CDKeys is a gray market for game codes or keys that you can use on gaming platforms like Steam, Origin, etc. It is a third-party website that does not use the manufacturer’s authorized channels to get and distribute the keys.
They actually buy the game keys from different sources, such as retail sales, various countries, and so on at a cheaper rate and sell the keys in a digital form. All of these significantly reduce their own expense for the keys, so they can distribute them at a cheaper rate compared to the official vendors.
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Is CDKeys Reliable?
While CDKeys is not as reliable compared to official gaming platforms, it is a different story if we compare it with most of the other gray market key vendors.
The only reason to go to such gray markets is because of the cheaper price. In this type of market, CDKeys has a market experience of over 20 years and boasts 4.5/5 star reviews according to Trustpilot.
Also, unlike most other gray markets selling keys, CDKeys does not allow anyone else to sell the keys on their platform, so it shows an extra layer of trustworthiness.
Most of those platforms only provide a place where others can sell their keys, so you can’t be certain whether the key works or not.
Is CDKeys Legal?
CDKeys show their business practices, terms and conditions as well as privacy policies clearly on their websites to support their legality.
It’s clear how CDKeys operates its business. It buys the keys in bulk from various sources and then sells them cheaply.
Since they are buying the original copies of the keys, the money definitely reaches the game developers. But this might not match the revenue they get from corresponding official sales.
Will I Have Issues While Buying a Key?
After you purchase a game, CDKeys emails you its keys extremely quickly or after one/two days. However, since they buy the keys from a bunch of different places, there may be some issues.
Sometimes the keys may not work for your region, or some other causes may prevent these keys from working. In such cases, CDKeys is obligated to provide you with new working keys or give a refund according to their policy. So, contact them as soon as possible.
All the same, a few users have also shown dissatisfaction with their customer service. They had no issues with CDKeys when they were getting the keys that worked properly.
But when they didn’t get the email with the key or the key didn’t work, some support personnel didn’t provide them with enough information and even refused a refund.
However, these situations are rare for CDKeys and more common with other gray market distributors. If there are some issues at their end, they will likely give a refund or a new key.
The support department also has to handle many tasks daily and it can be difficult to maintain a good response time. You may have to be patient for a few days for them to figure out everything properly.
Does CDKeys Disclose Your Personal Data?
According to their privacy policy, CDKeys does provide your personal data to their employees and trusted third parties. However, you can access and edit your information on this platform anytime.
You can also request CDKeys to provide you with the information on where they disclosed your data a year ago.
I recommend going through the policies in detail for more information. In fact, it’s not just this website—always be aware of how any website, that has your data, can use that data.
Should You Use CDKeys?
If you can afford it, I highly recommend buying games from official platforms only. You will not have to deal with any issues that come with third-party vendors. Additionally, you will be supporting the game developer more as a proper portion of your expense goes to these developers.
But if you need to use such gray market websites, many users have recommended CDKeys. Since this platform has an industry experience of over 20 years, I think there is no concern for its trustworthiness.
CDKeys provide daily deals with a further discounted price for limited games. It’s better to check it out before buying the keys normally.
