The story of grey market G2A worsens, I really do recommend to stay away

I recently had a discussion on Steam regarding the grey key reselling market, and noticed that the URL g2a.com was censored (without any feedback for the sender).
I take it as another proof that this marketplace is very, very shady.

Also, it seems this screenshot (and more so, the reply) is taken out of its context. Where is the story they are referring to?

[quote=Guppy]

But even if that were somehow the case you can create an endless supply of paypal accounts with the same credit card, so stop making excuses and spreading misinformation

You can also buy the games as gifts and send them to your other account. That's what I do for my kids' account.

From what I heard , people steal credit cards/accoutns and buy keys then sell them to G2A. By the time the person cancels the stolen card/account the key is already sold of - BE WARNED this is hearsay not proven fact.

But as the CS GO lotto conundrum , people will apologize for cheap crap since it's cheap.
You should see the comments sections on YT videos exposing G2A shadyness. All they care about is price.

Some devs even came out and said better to pirate their game then buy on gray market.

This is the ticket of the Steam support about the use of the same credit card on two or more steam account...
I hope you understand the spanish.


This is the ticket of the Steam support about the use of the same credit card on two or more steam account...

I have two accounts one for linux and one for windows. I use the same card on both accounts.

That is something that Steam, Humble, Greenman, GOG, etc will NEVER NEVER NEVER do because, unlike G2A, they don't understand how the real economy works outside their bubble...

Actually you can pay on Steam and GOG with Yandex.Wallet or QIWI Wallet (Russian electronic cash wallets) and you can pay with Bitcoin on Humble Store. So they do support local payment methods besides usual VISA/MasterCard/PayPal, but probably not for all countries.

Steam supports Bitcoin directly nowadays. Sadly I don't think Humble store does anymore unless they've flip flopped on it once again.

OMG stop this G2A nonsense. This is a public marketplace for keys, it's not their fault some of keys might be acquired illegally. And no, they shouldn't protect moron developers, they should protect themselves. If they sell someone keys with a stolen credit card it's not G2A fault. Software industry is locked in as it is. All the games are rentals really instead of a product that you own, you can't rent them, you can't sell them, you can't do shit and yet you want to get rid of the last bastion of freedom, being able to trade the keys outside of the official store, man to man. Soon everything will be streamed on demand so I guess all of the people whining about G2A will be happy as everything will be "legal" and you will not own anything except the right to pay a monthly bill. Block the ebay too and all classifieds as they might offer stolen items as well.

If they sell someone keys with a stolen credit card it's not G2A fault.

Is it not the bar owner's fault if they turn a blind eye to drug dealers on their premises as long as they get a cut? This isn't software piracy. Credit card theft is unarguably a crime, and the reason G2A won't implement effective screening is the fact that they would lose whatever profit they make on these illegal sales. They're not the heroes you're looking for.

Please do boycott G2A. They're not worth your support. If you feel an irrational need to punish game developers, please find a way that doesn't reward criminals.

If they sell someone keys with a stolen credit card it's not G2A fault.

Is it not the bar owner's fault if they turn a blind eye to drug dealers on their premises as long as they get a cut? This isn't software piracy. Credit card theft is unarguably a crime, and the reason G2A won't implement effective screening is the fact that they would lose whatever profit they make on these illegal sales. They're not the heroes you're looking for.

Please do boycott G2A. They're not worth your support. If you feel an irrational need to punish game developers, please find a way that doesn't reward criminals.

I'm not using G2A anyway but to me they are getting the backlash they don't deserve. How on earth would they be able to tell if the keys have been acquired by the seller legally? If someone would want to sell FCKGQ Windows XP it's obvious that's a scam, but if all the keys are valid and generated by developers then they cannot really tell whether the payment for the keys was legal or not. Let's say I'm selling an item on eBay. How would they be able to verify that it wasn't stolen or paid with a stolen credit card? They can't. It's like unleashing your anger on a stationary store clerk because they sold you a crappy product where in fact they are only the middle man and not involved in production process. The whole thing is just stupid. Developers can't just deal with the problem themselves so they are trying to pass the blame. They want to be smart and sell some of the keys directly without giving Steam their share so they have to be able to protect themselves. If they can't do that then they should rely entirely on big stores to do this for them to minimize the risk giving the store it's well deserved cut.

I'm not using G2A anyway but to me they are getting the backlash they don't deserve.

