Hello
I'd like to know that how do I know if a giveaway of a game is legit or possibly a scam? like if someone hosts a giveaway but later they change their mind, can they just "not give the key" and get away with it?
My other question is I've been participating quite a lot in the giveaways but have never won any, I understand that it's not easy to win giveaways and not everyone wins even after regularly participating, but how many people join 1 giveaway on average?
thanks for assistance

3 years ago

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You can always check if giveaway creator has many "Not received" markings. Which means giveaways where they have not delivered the game.

On other hand also making fake giveaways that is making one and not even attempting to give gift can be punished by admins.

3 years ago
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Thank you very much!

3 years ago
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Welcome to steamgifts!

If you want to improve your win chances, you can join various groups.
like, a steam group - sync your account, and you'll gain access to exclusive group giveaways with much better win chances.
See the Group recruitment channel for a few examples.

Also, if you give away a few games yourself (fanatical or humble bundle are good sources), you will increase your steamgifts level.
This allows you to see and enter giveaways with a higher level restriction, and thus improve your win chances.

As for legitimacy - usually users who have given away a number of games in the past are likely to be good.
People who create a giveaway as a joke, and never given anything in the past - are the kind of things you can be skeptical about.
If you've entered a few giveaways - you can check back on those later and see who won it or whether it was sent. You'll find very few fake giveaways.

3 years ago
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Hey, can you tell me more about the group recruitment channel? thanks for your time.

3 years ago
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Try here

3 years ago
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thank you, somehow I didn't notice, that you commented already.

3 years ago
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thanks :) (Sry for responding late)

3 years ago
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Up to a certain point, new people get 3 giveaway slots, if none of them are received they got nothing left.

And depends, do you go for AAA games or just smaller bundle stuff, if so then offcourse you get more chance, there are also certain groups you could join for better chances, and if you are active here, perhaps do some events, hang around and people might like you enough they add you to their whitelist and also increase your chances.

And per giveaway you can see the entries easily.

3 years ago
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Thank you, please guide me about joining certain groups for better chances, btw I'm going for games which cost more points (so I have myself some clicks, and also I like action and small games lack action, I don't necessarily go for AAA games but I hope you got my point)

3 years ago
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Yes GAs can be created and then deleted by the author before it ends. Once ended, they have to get an admin involved to delete. Otherwise they will have a not delivered on their account and no credit as credit is issued after the game is successfully received.

Check the odds, if its averaging 2000 entries, expect to win a game on average after 2000 entries. Some are lucky and win sooner and some are unlucky and win later. Joining some public groups (such as Playing Appreciated, Unlucky 7) will lower the number of entries you are competing with.

3 years ago
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Thank you, can you guide me a little more about those public groups?

3 years ago
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Hi !

To have more chances, like this was said before, you can improve your level (by gifting games gifts or keys) to be able to enter more giveaways and have more chances to win (the highest the level the less people can enter the giveaway, so it improves your chances).

Like others said you can join groups which does giveaways only the members of the group can enter.

You can also be invited to private giveaways through events: puzzles (you have to do a puzzle before entering the GA), trains (a long list of giveaways made by one person), or sometimes people post links to private ga's in specific posts.

I never encountered anyone that "faked a key", but it can happen, tho, don't worry too much about it because you got a whole staff of mods and admins to prevent it from happening again.
Don't worry about losing, it's part of the fun. One day you will have a pleasant surprise ;) (It doesn't happen that much but it happens regularily)

Hope you will have fun within this community ;3

3 years ago
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Thank you very much, how much do I need to gift to increase my level? and it is decided by the number of games, or the amount of money spent to get those games? or something else... ?

