skeletonbow: It would be nice if Steam allowed people holding codes to actually have a way to test if they are valid or not. I imagine they probably don't do that because some people would likely scour the Internet for codes and try to sell them for profit or some other type of scheme. It kind of sucks though. I like the fact you can test a code on GOG and have to OK it before it is added to your account, and you can do it whether or not you already own the game on GOG.
I guess by not letting people test codes on Steam, they encourage the keys to get registered sooner rather than be held on to and passed around, forcing more people to potentially buy the games and less codes to be floating around. Just a guess, but it's a suboptimal user experience IMHO.
Also, most of the time when someone posts a code and does not indicate what it is for, I just pass on it so I don't end up registering a game I would never play and end up robbing someone who might enjoy it of the opportunity. I wish people would always post what their codes are for to avoid codes being wasted in this manner, although it doesn't happen that often I guess.
Agreed. It would be great to have an intermediate confirmation step showing what a code is before someone claims it.