Gaming Panda, Cdkeys.com and so on... are they legit and if not which ones are?

[jnewegger23]

I was merely shopping steam and decided to try a google/ebay search on the same games and stumbled upon some very well priced code only websites. After reading through some steam forums and other sites it seems that there are those who question buying "grey market" (urban term for not being legally clear black or white and thus grey in practice) codes (large volume discounted price resold at cheaper prices not illegal but frowned upon and against eula; I haven't researched these details myself - just what I've read so far). I'm not willing to risk my steam account over 1 cheap game.
Here's what I want to know. Are any of the two websites I've listed grey/black listed by steam for any reason(s)? If not I want to feel ok about the purchase with no worries about enjoying the game. Second, I don't really have the mindset to frown upon where they came in so cheap but I do not want to say buy a copy from Russia and have to translate the game. I'm not against doing the work but the fact that one has to do this to me is a red flag that it wasn't intended for me to be enjoying at this price here in the US.
I know that the website trustpilot gives both of them great reviews but I want to hear from you guys here at Toms.
To summarize, if I :

A) Buy the game will it work without a hitch on steam
B) I don't really care if it's in Russia, Canada, etc. as long as there's no legal reason why steam will remove the game/ban my account etc.
C) I won't be scammed directly by one of these websites somehow with any type of "hack" linked to using a non-legit key.

If anyone can confirm these 3 parameters then for me it's like buying an extra code from a trusted friend for cheaper than what steam is charging and I don't have anything to worry about. If that's what one can help me conclude than I'm going to start buying from places and posting my experience about it. Anyone suspicious who jumps on here I (ie creates a brand new account and says x site is legit) and appears to be questionable I and I hope others will readily call you out.

In advance, thanks to those who can help shed some light with their knowledge and experience with regard to this gaming topic.

 

[Mouldread]

Hey,

I can't comment on these 2 websites in particular as I have never used them but I have used gamekeysnow and they have been flawless. Also according to trustpilot they are a reputable company. I have bought game keys that were used on Steam and others for Origin and have never had problems with any of them.

P.S. I just hope this isn't seen as some type of advertisement as I am not affiliated with gamekeysnow in any way. I just share my view as user.

 

[jnewegger23]

Hey,

I can't comment on these 2 websites in particular as I have never used them but I have used gamekeysnow and they have been flawless. Also according to trustpilot they are a reputable company. I have bought game keys that were used on Steam and others for Origin and have never had problems with any of them.

P.S. I just hope this isn't seen as some type of advertisement as I am not affiliated with gamekeysnow in any way. I just share my view as user.

I really appreciate your input. This is exactly the type of answer I am looking for. I'm not emotionally attached to any of the other websites but I found them to be highly rated but still I wanted to see what some "real" people had to say and felt others may benefit from what this thread may bring.

Thanks!

 

[UKINFINITE]

Another site i just have to add is www.g2a.com

 

[jnewegger23]

Another site i just have to add is www.g2a.com

2 things look questionable here. 1 you have a relatively new account with very few posts. 2 This website has nearly 30% 1 star (poor) reviews out of only 265 total reviews on trust pilot.

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/g2a.com

WOT has it lit green (wot is questionable in itself but that's one positive) but it doesn't appear to even be in the league near the others recommended. If you have more to share to increase confidence about this website please elaborate. Your 1 liner doesn't inspire much with what I've found. I don't mean to appear harsh; just being direct about my observations. See the above poster's (Mouldread's) response as to what a more reasonable recommendation looks like. Please correct any misreads I have on this.

Thanks,

Justin S.

 

[UKINFINITE]

Another site i just have to add is www.g2a.com

2 things look questionable here. 1 you have a relatively new account with very few posts. 2 This website has nearly 30% 1 star (poor) reviews out of only 265 total reviews on trust pilot.

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/g2a.com

WOT has it lit green (wot is questionable in itself but that's one positive) but it doesn't appear to even be in the league near the others recommended. If you have more to share to increase confidence about this website please elaborate. Your 1 liner doesn't inspire much with what I've found. I don't mean to appear harsh; just being direct about my observations. See the above poster's (Mouldread's) response as to what a more reasonable recommendation looks like. Please correct any misreads I have on this.

Thanks,

Justin S.

I recommended it because big youtubers like pewdiepie actually link it in their descriptions

 

[USAFRet]

With all these sites selling 'cheap' keys to whatever, you have to ask:
"Why so cheap? Where did they get them? Are they authorized to sell that particular key/license?"

G2A specifically has been discussed in depth, and it is very much of a grey area.

Again..."How come so cheap?"