3 years ago
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3 years ago
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For what it's worth, it wouldn't be much of a scam because the only person getting hurt from removing the giveaway or not giving the key is the one who listed the giveaway in the first place. It doesn't feel good to not receive the game key after being lucky enough to win something but like the other comments say, there is very little incentive for people to do that sort of thing.
I believe on all my year here, I've only had to personally deal with 6 instances where I'd won but the giveaway creator wanted to delete the give away because the key was a duplicate, they didn't want to provide another, but at that point, they have to get the winner's consent in the comments to agree to delete the giveaway or else the winner can mark it as not received and nail it on their record.
The giveaway creator can request a reroll for another winner but as far as I am aware, those requests can only be made if you've broken any rules like having multiple wins of the same game or in the case of a puzzle event for instance, getting the URL link to the invite only giveaway through external means (like someone finishing the puzzle and sharing the giveaway url) or also sharing that url with others and getting caught for doing so.

Tl;Dr, This site is basically community run and in most cases, the site is kind when you are kind to it. Welcome and best of luck!

3 years ago*
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The only problem I had as a gifter was hosting a giveaway for a game that was regionlocked (I didn't know about it) and then, I faced the issue with my winner, that was in a regionlocked region. I bought him the game as a gift on steam (because there is no region lock on gifts) and re-rolled the key but I'm aware many wouldn't bother doing that. It's still a simpler way of resolving the problem. (I was lucky the game was on sale on Steam tho).

3 years ago
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I've definitely run into similar instances. I really do enjoy the etiquette on the site.
If I win a key and it doesn't work, I'll quickly go to the comments and notify the creator while also giving consent in the same message that if they can't provide another key, then they have my permission to delete the giveaway.
If I give away a key and it doesn't work, if it is cheap to replace, I'll usually pick up a new key and send it. It's still good to know though that there is a relatively good chance considering the interactions I've had that the winner would accept that approve of it.
No matter the case, I've been very grateful that even when issues have come up, I've been able to have conversations with the person and reach an agreement on each occasion so far.

3 years ago
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There is region lock for gifts on Steam, it depends on your country too. If you pay much more for a game than all others you can generally gift to anybody and you virtually have no region lock as I understand.

3 years ago
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I see, thank you very much. I think I'd be kind to it and the community :D

3 years ago
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  • Give more = Win chance more
  • Join groups more = Win chance more
  • Take part in discussions = Win chance more

Unlucky 7 or something is a group you can try.

I didn't win my first game until the 1k entries mark. Even then, I was throwing my points at EVERYTHING.

3 years ago
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Ohh, thank you for the short and informative comment. I don't know how to join Unlucky 7, can you guide me about that?

3 years ago
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https://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/orrR5/
The forum's search function works surprisingly well, assuming you can filter out the digital noise of any online search. Active groups' topics are usually busy enough to be near the top of any search. :)

3 years ago
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ohhh, I see. thanks for the assistance and have a nice day :)

3 years ago
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3 years ago
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Thank you, how do we verify if someone won more than 7 games, or not, in case we wanna know if they are being truthful about their less odds of winning?

3 years ago
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You can see in user's profile how much he won and gifted, what the problem? :) Just click nickname.

3 years ago*
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hmm, Thanks

3 years ago
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3 years ago
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Thank you! thought it seems someone else replied to your original comment when I asked for suggestions :D

3 years ago
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If you want a higher chance to win, you qualify for Unlucky 7. Please read how to enter the group carefully.

3 years ago
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Thank you! Sure :D

3 years ago
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Welcome!

  • Answer for questions about winning
    Less than 10% of gibs (giveaways) are not working. But SG have protection system with moderators that bans users who violated rules 3 times (check rules for more info).
    Here're general scenario.
    GiveAway (GA) creator must send key (via steamgifts.com) or gift (via Steam) due 1 week. Winner must check it, activate on own linked account (!), mark giveaway as "Received" or "Not received" due 1 week from win-time or received-gift/key (I'm not sure). If something go wrong than you should check rules/FAQ (and send ticket).
  • Answer for questions about giveaways
    Number of wins depends on 1. your luck, 2. level of GA (GiveAway), 3. is it private (whitelist) GA, 4. is it group GA. Higher level mean less number of entires. Same to private and group gibs. Some groups have own rules for participating in them. Well, some users could have 100 wins per 65k entires, some other users could have 200+ wins per same entires and other users could have less than 50 wins per same entires. It's possible to have about year without wins and it's possible to have several wins while month or week.
    Have a nice day

