What webretailers should i avoid and which ones should i use?

Please list what sites you use not just one after the other in different comments :)

Here's the most common one's i've seen posted around and heard about,

*Humble Bundle

  • Bundlestar
  • Indie Gala
  • G2A
  • GamersGate
  • Dealzon
  • CD Keys.com
  • CDkeyhouse
  • GreenManGaming (I've been reading lots of flak against these guys lately)

    if people mention other sites then i'll add them.

GIVEAWAY!

7 years ago*

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From that list, HB, Bundle Stars, IG and GMG are safe as far as I know. G2A is a huge no-no, and I don't know about the others.

7 years ago
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G2A is not a huge nono if you are playing it safe.

7 years ago
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^ Exactly.

7 years ago
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Paying extra for a 'shield' in order to make sure you can do something if you get scammed is a pretty huge no-no for me. Getting keys revoked after buying them is also a huge no-no.
I've seen that they're trying to change after all the controversies around it, but it's currently not 100% safe.

edit: I'm just saying I can't consider it trustworthy if you have to play safe to make sure you don't get scammed.

7 years ago*
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I agree that he shield option shows that G2A has limited confidence in the validity of the keys that is sold on their site.

7 years ago
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Just open a dispute on paypal if they cheat.

7 years ago
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The site forces you to use G2A Pay, so if you don't pay with Paypal you're screwed? I haven't tried this so I don't know if it works, but it would still be a pain if you're going to buy cheap games and then you have to ask for refunds for a few dollars or even less. And if the money's in your G2A wallet, I don't think you can get refunded unless you have the shield. When I did have a problem and needed a refund, I contacted support and they said they couldn't do anything about it because I didn't have the shield on. Which is ridiculous, because why would I go on a site to buy a game for 60 cents and have to pay so much over it just to make sure I don't get a wrong key?
I know it sounds cheap to ask for a refund for a game worth under $1, but sometimes it's not even about the money, just the gesture. And the worst part is that it doesn't happen once, it happens countless times and money adds up for scammers.

7 years ago
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damn, mane, I've only used it once for a cheap good game 0with no problems but I get what you mean. You pretty much gotta do it with paypal or anything that lets you get a refund because if you play 100% by their rules you are probably just gonna lose.

7 years ago
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Plus, shield or no shield, try to ask back your money more than twice and you can see how much the shield is really worth.

7 years ago
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this really depends
if u want cheap keys no matter what its probably fine
but this site screws developers and u never know if a key was bought legitimately

7 years ago
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Thanks i knew hb and bundlestars were, I used GMG but nothing i couldn't afford to lose from my pay-pal.

7 years ago
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Added GA for all your peoples help!

7 years ago
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You don't have to buy Shield. I've never and if I've had an issue, I still get it resolved. I've gotten better deals from it. G2A Pay is a quick payment service, compared to PayPal (who uses PayPal seeing as it's got the worst customer service out there and funds go missing daily due to hacking and them not compensating for their incompetence). Also, sites like IndieGala are more scummy then G2A now. IndieGala just deleted my account for no reason with the bloody keys that were still unredeemed. The reason why they weren't was because IndieGala cancelled a lot of them because they were redeemed from the site, so you couldn't use them any more. They were so rude to me and my friends with the same issue and they said not to redeem it first. Now I've lost $15 worth of bundle game keys. So about 25 keys... Yeah, it's not much for some, but $15 is my monthly allowance that I've separated for games.
G2A has had one problem for me, which was solved in 2 hours. Just shop smart, since there are user ratings and over 16000 positive reviews are definitely not bots.
Also, one is supposed to be a moderated store. The other is basically a market plot. All they do is let people sell stuff there. You can't complain to the market itself that someone sold you a rotten potato.

7 years ago
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Mine did not get resolved and it was pretty clear to me from the start that it wouldn't, but I tried anyway.
You could say G2A is a market just like ebay, but exclusively for gaming, however on ebay issues like receiving wrong items (or in G2A's case, wrong keys) are solved without the need to pay extra for protection. My issue with G2A happened about a year ago and I haven't touched the site since, but I've still seen people complain about the lack of certainty that G2A will have their people's backs if something like that goes wrong.

Sorry to hear about the IG issue though, I would've never expected that from them. I always save my keys somewhere else because I'd end up forgetting where I have everything, so I haven't had an issue like this.

7 years ago
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In all fairness though, one is selling a huge amount of small items and the other is selling a small amount of huge items. You can't prove that you didn't already activate a key. It's just an inherent flaw with Steam and its system. G2A can't be held responsible for people who buy keys from lesser known sellers.
On EBay you'd never just pay for a product with bad reviews or lack of reviews. In G2A people are kind of foolish and G2A is ready to capitalize off of those dummies.
Buy from a reputable seller (500+ positive feed back with 97% or higher success rate) and I'll guarantee you, you'll never have that problem, since people who have dedicated so much time into selling keys wouldn't want their main source of income to disappear.

