell any games" on the market. Not even ones in your inventory.

You can TRADE them with other users for "items", but there is no system in place to "sell them on the community market" for money or whatever.

That is what I meant: trade for items, sell items on market, get wallet cash, buy games for (effectively) free.

[Hanomaly]

Obviously you could trade them with someone for items with a value higher than you paid for the game.. and then.. sell the items you got on the community market.

Just the games themself cannot be sold that way.

[Hanomaly]

Автор сообщения: Keyur Joshi

Автор сообщения: Hanomaly

You cannot "sell any games" on the market. Not even ones in your inventory.

You can TRADE them with other users for "items", but there is no system in place to "sell them on the community market" for money or whatever.

That is what I meant: trade for items, sell items on market.

oh ya you can do that :)

[Mandelbrot]

1) Buy game as gift when it is on sale for $A
Suppose I want B% profit and market takes C% cut, and I want a anti-price-fluctuation safety net of D%
2) After 2 months or so, in between major sales, trade gift for $A(1+(B+C+D)/100) worth of marketable items or something like that.
3) When I can sell them, sell them.
4) Now I have free steam wallet cash.

[eram]

Most people will offer in return the best sale price minus a bit as they know how much the game was while it was on sale. You can make profit but so is every other trader looking to do the same.

[Start_Running]

Автор сообщения: eram

Most people will offer in return the best sale price minus a bit as they know how much the game was while it was on sale. You can make profit but so is every other trader looking to do the same.

Pretty much. I'd think if it was a viable thing, you'd see more of it. Here's the thing to remember. The really hot games, never get discounted much which are the games that are ij high demands. It's the lower demand games that get the deep discounts but since their in lower demand the number of people who wil trade for them is also low.

In short, if they didn't buy it for $3 when it was on sale.. chances are they won't trade you $3 worth of items for it.