 

[USAFRet]

I recommended it because big youtubers like pewdiepie actually link it in their descriptions

The recommendation of some dude on youtube means exactly squat.

 

[legend001523]

pewdewpie gets paid to do it, don't go g2a, the activation process is a pain in the bum, so long, you need to do loads of stuff o get the code

 

[jnewegger23]

@USAFret and @legend001523 I appreciate you calling out these weaker sites. I am asking "why so cheap" before buying but some of these seem to be pretty legit but that definition varies so I wanted people to give some strong recommendations if any.

 

[Gam3r01]

If it seems to good to be true, wait for it.... Its probably too good to be true.
How would places make profits selling keys cheap? Unless the keys are no legit, or their business ethics questionable.

For things like games and PC hardware, if you cant bring it up in a conversation and have mostly everyone know it, its probably not legit.
Example, Everyone know what steam is (I did have one friend ask what a steam was and why do games run on steam still(ok?)) and newegg etc.

 

[Matthew-san]

I actually pre-ordered Watch Dogs using a digital code from a game code company and everything worked out fine. I was hesitant at first and wasn't even sure how or if I was going to receive my game but I had read some good reviews on the website so I took the risk. I bought it for $44 and the code was e-mailed to me just a little under two days before the game was released. I didn't download it until the day before Watch Dogs was released but I still got to play it before the actual release date and for only $44! I'm not sure if releasing a game early is legal when it comes to online codes since this was the first time I used one.

 

[Mouldread]

If it seems to good to be true, wait for it.... Its probably too good to be true.
How would places make profits selling keys cheap? Unless the keys are no legit, or their business ethics questionable.

For things like games and PC hardware, if you cant bring it up in a conversation and have mostly everyone know it, its probably not legit.
Example, Everyone know what steam is (I did have one friend ask what a steam was and why do games run on steam still(ok?)) and newegg etc.

I understand your skepticism but i'll give you an example.

I needed a mini HDMI cable to connect my phone to my TV. I went to the local "well known" electronics store and guess what? 1.5 meter cable costs £7.50. I was reluctant to pay this amount of money so I went on eBay and purchased a 3 meter cable for £ 1.50 with free delivery. Cable works perfectly to this day! One explanation - the locals store are greedy monopolistic $£"^%"¬!&*%^!

Now about the company I mentioned gamekeysnow: You can just click here and read that it's a real registered company.

And if you wanted to know why they sell cheaper games you can click on any of the games they have for sale and scroll down - there is explanation why. In short, they buy physical copies of the games, you can click here to see the piles and piles of actual game DVDs being delivered in bulk. As a small online company they also have much less expenses to deal with - less staff, only 1 physical store, etc. etc. Compare that with a store like Game for example who has thousands of employees, hundreds of stores, imagine the bills for electricity, salaries, rent etc. etc.

Again, I'm not trying to advertise them or anything of the sort. Just trying to explain by giving an example why you can find stuff much cheaper online than in your local store.

 

[jnewegger23]

@Mouldread You are doing a perfect job of clearly articulating why you are confident in buying from a particular store versus blatantly promoting one with some hidden agenda. Also, the research supports your claims thus far and it is indeed looking pretty legit... more so than the 2 I originally posted. I'm still holding off at the moment as I can always grow my library at any time. Nice logical post!

 

[Mouldread]

Hehe, thanks jnewegger23,

just trying to help. I hope more people can shed some light to other companies business too, preferably sharing their own experience.

I support game making companies by buying legit copies of their games, but I think paying £40 - £50 a title is a bit steep. Surely if they can cut the middle man to a greater extent and start selling their games on acceptable prices (let's say £25-30) then a lot more people would actually stop downloading pirated copies.

 

[ZeroRequiem]

I've used g2a.com multiple times so far and they always sent the code within minutes without problems.

 

[jnewegger23]

So far it seems like g2a.com has mixed reviews. @ZeroRequiem thanks for sharing your positive direct experience. Anyone else that can shed light/share experience with some of the stronger rated sites?

 

[deltayuri]

With all these sites selling 'cheap' keys to whatever, you have to ask:
"Why so cheap? Where did they get them? Are they authorized to sell that particular key/license?"

G2A specifically has been discussed in depth, and it is very much of a grey area.

Again..."How come so cheap?"

I know this is an old post but i want to add that most of these sites are so cheap because they buy in bulk. They end up paying 10 bucks a game because they buy so many keys from steam so they can resell them for 30-40 bucks on a brand new game and make 20-30 bucks. G2a does the same except the 3rd party marketplace which is very shady.