7 years ago
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The general rule of thumb, is to avoid sites with "key" in their name.
Write the URL here: http://keyradar.com/, and see what response you get.

The most commonly used (and trustworthy) sites (that I know of) are:

  • Humble Bundle
  • Bundle Stars
  • Indie Gala
  • Games Planet
  • Games Republic
  • Game Bundle
  • Groupees
  • Daily Indie Game

I might have missed some smaller sites from that list.
Green Man Gaming had some issues with revoked keys in the past, but now they seem to have been solved.

7 years ago*
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The general rule of thumb, is to avoid sites with "key" in their name.

The very next line:

Write the URL here: http://KEYradar.com/

:D

7 years ago
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Well, that site is called "key radar" for a reason :p

7 years ago
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I am just joking :)

7 years ago
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I use Bundlestars and IG from that list...I used GMG before but I think the site is a mess and the mystery keys thing is kinda shady
g2a should be avoided and I dont know the rest

7 years ago
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Kinguin= not a fan.
GMG depending for what. Don't get mystery bundles.
GameBundle is ok

7 years ago
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I'm up to 3 10pk mystery bundles, and while none of the games were stellar, I feel like I've gotten my moneys worth each time. Only 4 dupes out of 31 keys(bought a single at 20cents the first time). Then again, Im a sucker for mystery purchases.

7 years ago
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I've only gotten around 4 of the 1 game when they were on like a 10 or 14c sale, and I got Zack Zero and 3 copies of Shattered Haven, which has I'd have to be paid to subject myself to playing it, so I wouldn't pay full price for those mystery packs.
At that price I arguably got my money's worth out of Zack Zero alone, but I couldn't justify trying for the $1+ options.

Maybe they put worse stuff in there during those sales, but I'd just steer clear of those.

7 years ago
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If you want to play it safe, you could take a look at this subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/GameDeals/
The sites whose deals are advertised there, have been approved by Reddit's mods.

7 years ago
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thank you for that link, I never think to look on reddit for some reason.

7 years ago
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G2A and CD Keys.com are unofficial resellers, so use with caution, same as if you were buying from a trader (that is exactly what you are doing). Same with kinguin. You can use them as long as you understandwhat they are and the risks which come with it. Bundlestar, Indie Gala, GamersGate, GreenManGaming, Humble Bundle are regular shops and will almost never have issues. Never heard of Dealzon and CDkeyhouse.

7 years ago
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Okay I changed up my list now, and got rid of cdkeys.com and cdkeyhouse, and dealzon, and g2a just because i'm not a huge risk taker.but what about gamersgate? Anyone use that one?

7 years ago
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I've bought stuff from GamersGate before without problems - they are a totally legit site selling keys directly from publishers although it has been a while since they had any great deals. I'd also recommend Indie Gala, Humble Bundle and Bundle Stars as great sites.

I know plenty of people who have bought lots of cheap games from G2A without problems - but I also know others who have had keys revoked or retroactively region locked. As they are an unofficial key reseller they are fundamentally risky.

GMG are mostly legit but they have dropped the bomb a few times in the past by selling batches of keys that they got that were intended for sale elsewhere without the permission of the publisher which has even led to stuff getting revoked, and they are very prone to selling region locked keys without warning.

7 years ago
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Yes, it's a regular store. The prices usually aren't that good though. There is also gamesplanet (https://uk.gamesplanet.com/, https://de.gamesplanet.com/ and https://fr.gamesplanet.com/) . I sometimes buy older bethesda games from the german section (https://de.gamesplanet.com/) since they often ends up being cheaper than elsewhere. Sometimes wingamestore also has decent deals, specially since some keys come with both steam and drm-free version.

7 years ago*
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Added GA for all your peoples help!

7 years ago
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G2A and CDKeys.com is a big no-no as it is a grey market store and you risk your gams being revoked.

As for GMG - avoid buying preorders. They are known to put preorders before they get any keys, details or contract only to then change the description and refuse refunds (there has been a cases where GMG put a preorder page saying they will provide steam key only to send Rockstar/GOG/other keys later and frefuse refund, because "well, we didn't send you Steam key but we already sent you other key and we cannot know you didn't use it:)

I don't know Dealzon nor CDkeyhouse.

HumbleBundle, Bundlestars, Gamersgate are official and trustworthy.

So is IndieGala but keep in mind that on IG you should use your key quickly (within 60 Days) because they support keys only for that long. If you buy for yourself it's not a problem. If you want to trade or to make Ga make sure to do so before 60 Days.

7 years ago
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Thank you for that I forgot about the sixty days thing thankfully like you said those either go to a give away or my account right away.

