Gift giveaway question

basically you create a giveaway for a game you plan to give away. you can either give away a game via gifting through Steam, where you can buy the game for the winner after the giveaway ends, or you can give away a game via a game key you have, obviously which you haven't used

when creating a giveaway, you have these two options to choose whether the giveaway will be a key or a gift

Just remember that giveaway winner can be from a steam region with a different price, in which case if the difference in pricing is greater than 10% you won't be able to send gift to such account.

https://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/ewBq8/steam-10-price-difference-policy

Alright, here we go.

First, if you're referring to the "gift" option when creating giveaways, that just means that you'll have to provide the game AFTER the giveaway is over.
This can be anything that picks your fancy, from adding a key / gift link (like you would with the "key" option, but afterwards) or sending it to the winner's e-mail or through Steam chat, to gifting it from the Steam store, or even delivering them the key in real life (I wonder if anybody's ever done it this way?)

When gifting from the Steam store, there are a few several complications to consider.

The most important is that, since a few years ago, you cannot buy gift copies anymore, so you'll have to gift directly.
That requires having the recipient on your friend list (for a few days, I think?), so you'll have to send a friend request to the winner.
Also, that implies that you'll have to time your giveaways with sales.

Now, that was for a basic explanation, here are the potential issues:

1. regional pricing: you cannot gift when you'd pay a lot LESS than the recipient (but paying MORE is totally fine, 'cause why wouldn't it?)
   • the treshold is around 13-15%, and what works one time might not work the next, due to fluctuating exhange rates - check SteamDB
2. region locks: certain publishers forbid you from gifting their games outside your region, regardless of regional pricing - also check SteamDB
   • certain games might be restricted in one country or another - like those with low violence versions for Germany, Australia, New Zealand...
3. if buying many gifts with Steam Wallet, Steam might eventually suspect you of trading, and ban you from using that payment method for gifts
   • you can still keep using Steam Wallet for yourself, and pay for gifts with real money (wallet money could be "fake", but real money is alright)
4. due to Steam gifts rules, just as giveaway creators have up to 7 days to send gifts, winners have up to 7 days to accept them (not ideal for timed sales)
   • furthermore, winners are technically allowed to DEMAND their win - and YOU'd be on the wrong, even if THEY make you wait too long
5. some users use bots/scripts to enter giveaways, and only personally check the site once per week to collect the "loot" and sync their accounts
   • again, not ideal, and on top of that, some users might be very rude, and/or not understand the language/s you speak.

In short, while it is possible to gift games from Steam, it's not the most appealing way to do giveaways, as they're literally a race against the clock, hoping you get a winner who 1) responds in a timely manner, 2) doesn't own the game being given away, 3) can understand you, and 4) can actually receive the gift.

It's not recommended for public and semi-public (public groups) giveaways, except maybe for sales that last longer than one week (like most holiday sales).