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

By - | Views: 28,876
You have probably heard of G2A by now, the grey-market where anyone can sell second-hand keys for some money. The problem is, someone pointed out how they do no actual checks on keys and that resulted in them getting banned.

This was then pointed out on the linux_gaming reddit (source), but a g2a rep has tried to clarify it, rather badly, see below:
image
I'm glad I took a screengrab of it as they have since deleted their post, in an obvious attempt to cover it all up.

The story goes even further! The person who actually did these tests posted here where they explained it further. It seems they found the reddit post from G2A in the linux_gaming reddit, where I did the screencapture from, claiming that they were talking to the seller, but the seller claims G2A were not and now G2A have removed their post.

Then there's the 12 step process to turn off "G2A Shield" see here.

I will say it again, I highly suggest staying away from G2A. Shady, shady store.

Steam, itch.io, GOG and Humble do sales all the time. I really don't get the need to use G2A, considering how many times issues have arisen from their store. When will people wake up? Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Editorial
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About the author -
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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35 comments
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killyou Feb 6, 2017
Quoting: tuubi
Quoting: killyouI'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.
tuubi Feb 6, 2017
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Quoting: killyouOK 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.
killyou Feb 8, 2017
Quoting: tuubi
Quoting: killyouOK 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.

Quoting: tuubiDon'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.
Haughtgard Feb 11, 2017
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.
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
G2A_Team Feb 16, 2017
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
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