sites like kinguin and g2a

[tStori3]

Hey everyone I'm new to pc gaming and have discovered kinguin and there cheap game keys. I have done a little research and found that buying from here isn't illegal but it is frowned upon. I'm curious to find others opinions on this subject. What are the possible repercussions of buying from here? Is getting a bad key common?

 

[Barty1884]

I'm not too sure how well this question will be received - I'm not 100% sure whether it's against the rules of the forum or not.

Like you said - purchasing from either site is not illegal. The keys may have been acquired via illegal means (stolen credit cards, for example) or at the very least, potentially breach the EULA (of Window's licenses, for example).

Whether you get a bad key or not depends on the seller, not the site (it's just a marketplace afterall).

If keys were acquired via illegal means, there's a good chance the key will be blocked/blacklisted (or blocked/removed in future). I have heard of numerous 'success-stories' though, so there must be a decent success-rate initially - it's long-term I worry about.

Can't speak from experience though, never used either site.

 

[Rogue Leader]

There have been multiple instances of stolen game keys being sold on those sites (Kinguin more than G2A), as well we have had many users have major issues with Windows keys (like booting up one day and suddenly their copy of Windows is invalid). If you feel compelled to use these services I would stick to games, I would never buy Microsoft products through them. Personally I don't buy anything from them as the risk of buying a stolen key is too great.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Both sites operate in an extremely grey area when it comes to legitimate keys, and both have been caught buying/selling stolen keys, keys purchased with stolen credit cards, keys that are not for resale (MSDN, TechNet, Educational, etc.) Best advice is to avoid like the plague.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Tom's Hardware does not have an official policy in regards to either of these sites. There is no definitive, illegal activity, so we will not dispute that. However, I think the majority of the community would agree that if it seems too good to be true, it likely is.

If Microsoft sells their licenses for around $100, how could anyone legitimately obtain keys for resale at a significantly lower cost and still make any sort of profit?

-Wolf sends

 

[USAFRet]

For your reading pleasure:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2942456/seller-scam-g2a.html
www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2736528/windows-key-blocked-copy-recognized-genuine-ssd-fix-problem.html
http://www.polygon.com/2015/2/9/8006693/the-truth-behind-those-mysteriously-cheap-gray-market-game-codes
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-01-26-it-looks-like-ubisoft-is-going-after-third-party-key-sellers
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2979288/error-activate-w10pro.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2986399/gamesdeal-selling-games.html
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/03/28/retailer-scam-resells-humble-bundle-games-reaps-profit.aspx
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2211493/g2a-windows-professional-64bit-legitimate.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2995584/win7-activation-error.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2947216/windows-activation-problem.html