Most Common CSGO Trading Mistakes to Avoid

Counter Strike: Global Offensive is one of the biggest games in the entire world, and it’s no secret that people make a lot of money from trading skins. The economy of CS GO cosmetic items is huge, as everyday thousands of players buy, sell, and exchange weapon finishes. What’s more, the skin market is now getting bigger than ever, as Valve Corporationhas announced the game’s transition to their new engine, Source 2. It’s truly the best time to start trading, which is why we’ve prepared a brief summary of the most common mistakes to avoid on the road to profit.

What Is CS:GO Trading

CS:GO is one of the biggest titles in the history of online gaming. Every month, nearly a million players log on to Valve’s servers to compete in matches and climb the ranks. Not only that, but they also devote countless hours and resources to build their perfect inventory, filled with only the best skins. 

What Are CS:GO Skins?

Skins are cosmetic items that players can apply to their knives, gloves and guns in Counter Strike in order to distinguish themselves from other people on the maps. Hundreds of different designs and patterns are available, allowing everyone to find the absolute perfect item to express their personality. In fact, their artistic value is, among other factors, what has made them an integral part of the entire CS:GO experience.

Unfortunately, skins usually cost money. And that’s when trading comes into the picture.

Don’t get us wrong. In Counter Strike, it is actually possible to organically acquire cosmetic items through various in-game drops. However, they don’t happen after every match, and even if you’re lucky enough to open a weapon case, the chances of getting the skin of your dreams are slim. That’s why people go to the skin market, where they can choose the weapon finishes they want to buy. Some of them cost just a few cents, while others can be worth thousands of dollars. It all depends on the law of supply and demand, which is why people are investing in these virtual items. If a skin becomes popular, but there aren’t many copies available, players will do anything to get their hands on it, including paying absurd amounts of money. So if you’re smart enough, you may be able to make a lot of money from buying and selling CS skins.

Common Mistakes When Trading Skins

If you are planning to trade CS skins, you should first definitely familiarize yourself with some basic principles of the skin market. Moreover, you should also familiarize yourself with the most common mistakes made by new users. Only in this way will you avoid following in their footsteps. Knowledge is key, and that’s why we’ve prepared a list of things you should know when entering CSGO trading sites.

Lets’s go through them one by one.

Not knowing how to properly assess the price of a skin

This issue is an absolute necessity if you want to start item trading at all, and at the same time, we have noticed that it is often the one that players have the most problems with. 

Well, every trader (whether they trade cosmetic items or antiques at a flea market) should know how much the items they sell and buy are worth. Only this way will they be able to maximize their profits and avoid fatal mistakes costing them potentially hundreds of dollars. Just imagine, for example, that you have an AK-47 Wild Lotus in your inventory, valued at several thousand bucks, and you sell it for a few hundred because you have no idea what it’s worth. Or the other way around. You buy a cool skin from someone for a lot of money because it looks very unique, and you think you’ll be able to sell it at a profit. Then it turns out that every other agent on the map has it, and you could have saved yourself a lot of money. 

The only way to avoid such dumb slip-ups is to learn about all the factors that affect the price of a particular item. We are of course talking about skin’s float value, collection, StatTrak, etc. So if you want to be a good trader, this kind of knowledge is a must.

Using Wrong Trading Websites

Nowadays, there are hundreds of different trading sites available on the Internet. No wonder novices don’t know how to choose the right one. But it is important to know that selecting a good intermediary is not only the key to making profits but also to online safety. Therefore, we have prepared a short list of good platforms to trade skins.

What Are the Best Skin Trading Platforms?

1. Steam Community Market – This site is familiar to pretty much everyone as it comes straight from the source. Valve Corporation created the Steam Market with the intention of allowing Counter Strike players to safely buy, exchange and sell CS items. Using it, you can be sure that the skins you buy are real, and that your transaction is covered by a security guarantee. However, keep in mind that SCM charges a rather large percentage on each exchange, which makes it less than the best place to trade expensive items. 
2. SkinsMonkey – This time we introduce you to an independent website that has been on the market for years and enjoys a circle of satisfied customers. SkinsMonkey is a third-party trading platform that allows players to quickly and safely trade items in exchange for a small percentage on each transaction. It’s great for novice traders who don’t feel comfortable negotiating because you’re dealing with a bot instead of other gamers. 
3. Online marketplaces/ Discord servers – Marketplaces are great for buying and selling CSGO skins, provided you already have some experience in trading. Using them, players can make the most profit and negotiate completely independently with others. What’s more, the percentage charged on transactions on such platforms is usually the lowest compared to most other sites. Nevertheless, you should be doubly wary of scammers there, as security is not always guaranteed.

Falling for Scams

Unfortunately, we live in a world where everything happens online, and there will always be people who try to take advantage of that. The Internet is full of scammers, and the Steam market is no exception. As we have already mentioned, it is possible to make a lot of money by trading cs go skins, which is why many users look for opportunities to steal valuable items or even entire accounts. They rely on various techniques to do so, such as phishing, API scams, impersonation etc. Even the most experienced players fall victim to them if they are not careful enough. Therefore, remember to always be cautious and always make sure you are dealing with a trustworthy person when trying to trade skins.

Not Paying Attention to the Skin Market

The skin market is a dynamic place that changes every day. This is because the Counter Strike economy is driven by many different factors that affect supply and demand, and thus regulate the prices of items. Sometimes values can soar overnight due to some unexpected event, and if you miss it, you also miss the opportunity to make big money. For example, when CS:GO became available in China, the market opened up to a large group of new players with a lot of money to spend. Demand became extremely high and items suddenly became scarce, so prices went crazy. Players who failed to take advantage of this opportunity regretted it deeply after seeing how much they could earn if they invested in the right skins at the right time. Therefore, being attentive is the key to becoming a skin selling pro. Staying up to date is what makes a great trader.

Conclusions

As you can see, if you want to make big money from skin trading, there are many factors to consider. Of course, no one assumes that you will immediately become a pro and make no mistakes. After all, that’s how you learn best. However, we hope that after reading this article you will gain at least some awareness of the errors that players often make in the CSGO world.