7 years ago
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<Furiously digs through old IG keys...>

7 years ago
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this is why I dumped all my anime games on SG in last few days ;p Because it's gonna be 60 days since purchase any moment now ;p

7 years ago
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Looks like my oldest is from 1-June (except for one free game and one removed from Steam API), so I guess I'm good. :)

7 years ago
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damn did I miss a dump of anime - really wanted to try some of those games :)

7 years ago
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You didn't miss anything - you prolly wouldn't be able to enter any of these ;)

I dumped 46 of Anime Games thids last week, but out of these 23 were Group GAs, 5 were Whitelist GAs and remaining 18 were public but for high levels (9 for lvl 10, 7 for level 9, 1 for lvl 8 and 1 for lvl 7) so even these were sadly out of your range ;)

7 years ago*
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aww - okay - sad face :( - thanks for the reply though - much appreciated :)

7 years ago
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Added GA for all your peoples help!

7 years ago
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I don't understand why this topic about IndieGala keys keeps popping up from time to time.

Your purchased keys never expire and can be activated at any time. However, we strongly advise you to activate your keys within 60 days of purchase as it might be troublesome replacing your keys should there be issues.
Why is it suggested to activate keys within 60 days?

I have activated keys more than a year after purchase without any problems.

7 years ago
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yes - but after 60 days if keys end up being invalid or duplicate for example - you will not get rreplacement keys, while other sites replace your keys at whatever point (I've had Humble replace me keys after over half year when they were reported invalid)

7 years ago
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https://www.instant-gaming.com/en/

Use this site since one year and no problem so far

7 years ago
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Added GA for all your peoples help!

7 years ago
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You should also consider Amazon; there are a few nice deals there from time to time.

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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7 years ago
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7 years ago
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Like many here, I avoid grey market sites like G2A and Kinguin. Personal choice, though.
I'm surprised nobody here has mentioned Nuveem. Personally, I think it's fine as long as you're Brazilian (ordering from Brazil). Otherwise, if you're trying to circumvent their rules with VPN, etc., it's not okay. :)
YMMV.

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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*Humble Bundle = great

Bundlestar = great AND trades well. 
Indie Gala = good but doesn't trade well cause people join groups and do group-buys to get crazy discounts on bundles
G2A= annoying people tradng to obtain all the worthwhile keys so they can sell them to other players. keys are usually not guaranteed, and the entire service is a detriment to the trading community. 
GamersGate= ? whazzat?
Dealzon = ?
CD Keys.com = ?
CDkeyhouse= ?
GreenManGaming (I've been reading lots of flak against these guys lately) = not sure how this one works but they seem to be legit.

you are missing:
groupees = great and trades well
dailyindiegame = only bought from once but was not ripped off so i guess good :)
hrkgame = no bundles but usually very competitive prices and all the keys i have gotten from them so far work.

7 years ago
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dailyindiegame = only bought from once but was not ripped off so i guess good :)

bought loads of bundles from them, mostly to farm cards, but never had any problems
also I think otakumaker wasn´t mentioned before...there were some problems with duplicate keys but that was the developers fault and support is quick, as in 15 minute reply quick

7 years ago*
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7 years ago
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kinguin.net

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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7 years ago
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7 years ago
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  • Humble Bundle: Probably the best site if you are in the ROW region. They often carry DRM-free builds next to selling Steam keys. Sadly, said builds are portable versions, meaning if there is a patch, it is another complete download. But after GOG, they are probably the best digital game store right now.
  • Bundle Stars: They really worked hard to carry a lot of high-grade stuff, but usually their bundles and single game packages (also called "bundles") are noteworthy.
  • IndieGala: Their store is mediocre in selection and prices, but they are the most generous bundle site. High-tier bundle site, medium-level store.
  • G2A: Second-hand market of keys that should not be used yet. Emphasis on "should not be". It is as safe as buying something without receipt on a flea market. And about as legal from their point of view. (But, if you want to support some tax-evaders and a few Eastern European groups specialising on selling cheap keys with a 50-100% profit, go ahead.)
  • GamersGate: They have a huge selection of Steam and non-Steam games, and once in a blue moon they get a sale discount on a few high-quality games nobody else can. They also tend to fuck up store prices and tend to run out of keys, in which case you may need weeks to finally get the product. Recommended site, but always check their Tutor section to see which keys have run out again…
  • Dealzone: It1s not a store just a site collecting prices from other stores. For video games, use IsThereAnyDeal instead.
  • CD Keys.com: Avoid like the plague, unless you want Xbox cards. For some reason they have a steady supply of almost surely illegal but always working cards on those.
  • CDkeyhouse: No redeeming factor, stay the hell away.
  • GreenManGaming: They are a legit reseller finally and they often carry sick deals, especially on pre-order prices. Their support is featured in many horror stories though. Advised to buy occasionally and one product at a time.

