G2A vs. Eneba vs. Kinguin vs. Gamivo: Which is the Best Option for Cheap CD Keys?

G2A, Kinguin, Eneba, Gamivo: what are these sites? What do they sell?

Please let us use G2A as an example, because they are almost the same!

G2A is a digital marketplace offering a wide variety of gaming-related products.

Some of these products include game codes, software keys, membership licenses, video games, top-up cards, gift cards, skins, coins, DLC, physical products such as computer hardware, peripherals, and gadgets, and more .

Most people use it to buy and sell game keys for Steam, Origin, GOG, Uplay, Origin, Epic Game Store, Battle.net, Xbox One, PSN, etc.

It is a favorite CD-keys site for avid gamers due to its low prices and wide selection of games .

Visit these sites:

G2A - 2% Super Cash Back

Kinguin - Up to 5% Super Cash Back

Eneba - 5% Super Cash Back

GAMIVO - 5% Super Cash Back

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A brief history of G2A: How did G2A start?

The company was founded in Rzeszow, Poland in 2010 by Bartosz Skwarczek and Dawid Rożek as Go2Arena.

It started out as a traditional online game store where players could buy game codes and software keys.

Three years later, the company pivoted and launched G2A Marketplace, which means that in 2013, G2A acquired its current domain name. This is a platform that allows anyone to buy and sell "used" video games online.

2013 was a crazy year for the game resale industry, and with mainstream acceptance from so many players, other competing sites like CDKeys and Kinguin offered similar services, so G2A had to step up to the next level to stand out.

This may be why G2A is vigorously promoting influencer marketing. Popular Twitch streamers and gaming industry personalities started recommending G2A. In this way, whenever the topic of purchasing game codes is mentioned, the name "G2A" will follow.

G2A claims to be the largest site in the field, selling around 1 million copies per month. G2A is said to have over 20 million active users.

Today, their traffic is still very stable.

Now G2A is headquartered in Hong Kong, China, but has offices in Hong Kong, Poland and the Netherlands.

How are game key stores like G2A, Kinguin, Gamivo, and Eneba different from other game distribution platforms like Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store?

Steam and other game distributing platforms work directly with publishers, therefore providing them a percentage of revenue from each sale. Unlike Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG. These marketplaces are not authorized to sell the keys or games themselves. Instead, they rely on individuals, that are re-sellers of digital keys.

On the other hand, these resellers have nothing to do with any publisher. They are simply selling keys that were obtained in a different way.

How does G2A work?

G2A is an online marketplace similar to Amazon or eBay. It provides payment processing and an e-commerce platform for sellers who want to offer digital goods.

G2A itself doesn't sell anything, it just facilitates buy and sell transactions, arguably a third-party resale platform. G2A earns from the commission charged to sellers and buyers for each transaction.

Some have dubbed G2A a "grey market" because most of its merchants are not authorized resellers or game developers. Being a gray market, G2A tends to offer game codes for less than the normal price.

Although "gray market" may sound like a pejorative term, the term also applies to online marketplaces such as eBay.

What is a gray market? G2A operates in a so-called "grey market". Gray markets are essentially where legitimate transactions occur between buyers and unverified sellers. Buyers often have no way of knowing where or when sellers originally acquired products. 

Additionally, digital purchases can be non-guaranteed, and in the case of game keys, it's nearly impossible to know if the key is valid before purchasing it.

Knowing how to protect yourself when dealing with dealers is crucial. Sellers with positive reviews are more likely to refund keys that don’t work than sellers with no reviews. Additional protections can prevent fraud, such as using PayPal's consumer protection against fraudulent risks.

What makes it so popular is its global reach:

1. The platform operates in 195 countries,

2. More than 1350 sellers sell their games on the platform,

3. The website is also available in 11 different languages, including English, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese,

4. Offers all the payment methods that work best for you, including Mastercard, Maestro, Visa, American Express, Diners Club, Discover, PayPal, SOFORT, Skrill, Alipay, Giropay, Neteller, Bitcoin and iDEAL.

5. Gamers all over the world can use it. It even offers over 30 different types of currencies for clients who need estimates abroad .

