Christmas gift

[Rakshasas]

Hello,

I was planning on buying a friend Audio-Surf for Christmas this year, but I noticed that this weekend it is on sale.

I am not entirely sure how the gifting process works. It sounds like you either have a friend who is already a steam user, and you refer the gift to that account, or you send an email which instructs the person to install steam and accept the gift (game).

Is there any possible way to buy the game, and hold onto it, as a gift, until Christmas where I would then send it to the person?

Also, what if the person doesn't get the email, and the gift expires. Can I only resend it to the same email, or can I wait (an infinite amount of time) and send it when I find a new recipient?

Also, (and I ask because I don't know if this is a big no no or not)

Would it be possible to send the game to a dummy email, have it simply expire, and then send it on Christmas to the real person in which I want to receive the gift?

I ask because of the weekend deal, why not get it cheaper eh?

Thanks

[TheDarkPal]

You can have the gift for unlimited time, then on christmas, you send it to him... via e-mail, or if he already have Steam installed, through your friends list.

"Gifts will not expire once they have been issued. Once the gift purchase has been activated, the game is permanently subscribed to the Steam account that it was redeemed on."

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=6262-QXCN-0755#expire

[ninjaz1337]

send it to your own email (do not accept the email you get from valve), then keep it until the time you want. It doesn't expire, THEN open up gift manager and change the recepeiant to your friend

[Rakshasas]

Sorry I should have been more clear, I did read that KB entry. I just meant that if you buy a game as a gift, the purchase screen immediately asks you if you are going to send it to someone on your friends list, or email it to someone.

Ninja, to clarify your answer: If I sent it to myself, am I then able to resend the email immediately to someone else? Or is there a timeout process that I'd have to wait through before I can send the gift to someone?

[kakkerlak]

email the gift to an email account you can control.

than comming xmas when you want to gift your friend you can resent it to your friend trough the gift and guestpass dialog in the steam client.
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=6262-QXCN-0755#resend

I often stock up on games like this.
still have an extra half life copy from when they were $0,99

[bippukt]

send it to your own email (do not accept the email you get from valve), then keep it until the time you want. It doesn't expire, THEN open up gift manager and change the recepeiant to your friend

email the gift to an email account you can control.

than comming xmas when you want to gift your friend you can resent it to your friend trough the gift and guestpass dialog in the steam client.

Thank you both, kind sirs.

+rep

[kakkerlak]

audiosurf has been $2.96 (oct 5 2008) before so its a gamble the xmas deal on it won't be better :P

[TrippleD]

audiosurf has been $2.96 (oct 5 2008) before so its a gamble the xmas deal on it won't be better :P

That's why the OP wants to buy it now and wait to gifted the game until xmas.

[kakkerlak]

That's why the OP wants to buy it now and wait to gifted the game until xmas.
buy now pay $5 buy at xmas maybe $3 time will tell

[TrippleD]

buy now pay $5 buy at xmas maybe $3 time will tell

Very true. I am hoping for a lot of sale's during that time.

[kakkerlak]

I been feeding my paypal for months now :P

[Rakshasas]

Thank you all very much!