By the way, there are several more bundle sites and online stores you didn't list, from GamesRepublic to Daily Indie Game, Groupees, One More Bundle, OtakuMaker, WinGameStore, Games Planet, FireFlower, and GameFly, to name only a few.

7 years ago
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thank you for that comprehensive repot I'll be sure to check out those other sites you listed that i didn't have :)

7 years ago
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You rock! You didn't mention Kinguin or Nuveem though. ;-)

7 years ago
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Nuuvem is mostly (or maybe fully) region-locked and monitors payment location and not IP. OP has US given as location, so if that is true, Nuuvem would be all but useless to him.
As for Kinguin, I saw others mentioned it. :)

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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I only buy regularly from IG, Humble Bundle and Bundle Stars.

Then there's Indie GameStand - they do "pay what you want" deals every few days, Flying Bundle, tried them once and all went smoothly, and of course there's Groupees.

Personally, I would avoid sites like CD Keys, CDkeyhouse and such. It's probably a prejudice, but the names/urls alone seem suspicious enough to me.

7 years ago*
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7 years ago
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In my opinion from the best to the worst - my opinion is more on bundles stand point not really sales game to game.

  • Humble Bundle - Best games from all bundle sites, you can get from AA to indie at a pretty nice price, and then you can decide where the money goes: charity/devs/humble - The Best imo

  • Bundlestars - Pretty nice bundles overall, good prices, nothing much to say really

  • Indie Gala - Is great if you Group Buy them, it cuts the price by half or a third, bundles indie games, some bundles have great gems, at the lowest price of them all (with GroupBuys)

  • G2A - I would stay away from key re-sellers, just in case, yes it's cheap, yet you're not sure where the people got them, and there's always a a chance (small or not) of getting revoked and stuff, i just don't trust it, it's too shady when you need to buy insurance to get the keys.

The others I Don't really know, but i can add some good-ish sites

  • Groupees - Some good pre-order bundles, some not, if you feel lucky go for it.

  • DIG (Daily Indie Game) - Great Prices, BTA (that generally is +3 or 4cents) gives you 2 bundles, it has a good price standing point.

  • Otakumaker - Now this one is really hard, in one half i really want to like them on the other they are pretty terrible, so ill resume to positives and negatives. Positives = GREAT Prices like really nice 4€ - 60 keys or 6€ 90 keys, thats few cents each key. Some Games are good or have cards and it's always worth it, you have a 98%-97% off with the highest packs. Negatives = Keys take time up to 24h to be delivered, it comes by e-mail if that's an issue, they can't be stored on their website like the other sites. To many or some Freebies included in the bundled, they almost have 6 or 7 games that are pretty nice, and then they put 1 or 2 freebies that are being given away all the time on gleam.io, that really loses the value of the bundle. Last but not the least, bundles take a month or more to be over, so it's slow as f*ck to get new ones. Overall I Kinda like it because they give you a lot for the price, on the other half all those negatives could be improved.

Hope this helps! Myself wasted more on HB > IG > BundleStars > IG > Groupees > DIG.

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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I preferred indiegala and HB sometime bundlestar is always works for price is lower than steam directly.

7 years ago
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Added GA for all your peoples help!

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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Avoid G2A (and Kinguin) just plain dodgy. I regret giving kinguin my details.

7 years ago
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Bundlestars
Indie Gala
GamersGate

yes to these

7 years ago
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Out of the ones listed:

Humble Bundle

This is a good one! Also, it supposedly takes a smaller cut (thus the developer gets more from each purchase). No idea if that information is outdated though.

Bundlestar

Also a good one.

Indie Gala

IG has had a bit of a shakey history. While the keys they offer are legitimately obtained, they've not always been upfront with how they handle things, and sometimes even had deceiving descriptions. (their old "Beat the average" that was not actually an average but something that was changed manually is one such case)

G2A

Avoid. Stolen keys often end up here, and even if you get the games cheaper, know that you can't be sure where the key actually comes from. Sometimes it's just a key from a cheaper region, sometimes it's from credit card fraud. And they've shown to be unwilling to actually do something about it.

GamersGate

Another good one. Nothing special about it.

GreenManGaming (I've been reading lots of flak against these guys lately)

GMG has, on several occasions, sold games that they don't actually have the rights to sell, and it's unclear where they got the keys from. CD Projekt was not happy with them selling The Witcher 3, and they've also ended up selling games from Activision where they got the keys from some other source. The keys they sell from Paradox, Valve, Ubisoft and a bunch of other are legitimately obtained though.

7 years ago
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This is also a good Place,where i bought much Keys :

https://www.instant-gaming.com/de/

7 years ago
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I have also used WinGameStore.com ; Purchased Bioshock Infinite's DLC from there and something else I think.

7 years ago
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Closed 7 years ago by tweakweak.