Do you buy game keys in bulk?

[Smokey]

Have you ever bought steam keys in bulk from places like Humble Bundle or Fanatical? Do you do this often?  I used to buy bundles from fanatical when I streamed to use for giveaways. I think it's a pretty affordable way to build up your steam library.

 

What are your thoughts on services like fanatical or humble bundle?

[Kane99]

I don't usually. I have purchased a few Humble Bundles, but never really bought any keys in bulk. I don't know if I'd count Humble Bundle, because when I hear "in bulk" I think of multiples of the same digital game rather than a bundle of games. 

And in that sense, I have never bought any games in bulk, though I would if I can guarantee the games are legit and not redeemed. I have never used Fanatical though. 

[Shortie]

As much as I would probably have a use for them when buying game keys in bulk I have never done so due to not really having a use for them at the time. I do love the fact you can buy games in bulk for a low price and some of them are usually really good games as well for the price so you can end up with a bargain or maybe more when buying keys that way. 

[Kane99]

7 hours ago, Shortie said:

As much as I would probably have a use for them when buying game keys in bulk I have never done so due to not really having a use for them at the time. I do love the fact you can buy games in bulk for a low price and some of them are usually really good games as well for the price so you can end up with a bargain or maybe more when buying keys that way. 

Also a big thing of worry, is that many sites can't verify how others got the codes. So some people could be stealing the codes, selling them and running with the cash. That has happened before. To the point that it even banned some users accounts for buying the games. 

If you ever do buy from a website, make sure it's something like GOG. You should take caution when buying from any online store, especially ones that allow users to buy/sell their own codes. 

[Shortie]

58 minutes ago, Kane99 said:

Also a big thing of worry, is that many sites can't verify how others got the codes. So some people could be stealing the codes, selling them and running with the cash. That has happened before. To the point that it even banned some users accounts for buying the games. 

If you ever do buy from a website, make sure it's something like GOG. You should take caution when buying from any online store, especially ones that allow users to buy/sell their own codes. 

Thank you for this Kane 🙂 yeah I am always super cautious where I buy anything from to be honest, especially when it comes to as you say, a site that allows the users to buy and sell their own codes. You can never be too careful in this world and especially not in the internet world and it not too cautious, you will always find yourself caught out. 

[killamch89]

I've bought a couple of bundles but I normally get them separately - Most bundles just don't appeal to me...they usually have a game or two that I don't particularly fancy and no amount of savings makes it worth getting the bundle.

[Empire]

I have from Humble Bundle many times but have stopped in the last couble of long years since I can't give them away or just have so many of them 😛 to the point that I still keep them or what..?

[Crazycrab]

57 minutes ago, Empire said:

I have from Humble Bundle many times but have stopped in the last couble of long years since I can't give them away or just have so many of them 😛 to the point that I still keep them or what..?

 

You should talk to @DC, he might find use for them.

[Empire]

22 hours ago, Crazycrab said:

 

You should talk to @DC, he might find use for them.

I ended up saling them on my end 😛 Not just give them away but also sell them and make money. You know 😛 buy them cheap and sell them cheap

[killamch89]

On 1/4/2023 at 7:07 AM, Empire said:

I ended up saling them on my end 😛 Not just give them away but also sell them and make money. You know 😛 buy them cheap and sell them cheap

I've also sold some and gave away some to friends since they also give me keys they get in bundles at times. What marketplace do you use? I used to use G2A years ago but they're a bunch of scumbags so I've moved away from them.

[Kane99]

On 12/16/2022 at 6:51 PM, Shortie said:

Thank you for this Kane 🙂 yeah I am always super cautious where I buy anything from to be honest, especially when it comes to as you say, a site that allows the users to buy and sell their own codes. You can never be too careful in this world and especially not in the internet world and it not too cautious, you will always find yourself caught out. 

There are also people who contact publishers pretending to get free review copies and in turn sell the codes they got. Some studios catch this and if the code is used by another user, that account could be banned or they could lose access to the game completely. I've heard where people have lost games they legit paid for from key sites, because the codes came back stolen later on. 

[Shortie]

1 hour ago, Kane99 said:

There are also people who contact publishers pretending to get free review copies and in turn sell the codes they got. Some studios catch this and if the code is used by another user, that account could be banned or they could lose access to the game completely. I've heard where people have lost games they legit paid for from key sites, because the codes came back stolen later on. 

Yeah I had heard of that. I haven't known anyone myself who lost a game that they had bought but I do know that people have due to this. It's a shame really as publishers do what they can to find people who do that but many can slip through and go undetected. 

[Kane99]

Just now, Shortie said:

Yeah I had heard of that. I haven't known anyone myself who lost a game that they had bought but I do know that people have due to this. It's a shame really as publishers do what they can to find people who do that but many can slip through and go undetected. 

Yeah it's a problem when it comes to buying codes from third parties. You never know exactly what you're getting and it could take months or even years before a studio takes notice and removes the game or whatever. I heard someone got in trouble for selling their codes from a humble bundle. Even giving them away to people can cause issues I hear. 

[Shortie]

Oh yes, I used to use Humble Bundle myself. I remember some streamers used to give their codes away from Humble Bundle for giveaways which I am guessing would be very much frowned up on by them? I don't use Humble Bundle as much now but it's nice to have it there for times when they do some good games that I would be interested in. 

[Kane99]

23 hours ago, Shortie said:

Oh yes, I used to use Humble Bundle myself. I remember some streamers used to give their codes away from Humble Bundle for giveaways which I am guessing would be very much frowned up on by them? I don't use Humble Bundle as much now but it's nice to have it there for times when they do some good games that I would be interested in. 

That's the thing, I don't know if they got in trouble for giving the codes away for free. I think it was more so when some people tried to sell them instead. But I may be wrong. It could be that they got in trouble for giving them away for free. 

Actually I'm starting to remember. I think Humble Bundle allowed you to input your steam name on your humble bundle account. And when you purchased anything, I think they kind of tied those codes to your steam profile, so if they are used on another account, they might catch you that way. I don't know. All I know is that someone told me they were banned because they gave away a code of theirs. 

So essentially, be careful about the codes you buy/sell/giveaway if it's humble bundle at least. Or just don't connect your steam account to your humble page.