In this case they are getting backlash for not implementing proper screening and then lying about it. The clerk is a straw man. G2A is not an innocent bystander or anything like a volunteer providing a public service. They're a big business with hundreds of employees globally and a budget of millions.

I'm not using G2A anyway but to me they are getting the backlash they don't deserve.

In this case they are getting backlash for not implementing proper screening and then lying about it. The clerk is a straw man. G2A is not an innocent bystander or anything like a volunteer providing a public service. They're a big business with hundreds of employees globally and a budget of millions.

OK I see how conveniently you didn't mention eBay. Please explain it to me how G2A should work taking eBay as an example. I assume eBay is the good guy here since there are no complaints. Tell me what kind of protection does eBay have to protect goods manufacturers being sold there. Let's say I'm selling an Intel CPU. How does eBay verify I acquired it in a legal way? Do they ask for receipt when I make an auction, do they ask for credit card statement? If you can't explain it then G2A is being harassed for nothing. You don't see Intel or any other manufacturer suing eBay for selling stolen shit. I know G2A are trying to explain themselves and it's only embarrassing them but they shouldn't be challenged in the first place. Let's be honest, the source of the problem is between the developers and key thieves and those thieves could sell the keys everywhere but since G2A is specialized in reselling keys it's just an easy target for the devs. And they wouldn't dare to go after eBay. They are trying to ruin a perfectly legitimate business because they let others rip them off because they are not able to secure the transaction properly. Here's an advice to all those whining devs, sell your stuff only through Steam/put_any_other_large_store_here, don't do direct sales off your website and don't include your games in bundles. Here, problem solved and do not try to bring others down with you.

OK I see how conveniently you didn't mention eBay.

I'm not making excuses for anyone unlike you. I've never bought or sold anything on eBay so I wouldn't know about their policies.

Don't you wonder why only specialized sites like G2A seem to generate significant amounts of charge backs for game devs though? Maybe because they make things especially easy for criminals, by allowing buying and selling in bulk for individual, non-verified users? Also being based in Hong Kong they're not likely to share account details with "foreign" authorities even when the account owner is caught selling stolen keys. Bottom line, buy and sell your keys elsewhere. G2A still doesn't deserve your sympathy.

OK I see how conveniently you didn't mention eBay.

I'm not making excuses for anyone unlike you. I've never bought or sold anything on eBay so I wouldn't know about their policies.

Long story short it's no more secure than G2A.

Don't you wonder why only specialized sites like G2A seem to generate significant amounts of charge backs for game devs though? Maybe because they make things especially easy for criminals, by allowing buying and selling in bulk for individual, non-verified users? Also being based in Hong Kong they're not likely to share account details with "foreign" authorities even when the account owner is caught selling stolen keys. Bottom line, buy and sell your keys elsewhere. G2A still doesn't deserve your sympathy.

If there would be no cheap keys around from bundles or bought with stolen credit cards from developers there would be no problem as there would be no cheap/stolen keys on G2A and other sites.

I was Looking for information about keys resellers and I've found this article
[Canard-PC-322-Dans-la-jungle-des-revendeurs-de-clés.pdf](http://www.canardpc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Canard-PC-322-Dans-la-jungle-des-revendeurs-de-cl%C3%A9s.pdf).
It's free but in french by Canard PC and explains how works this business.
[http://www.canardpc.com/revendeurs-de-clefs-enquete-telechargement-gratuit.html](http://www.canardpc.com/revendeurs-de-clefs-enquete-telechargement-gratuit.html)

Hello All,

We are a legit website, though please remember that we do not function as a typical store with games. We are a Marketplace - like eBay - where our external, independent Sellers may offer their keys. We have security means set up for the keys being posted, though we cannot guarantee 100% efficiency of this check - no security system is bulletproof. This is why we have set up a number of solutions for our Buyers to protect them from any issues with bought keys like an account lock for payouts sellers. Or the Resolution Center is the most commonly accessible one - it is available for everyone and it allows the Buyer to contact the Seller directly with our team managing the conversation and helping in the resolution.

We also strongly recommend purchasing the Shield protection for your orders - this way we will be able to offer even more solutions with an even faster resolution of the issue. The Shield may be purchased twofold - either as a one-time protection for your offer, or as a subscription plan for a small monthly fee.

If you have any further questions or doubts, keep in mind that you can always find additional information on G2A's FAQ or by contacting us on live chat or ticket. Our consultants are there for you 24/7.

See you again at G2A

Max G2A Team