6. The website is also available in 8 languages.

Why is G2A so cheap? Where does G2A's game code come from?

Anyone can sell keys on G2A's website. Sellers include individuals, game developers, game distributors, and game wholesalers.

As an individual seller, you can sell up to 1000 EUR in total. In addition, individual sellers need to register as a company if they want to continue selling.

Currently, there are over 50,000 active sellers on the G2A marketplace.

The most significant advantage G2A offers is price. Game codes sold through G2A are often cheaper than those sold through Steam, Humble Bundle, or some other platform.

So, how do sellers get games for such low prices? Let me explain:

• Stock up on game keys during the sale

This is a 100% legal thing to do.

Some official game websites hold limited-time promotions from time to time. During this period, sellers will buy a large number of special games, but when these promotions expire, the prices of the games on the original website will also restore the original price or increase the price. Now sellers can set a higher purchase price than its official price to attract players.

The buyer got the game below market price, and the seller made a tidy profit selling multiple copies of the game. Win-win.

For example, if they see a popular game with a two-day 50% discount on Steam, they'll buy the game in bulk and resell each key for a slightly higher price (albeit less than MSRP). key, spoon.

It's also possible that CDKeys would buy games in bulk when they were on sale, and then revert to their regular prices after the limited-time discount. But for users, they would rather buy a slightly cheaper price on CDKeys.

In the end, it pays off through savings from not having a physical store, but CDKeys often undercuts digital stores as well. While digital stores like Steam and Origin host downloads themselves, CDKeys has no maintenance fees for this.

• Buy games at regionally discounted prices

A downloadable game or software is a digital commodity that costs almost nothing to copy and distribute. However, the game's pricing may vary.

This is because most game developers will charge different prices to customers in different parts of the world. In developing countries, people's consumption levels or government tax levels are lower than those in developed countries, so they can pay less for games than those in developed countries. Consumers in developed countries such as the United States.

So a game that costs $59.99 in the US might cost $39.99 in a South Asian country, a common pricing discrepancy.

As a result, a large number of resellers use regional pricing to buy games in bulk. Sellers buy cheap keys for developing countries and resell them on G2A for a higher price.

It's retailers who source keys from low-cost regions, from wholesalers and developers/publishers, and because of the difference in currency strength, make a profit even selling at low prices.

For example, the price of a game varies by region. Games that cost $60 in developed countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom can only be sold for $45 or even $30 if they are released in developing countries. This geographic pricing allows CDKeys to buy games at a discount.

At this point CDKeys shopped around and legally purchased the game from the cheapest region and resold it to the customer.

Of course, this depends on the code not being region locked. In fact, some games on CDKeys are for specific regions of the world, so why are they cheaper than other stores?

• Get Wholesale Prices for Games

Some game wholesalers or distributors deal directly with developers or publishers. Because the game market is highly competitive, some developers or publishers want to sell more copies to make a profit, and besides selling them themselves, they also use wholesalers or distributors to sell them. However, these wholesalers or dealers can obtain ultra-low purchase prices because they can purchase in large quantities. This way they list the selling price still below the market price but still make a profit!

When wholesalers buy keys in bulk from developers and publishers, they get big discounts for buying in bulk. The discounts on each individual game they buy are so good that they can sell the keys for a low price and still make a profit.

• Win the game with a bot/AI

Most dealers do this to make a quick buck. Instead of buying the game, they participate in different tournaments posted by streamers or developers. The concept is called "robotic mining."

Free keys are won in these contests, and they then resell the valid keys for a very low selling price. This is unknown to the buyer, but of course the buyer will be very happy to get these keys.

• Some gray market game key sellers aren't entirely honest

At one time, some game keys sold on G2A may have been purchased by the seller using a lost or stolen credit card.

In 2016, a Brazilian hacker used stolen credit card numbers to purchase game keys from independent game developer MangaGamer. He sold those keys to players on G2A, earning over $500.

But when the owner of the stolen credit card finds out and refuses to pay for the game, the player's game is withdrawn by MangaGamer. Since the chargeback process can take up to 30 days to complete, when chargebacks start happening, thieves are already making a profit.

