We anticipate that even with this update, third parties will continue

[Aexnidaral]

This really seems like it hurts the average player more than it does the malcontents/bad faith/scammers/third party vendors (so on and so forth), more than anything else. Every so often SE manages to somehow find the worst/laziest ways to implement "fixes" to issues that really only hurt the community overall -- and it makes me pretty sad. I'd wish they'd reconsider this and find a solution that is more generous to those acting in good faith.

[Azuri]

Doesn't RMT pay full price for codes?

I understand they discount the codes to get people to their sites and buy more than the items they're advertising from Mogstation but I fail to see how SE loses money form those initial sales. If anything it only reduces the sales from the honest people who can't gift their friends now. So how will it hinder RMT? I only see SE losing sales to RMT and now to the community as a whole.

Someone please explain how this saves SE money and the reasoning behind it?

RMT vendors buy those codes with stolen credit cards. When the actual card owner issues a (rightful) chargeback SE is forced to return the money and gets hit by a big fee from VISA/Mastercard. As a general rule, chargebacks are extremely expensive and detrimental to the vendor.

[JamieRose]

Doesn't RMT pay full price for codes?

I understand they discount the codes to get people to their sites and buy more than the items they're advertising from Mogstation but I fail to see how SE loses money form those initial sales. If anything it only reduces the sales from the honest people who can't gift their friends now. So how will it hinder RMT? I only see SE losing sales it made to RMT and now additionally to the community as a whole.

Someone please explain how this saves SE money and the reasoning behind it?

[Cheremia]

Angy

[TomsYoungerBro]

This is a common trope with SE. They punish the players who follow the rules, while the rulebreakers run free...I mean the P7s marker fiasco only happened because they don't allow you to move markers during combat anymore through the game. However, cheaters can still do it regardless XD. Its just silly.

[caffe_macchiato]

Many people in the English-speaking/international FFXIV community like using giveaways for community events, especially for the upcoming holiday season. However, it looks like Square Enix wants to extend the current content drought to cut out player-driven content as well. Good job, devs! I hope FFXVI lives up to expectations at least!

[XaarKrey]

Idk, the only think I can think of is: "what if someone else sent that same minion and the player hasn't opened mail yet"

Still a dumb excuse, though. That can be tracked by squeenix.

[LaylaTsarra]

RMT vendors buy those codes with stolen credit cards. When the actual card owner issues a (rightful) chargeback SE is forced to return the money and gets hit by a big fee from VISA/Mastercard. As a general rule, chargebacks are extremely expensive and detrimental to the vendor.

Ahh. Thank you makes more sense now.

[XaarKrey]

I'm unsure why they couldn't have just revamped the old system to:

-sale prices don't apply to gift purchases
Or
-gift codes expire after 10 days (to kill resale market of items purchased on sale)
And
-redo the gift code generator to track the transaction via the gift code

[CaptainHelen]

In addition to the previously mentioned issues, or to maybe emphasize a few which have been a bit downplayed,

1) The friend has to have been on your friends list for over 72 hours. So gifting a brand new player who is a friend their first glam, or getting a story skip for a brand new alt your friend made just became incredibly difficult. You know that friend you sent the songbird dress, so that they could make an alt on your world for your bonding? Can't do that anymore. I mean, yes, people can go to a bonding in starter gear, but I always thought it was nice to gift the maid of honor a dress or something for a friend's bonding if they were from another world. Now I can't do that.

2) Squeenix has full discretion to delete any gift given in a manner they deem suspicious. So for example people creating wedding alts could appear very suspicious if you were to gift some of your friends glams for a bonding. Or if a friend goes and buys a bunch of Christmas presents, the fact that they're giving multiple gifts at once could also appear suspicious. Or say you receive a large amount of different gifts as bonding gifts, on a date that doesn't coincide with a holiday. If squeenix finds it sus that you got a bunch of gifted items all at once, they can vanish. Out of nowhere, even if you've already opened and used them.

3) The items they have chosen as "items which can only be used once" are not the only items that can only be used once. Story skips, class skips, all glams, basically EVERYTHING except for dye, housing items, and retainer skips can only be used once. And yet you can still gift story and class skips and most glams. If we're talking items that can only be used once per player (like most mounts) that does not include minions. Basically this is completely contrived. Squeenix has no problem allowing you to accidentally send yourself a glam you already have, but sending someone a minion they already have is not ok?

Wouldn't it be more logical to simply clarify the purchase method? Make it so you can only purchase gift codes with credit cards or other payment methods clearly registered in your name, and then track what payment methods seem to be buying an unusual number? Track the numbers to punish the perpetrators rather than preventing people from being kind to their friends.