In this guide, I will go over the best ways to buy and sell CS:GO items, such as weapon skins, alongside how to evaluate the prices of individual items. I’ll also cover some crucial information on account security, which is essential for any aspiring trader.

There are several different marketplaces available for cosmetic items, as well as certain steps which must be taken before diving into the world of CS:GO skins. Therefore, If you feel you are not up to date on the differing categories and item types available in CS:GO, before reading any further I recommended you have a look at my Guide to CS:GO's Cosmetic Items which contains everything you need to know about key terms such as item rarities, float ranges and more.

First Steps

Before we get started, I highly recommend you enable the Steam Guard Authenticator on your Steam account. This will greatly improve the security of your account and help protect your items from any potential phishing threats.

Steam Guard greatly increases the security of your account and items

You might wonder why such a precaution is necessary before getting into buying and selling items. Unfortunately, scammers and malicious groups operate on Steam and often target CS:GO traders. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the potential risks involved with trading and how to avoid them. Setting up Steam Guard is a crucial first step to avoiding having any problems. If you want to learn more about account security and ensuring the safety of your CS:GO items, please check out my article focusing on the topic here.

Furthermore, as a slight disclaimer, it is important to note that you should only purchase skins in CS:GO that you can comfortably afford. Prices are subject to change, and while it is possible to make money through CS:GO trading, it is not always guaranteed. Unlike stocks or some other forms of investments, CS:GO items should primarily serve as sources of enjoyment based on their cosmetic use, and not just because of their price. With that being said, let's continue on, and look at the most commonly used methods of buying and selling CS:GO items.

The Steam Community Market

The Steam Community Market is the primary method of acquiring and selling for the majority of the player base. Operating as the official marketplace for Steam items, it is no surprise the Steam market has the most traction and highest quantity of listings amongst item related marketplaces. Because of this, it is a great place to get an idea of current prices and trends. Every item also has an accessible sales history graph, which can be very useful in understanding the prices and history of specific items.

On the Steam market, skins can be purchased outright by paying their respective listing price; however, buyers can also create buy orders at a price of their own choosing. When a user lists an item under or matching the price of a buy order, the item will be instantly sold to that order. The buy order with the highest sum will be supplied before the other buy orders.

When selling an item on the Steam market, make sure to note the current buy order prices, as they might be very close to the current listing prices. Also make sure to utilise the sale history graph available when selling an item to make sure you sell for a good price, sometimes it is better to wait a while for an item to sell at a better price than it is to ‘quicksell’ at a lower rate.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Steam Community Market

The Steam market offers several distinct advantages for buying and selling skins, however, there are also some disadvantages which shouldn’t be ignored. A main benefit of using the Steam market is that items can be instantly listed, even if they are tradelocked. Newly unboxed or traded items will have a trade cooldown of 7 days attached to them; however, this does not apply to listing them on the Steam market. Another plus of the Steam market is that it offers extensive sale history records. Furthermore as it is the official marketplace, it is arguably the safest method of buying and selling CS:GO skins.

Despite its safety and accessibility, the Steam community market does have some disadvantages. Firstly, there are no withdrawal options available through Steam. When selling an item, funds will be credited to your Steam balance, and can only be used on the community market or Steam store. Furthermore, the Steam takes a 15% sale fee when selling CS:GO skins on the community market. Therefore, before listing an item, make sure you are aware of the difference between the amount you receive from selling an item and the amount the buyer will pay when purchasing it.

When listing an item, the community market will display the listing price and the final sum you will receive if it sells

Market Alternatives and Trading Communities

Due to the disadvantages of using the community market, many traders prefer to use 3rd party alternatives when buying and selling items. There is an extensive amount of marketplaces and sites available for CS:GO, however, I strongly recommend only to utilise the trusted sites on this whitelist if you choose not to use the Steam community market. This list, available on the GlobalOffensiveTrade subreddit, is subject to strict eligibility rules which ensure any sites with links to fraud or gambling are not whitelisted. The GlobalOffensiveTrade subreddit itself is a useful tool for trading items, and many of the sites listed in its whitelist can offer cheaper pricing than the Steam market. This is because users are often able to withdraw their funds after selling items on these sites, so competitive pricing and discounts are more common. However, these sites can also be quite complicated, with each individual site having its own unique layout and design. This can sometimes make it hard to filter for specific variants of skins or skins with certain stickers applied, however this is not always the case (some sites make it easier to search than the Steam community market). Despite this, for many beginner traders, the Steam market might be an easier and simpler option for buying and selling items.

How to determine the price of an item

So far, we have gone over security, the Steam market and some 3rd party market alternatives. However, despite these details it can often still be difficult to then determine the value of a specific item accurately. In CS:GO there are several different factors which can influence the price of an item. For example, let's take the AK-47 Redline in Field-Tested condition. On the Steam market, the cheapest current listing is £13.92 ($19.73). This is the lowest price available, however, this does not mean any other Redlines above this are necessarily overpriced.

Say there was a Redline listed at £14.40 ($20.41) with a significantly better float value, it can be argued that it would be the best option of the two, as despite both Redlines being Field-Tested, there are clear visual differences between them based on float. Therefore, float value can often play a significant role in the price of an item, especially in high tier items such as knives and gloves.

The first redline (upper) may be cheaper but the second redline (lower) has a better float value and is therefore less scratched in-game

Float value is not the only influence in pricing. Certain applied stickers and patterns can also greatly increase the value of items. Expensive stickers, when applied, often retain a percentage of their unapplied value. This value can vary based upon the item the sticker is applied onto and where the sticker is applied on the skin. This is because certain positions are often more desirable. For an extensive explanation and guidance on skins with stickers, feel free to check out my article focusing on them here.

Ultimately, the price of an item is determined by what individuals are willing to pay for it. So, if you are unsure on the price of your item, you can always list it at a high price and gradually decrease its price until it sells. Alternatively, the GlobalOffensiveTrade subreddit, allows for users to create price check posts in which other members of the trading community will assist in pricing their items.

Rare and expensive stickers often add value to weapon skins

Some things to remember

There are many different ways to buy and sell CS:GO skins and items. Based on the method used, and the item itself, prices can vary greatly. If you are fairly new to CS:GO items, I would recommend sticking to the Steam community market for now and working on gaining an essential understanding of how it works. For the more experienced trader, 3rd party alternatives can offer advantages and often cheaper prices for specific skins. However, in both cases, account security is essential to ensure the safety of your items, so make sure you remember to enable the Steam Guard Authenticator, and have fun buying and selling! If you have any questions or queries, feel free to message me on Steam and I’ll be happy to help.

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