    Check this pages for more info.
    1. FAQ: https://www.steamgifts.com/about/faq
    2. Guidelines: https://www.steamgifts.com/about/guidelines
    3. You able to check number of entires per giveaway on stats page: check right upper side of page and find button near your profile icon -> click on arrow to open context menu -> choose "My stats" -> choose "Giveaways" on left side navigation bar.
3 years ago*
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Hey there!
thank you very much for your in-depth explanation :P
You too have a great day, and sorry for not replying on time

3 years ago
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Hi!
Glad to hear it, glad to be useful.
Thank you! Don't worry, it's okay for a long response. Have a nice day too!

3 years ago
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thanks again hehe
Have a nice day again lol :D

3 years ago
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Thank you each and everyone, I never expected to get such decent "attention" to my lame question. I'm new to steam gifts(kind of) so it's hard for me to reply to everyone(I don't even know how to reply ) but I'm thankful for your efforts to answer my question, once I read all comments thoroughly I'll discuss even more (if I'm curious enough, which I'm but need to read all comments first) .

3 years ago
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If you want to reply to a specific person, just click on the little "Reply" you can see below every comment. :)
Also, welcome to SteamGifts!
If you haven't done so already, I would recommend reading the FAQ and the Guidelines, they might answer questions you may still have about how things work on SG.

3 years ago
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Wow, thanks, it appears that I must click the permalink button, on PC, before I can send a reply :D

3 years ago
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Hmm... nope. You don't need to hit permalink to reply to someone. Really, just clicking on "Reply" is totally fine.
What happens when you click on reply? Does it not open the textbox?

3 years ago
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I think there's is no option of reply, unless I click on permalink, which opens a new tab, but I don't think it matters a lot to me :D

3 years ago
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Yours 471 entries are not "quite a lot" at all!
For me its 1 win in 1000 giveaways.
To increase your chances you can:

  • Join several groups like Unlucky-7 or some others
  • Increase your SG level, more your level less entries there will be
  • Search for Invite only giveaways in discussions
  • Complete Jigidi's for invite only giveaways
  • And of course, just enter all giveaways you want and eventually you'll win something
    Good luck!
3 years ago
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You are not at all wrong, but still, it's a range where people might get tired, bored of trying more, and eventually decide to not try anymore. I'd try more and maybe give away some games when the time comes, and I'll hope for the best :D
and thanks :)

3 years ago
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The group that helped me gain more wins, especially in the beginning was Unlucky-7. Make sure you read up on the group rules and I wish you the best of luck!

Welcome to SteamGifts, by the way. Even though you have been around for a few months, you have not entered very many giveaways, so keep trying also and you will be sure to get some wins eventually.


EDIT:
Of course that group has been mentioned several times already.

There is also a group called Playing Appreciated where the members are expected to play their wins from the group within a 30 day window after the giveaway ends. I like giving to this group because I know people are planning to play the games when they enter. Because you haven't won anything yet, you would have to join by giving away a game to the group, but in the long run, you will see that it's worth joining. After all, seeing your few entries over so many months, it's clear you are joining games you are finding interesting and not everything under the sun.

3 years ago*
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Hello my friend. Hopefully you win some games soon from some of the groups I showed you.

3 years ago
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Hey, my friend, thank you soo much, my friend, you are the best <3

3 years ago
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There is no formula for wins. I registered 6 Feb 16. My first win was 1 of 5595 entries on 14 May 16. My next win was 1 of 1391 entries on 9 June. Then I won a slew of invite-only and group-only giveaways (enter through discussion forums). For public giveaways, I won 10 in my first 9 months. Of those, only 2 were Level 0 giveaways. So you could say I had better luck than you, but that's what this site ultimately comes down to: luck. I agree with what was said above:

  • give away a game to achieve Level 1, then give away more games to get an even higher level
  • participate in groups for group-only giveaways
  • participate in discussions for invite-only giveaways
  • read the site FAQ and guidelines to understand how entry points (P) and user Level work.
3 years ago
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ohhh, I see. thank you very much :D I guess it's time to level up then

3 years ago
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Yep, give more, get more. People that give a lot around here will do GAs for high-levels only every once in a while. Those usually have pretty good odds...your reward for having been a good gifter. :)

3 years ago
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:O I see
How long do you think it takes time to level up to high level?