As a result, MangaGamer loses $40 per game, and MangaGamer also has to pay its credit card processor $30 for each chargeback. The company lost thousands of dollars and was turned away by its payment processor.

You can't own a stolen game key, even if you bought it without knowing its source.

In recent years, thousands of game keys on G2A have been revoked by game developers due to credit card fraud. After receiving numerous complaints from game users and game developers, G2A has taken many steps to enhance customer service over the past few years. For example, sellers on G2A used to be anonymous, now sellers need to verify their identity.

Some time ago, sellers had to register as a business (company) and provide a VAT number, company registration details, ID card, etc. to sell on G2A.

Then G2A started to allow private sellers to sell again in March 22. You can fill out the personal verification and sell as an individual seller without becoming a business. Once verified, you can sell digital products on G2A Marketplace with a total turnover of up to 1,000 EUR. What happens when that turnover is reached? You can no longer sell unless you register as a company.

On the flip side of the coin, there are also really some shady ways through which these re-sellers obtain keys. As Reported many times, some individuals purchase dozens of games through fake credit cards and later flip them on these market places.

G2A Vs Kinguin Vs Eneba Vs Gamivo Comparison 

Below is a comparison table where I have compared G2A, Kinguin, Eneba, and Gamivo. You can see which fees each marketplace imposes on sellers as well as some buyer related options and costs.

Why should you care about fees charged to the seller if you are a buyer? Because higher the fees which marketplace imposes on sellers, the higher will end price for game keys be when you as buyer go to purchase.

NOTE: Information stated in comparison may be inaccurate as each marketplace often makes changes. I will try to keep it updated. Be noted that not all fees and options are mentioned.

The website reviews

#1.         G2A

G2A is a game trading platform located in Hong Kong. After several continuous developments, it has now become the largest digital product market in the world, with more than 19 million customers and 400,000 third-party sellers, and sells more than 75,000 digital products.

G2A is a reliable and safe virtual market that can provide the best game software trading services. You can find low-cost games on it that are cheaper than other platforms.

And G2A is not only a good place to buy games, you can also sell game activation code keys, DLC, gift cards, software or in-game weapons and character skins directly on it by simply registering. It's even possible to deliver physical goods, such as gaming equipment and merchandise, and ship them anywhere in the EU.

G2A enables you to reach the largest game user base in the world and helps you earn more income by offering competitive prices.

for sellers

If you want to sell games or other products on G2A, you need to complete seller verification after registering an account. The specific verification conditions vary from person to person, you can check the verification conditions here .

Sales Fee Commission:

Every sale on G2A incurs a percentage commission that varies by product type: physical or virtual. For specific fees, please refer to the description of G2A’s handling fees and commissions .

In general, the referral fee charged is 10.8% + 0.35 EUR and is directly reflected in the final price of the user's purchase. Participating in the Supreme Seller Program can greatly reduce the commission rate.

Additionally, G2A charges a small fee for creating, updating and republishing Offers. Just make sure that the price of the product you sell is higher than the processing fee that needs to be paid. Failure to do so may result in a negative G2A balance.

Security lock:

For security reasons, seller sales take up to 14 days to process before they can be picked up. If you participate in the supreme seller, you can greatly shorten the default waiting time.

Withdraw income:

G2A seller earnings withdrawal methods include bank transfer, Bitcoin, Payoneer, Skrill and Webmoney. Different payment instruments have different account requirements.

Withdrawal requests are usually verified and processed within 3-4 business days. Funds will be transferred to your account within up to 7 business days.

feature of product:

• G2A supports transactions: you can buy or sell game activation code keys, in-game equipment, character skins, DLC, gift cards, software, and physical products.

• G2A Refund Policy: If the product you purchased on G2A is not as described, unusable or has other problems, you can refund it after verification.

payment method:

• WeChat payment, UnionPay, credit card, paypal, WebMoney, Bitbay, Paysafecard, Skrill, Neteller

visit website

#2.         kinguin

kinguin is an online game trading platform based in Poland, dedicated to building a digital trading platform that connects game sellers and buyers around the world. Here you can buy the best deals on video games and the latest software products. Or expand your game sales business by simply signing up as a seller account.

for sellers

If you want to sell games or software on kinguin, you need to fill out an application form in English, and you can sell it after the platform is approved.

