Shady key reseller G2A wants to fix shady image by being shady.

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Remember G2A, one of those shady key resellers who made news a few years back cuz people sold stolen keys via their service, them basically doing fuck all about it, and other such assorted shady stuff?

Then a little while ago the controversy surrounded G2A resurfaced when an indie dev tweeted he preferred people pirate his games than buy them at G2A, cuz investigating cases of fraud costs more time and money than the lost sales from piracy. G2A basically responded with shady deflections and a vague promise they'll reimburse devs for stolen keys, providing everything is done through a 'reputable third party auditing company' (probably of G2A's choosing too).

So, they kind of have a problem with their image being shady.

Their solution was apparently to sollicit websites to publish pre-written articles without disclosing the G2A sponsorship. [https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/563533-g2a-sponsored-post]

Bit of a problem here. That's pretty illegal under FTC, EU and many other countries' regulations. No confirmation on whether this is real yet tho. But totally believable, Cuz G2A's shady.

[small]Also, pointing and laughing at companies doing really stupid stuff has a certain je ne sais quoi.[/small]

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

It's almost like they can't control themselves. A compulsive tick for shadiness. God help us if they ever try their hand at a charity event.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I keep seeing these guys pop up. What is their business model? Buy games on steam then sell them elsewhere? How is there any profit in that?

 

[CaitSeith]

I keep seeing these guys pop up. What is their business model? Buy games on steam then sell them elsewhere? How is there any profit in that?

Not games, but game keys. It's like reselling free sample coupons.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I keep seeing these guys pop up. What is their business model? Buy games on steam then sell them elsewhere? How is there any profit in that?

Not games, but game keys. It's like reselling free sample coupons.

I'm not sure I get it. I get buying a key and reselling it, but I'd have to sell it at a discount otherwise someone would just buy off steam for the same price and skip the middle man. But if I sell at a discount I'm down. I can't sell a $10 key for $7 and make a profit.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

I'm not sure I get it. I get buying a key and reselling it, but I'd have to sell it at a discount otherwise someone would just buy off steam for the same price and skip the middle man. But if I sell at a discount I'm down. I can't sell a $10 key for $7 and make a profit.

The trick to re-selling keys is to find them cheaper then market average and then reselling. Ways to do this is includes buying brick and mortar-store copies of games and using their keys (what GreenManGaming did until they became a 'trusted partner' of several publishers), buying keys in regions with lower regional pricing (this was G2A's original schtick, buying Russian keys and re-selling in the EU), re-selling promotional keys from the devs, buying keys in bulk from other key-resellers during sales, and the outright illegal like buying stolen keys (which is another thing G2A has been known to do).

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

I keep seeing these guys pop up. What is their business model? Buy games on steam then sell them elsewhere? How is there any profit in that?

Not games, but game keys. It's like reselling free sample coupons.

Basically yeah. G2A provides a platform where third party resellers can sell Steam, Origin, whatever key and other digital products in return for G2A taking a cut of the sale. Aside from allowing shenanigans with regional pricing, G2A only acts as an intermediary and did fuck all to check what sellers were doing, like for instance scammers or selling keys bought with stolen credit cards.

Oeople got upset about it, so they introduced the G2A Direct partnership program that lets publishers/dev sell keys via their platform officially and take a cut from any third party sales. And for buyers they launched G2A Shield, which is basically fraud insurance so you can get your money back if you get scammed. Note neither of these programs do anything to prevent fraud from happening in the first place.

There's a whole lot more, but all of it basically boils down to someone raising a stink about shady stuff going on at G2A, and G2A responding by deflecting any responsibility on their part, or if and when they actually do take action, said action doesn't actually address the problem.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

I dunno how I feel about this flak G2A gets, on the one hand they are profiting off thievery, on the other its just people abusing their system right? I like that I have the option to sell on a steam key if I ever feel like I need a little money instead of just giving them away.

Not that I have ever used it.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I dunno how I feel about this flak G2A gets, on the one hand they are profiting off thievery, on the other its just people abusing their system right? I like that I have the option to sell on a steam key if I ever feel like I need a little money instead of just giving them away.

Not that I have ever used it.

I am tempted to give it a try. I've had Humble Monthly for a year or so now, and while there have been some occasional wins from the games included with the subscription, the trouble is any game I'm interested in owning, chances are I already do. So the majority of keys I get are for games I either already own or don't care to, with a smaller number being those I both like but don't already own.

Overall, I think the sub is still worth it, even for me. There are enough good ones to easily cover the sub cost. But some for example, I don't know what to do with. I gave away DS3 not long ago, but last month was Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, which I already own. I could get a few pounds for it, it's a legit key that I own, so it's not unfair to consider selling it, since it's mine to sell. This month was Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which I picked up two or three steam sales ago when it finally reached 50% off. That one may still have value too.

Looking at it, I have 7 pages of un-redeemed Steam keys (and 5 pages of redeemed or gifted).

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

[small]Also, pointing and laughing at companies doing really stupid stuff has a certain je ne sais quoi.[/small]

Mon ami, je sais EXACTEMENT c'est quoi...

C'est du "Schadenfreude"!

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Mon ami, je sais EXACTEMENT c'est quoi...

C'est du "Schadenfreude"!

Oui, tu as raison. Though you'd want to translate "I know exactly what it is" as "Je sais exactement ce que c'est". Yours is not really wrong, just a little too literal.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Mon ami, je sais EXACTEMENT c'est quoi...

C'est du "Schadenfreude"!

Oui, tu as raison. Though you'd want to translate "I know exactly what it is" as "Je sais exactement ce que c'est". Yours is not really wrong, just a little too literal.

I wanted it to sound closer to "je ne sais quoi" though... XD