3 years ago
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To level 10? Well, I'm 10. I got there a while ago, but take a look at my stats. ;)

10 is a big climb. But you start getting access to a lot better GAs around level 5 or so. It's not too hard to get there.

I got to 10 in just around two years. But I did a lot of big events, trains, etc. where I gave hundreds of keys at a time.

My advice is to start small and see how much you like it (and keep in mind affordability). If you need key acquisition strategies and how to generate the most CV per dollar spent, I'm happy to help once you get going a bit more.

Also, once you learn your way around, consider using ESGST (a plugin for your browser). It will make sorting through a lot of data around here a lot easier, as well as speeding up things like entering and creating GAs (and trains). You can find plenty of threads on the subject in the discussions. It has a lot of options and can seem overwhelming at first, but if you just read through it and pick out the things that are most beneficial to you, it'll save you a ton of time in navigating the site and creating GAs.

3 years ago
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wow, looks like level 10 is no easy job..... I think I'd probably stay around 5 or lower I guess :D BTW is ESGST safe? Can I get vac banned for using it? or steam gifts may ban me?

3 years ago
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Oh, ESGST is totally fine and totally safe. The vast majority of regulars around here use it religiously. It doesn't affect the primary Steam client in any way, just Steamgifts. I couldn't do a lot of the things that I do in terms of big events, etc., without it. Otherwise, it would take even longer to get stuff done.

3 years ago
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Ohh, thanks for letting me know :)

3 years ago
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On the contrary from grez1, I didn't do special giveaways and events, just made giveaways from bundles I buy now and then. In 4 years I've gotten to level 5.

Search in the forum "levels" or something like that, there is discussion where it's shown how much value every level takes. In short - every next level takes twice as much as previous did. As grez1 said, getting to level 5 is relatively easy if you give regularly.

edit : but if we are talking about the games won - they mostly come from groups or lower levels. There are some cool games I've gotten from higher levels, but to be frank most of them are at most at level 3 :D Can't say about level 6 and higher though

3 years ago*
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LOL it took you just 4 years to get leve 5? that's crazy , how did you get to level 5 so quickly :D
I'll search up the levels thing later BTW, and thanks for letting me know hehe

3 years ago
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I can't tell if that's sarcasm or not :D Comparably to grez1 getting to 10th level in 2 years, I'm as slow as a snail

But Humble Bundle helps a lot. Even with reducing number of bundles, the ones that do come out are awesome for getting something for yourself and something to give away. I'm also gettin classic choice subscription. $12 for 12 games, Usually some 3-4 games are left over that I don't think I would like and I give away. I am part of TotalWarArena group that requires you do give away a game every month. So that makes a habit out of it. (you can search for the group right here in discussions as well)

Fanatical is really stepping up their game with bundles. They are awesome for giveaways. If you buy these bundles for the specific purpose of giveaways you can really fasttrack your level gain.

edit : I've been sitting on level 5 for at least a year. When I did more regular giveaways on level 3 and 4 it was faster way getting levels.

3 years ago*
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It's sarcasm and it's specially because " level 5/10 doesn't seem too much, considering leveling up to 5/10 doesn't seem too much for someone like me who is new to SG . So about Humble and Fanatical, when you get a bundle, you get multiple keys for each game, or 1 key for multiple games?

3 years ago
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A key for each game mostly, with exceptions for some packs that publishers give as one key for two or three games, but that's rare

3 years ago
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ohhh, thanks for letting me know. I've had both type of stuff from random giveaways, that really confused me about bundles

3 years ago
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