However, it should be noted that kinguin does not support individual sellers to sell products for the time being, and must be a software developer or agent.

Sales Fee Commission:

The sales commission on kinguin can be tailored according to your account type, and you can request a most suitable commission ratio to best suit your business.

Merchant API:

You can use kinguin's automation API to sell activation codes automatically and quickly.

feature of product:

• kinguin supports transactions: you can buy or sell products such as game activation codes and software keys.

• kinguin refund policy: If the game product you purchased has not been activated with a key, you can contact the customer service staff to request a refund.

payment method:

• WeChat payment, UnionPay, credit card, paypal, WebMoney, Bitbay, Paysafecard, Skrill, Neteller

visit website

#3.         eneba

eneba is a popular foreign online digital game trading platform. Here you can buy a wide variety of action, adventure, puzzle and more video games from developers big and small. Every game lover can find what they want at a great price.

for sellers

If you want to sell games or software on eneba, you need to fill out an application form in English, and the platform will qualify you as a seller after the review is passed.

Note: To sell on eneba, you must be at least 18 years old. So when filling out the application form, be careful to choose the age option carefully.

Sales Fee Commission:

You can sell for free on eneba without any additional transaction fees.

Merchant API:

You can use eneba's automation API to automatically sell game activation codes.

feature of product:

• eneba supports transactions: you can buy or sell game activation codes, software keys, gift cards, game credits, game console accessories and other products.

• eneba refund policy: If the game product you purchased has not been activated with a key, you can contact the customer service staff to request a refund.

payment method:

• Paypal, credit card, Paysafecard

visit website

#4.         GAMIVO

GAMIVO is the fastest growing digital game trading platform on the market. Focus on providing users with the best secure trading platform for all digital games. Has more than 3 million users. You can sell or buy game activation codes, DLC, gift cards, skins, and other game-related products.

for sellers

If you want to sell products through gamivo, you can click here to apply for registration, and the platform will open a supplier account for you after review.

Note: Individual sellers are not supported for now, they must be game or software developers or agents.

Sales Fee Commission:

The transaction fee for selling on gamivo varies from person to person, you can contact the customer service staff to get the best quotation.

API integration:

Do you run your own digital store? Do you want to expand sales? Connecting your store with GAMIVO via API can quickly increase your sales.

feature of product:

• GAMIVO supports transactions: you can buy or sell game activation codes, gift cards, and game-related hardware products.

• GAMIVO Refund Policy: If the purchased key is not activated, refund requests can be accepted. Just need to contact customer service.

payment method:

• paypal, credit card, paysafecard, webmoney

visit website

Verdict: Which is the best among G2A, Kinguin, Eneba, Gamivo? Which is right for me?

From a seller's point of view, it is better to sell on G2A because they have the highest traffic and have more opportunities to sell various game keys and higher quantities. The worst option for traffic is Gamivo.

Based on seller fees alone, G2A is the worst option with the highest fees. Your best bet is Eneba.

From a buyer's perspective, the best marketplaces to buy from are Gamivo and Eneba as they have lower seller fees and therefore lower prices.

If price isn't your only concern as a buyer, support probably is.

Kinguin has the slowest support, you can wait days for an answer, and sometimes they just ignore you, whether you're a buyer or a seller.

G2A support also takes longer to answer, but not as long as Kinguin. As a buyer, the most objectionable thing about G2A is the money back guarantee. If you are unable to resolve the issue directly with the seller, you may choose to file a claim. Note that you will need to submit a report for this.

Gamivo support replies are within the reach of G2A, but usually not helpful at all. gamivo support is known for ignoring what you write or not even looking at all provided screenshots.

Eneba has the best support of all mentioned, and issues are resolved fairly quickly. Unfortunately, only G2A allows buyers and sellers to connect directly when trying to resolve issues.

Visit these sites:

G2A - 2% Super Cash Back

Kinguin - Up to 5% Super Cash Back

Eneba - 5% Super Cash Back

GAMIVO - 5% Super Cash Back

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