If you want to learn more about our selected CSGO skin trading sites, we invite you to keep reading this special guide.
How Do the CSGO Skin Trading Websites Work?
Essentially, trading CS:GO skins is a valuable solution for different types of players. Whether you simply want to exchange old items for new ones or trade professionally to make extra cash, our list of CS:GO skin trading websites will help you.
It is possible to sell CS:GO skins for profit and cash out real money for them. However, this is a process done after trading. In this guide, the term “trading” refers to the process of exchanging CS:GO skins for other skins or similar items.
The first step to engaging in CS:GO skin trading is registering and logging in to one of the websites featured in this list. Most often, users must log in using a Steam account or email.
During registration, you must configure the Steam Trade URL to permit the website’s bot to share trading offers with you. After the URL is properly set up, you can exchange CS:GO skins.
CSGO Skin Trading Sites vs. CSGO Skin Marketplaces
Although many people tend to use the terms “skin trading site” and “skin marketplace” interchangeably, they do not describe the same concept. A CS:GO skin trading site is a website where CS:GO enthusiasts can exchange skins with each other.
Conversely, CS:GO skin marketplaces act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers who want to transact skins. Similar to platforms like Amazon, CS:GO marketplaces feature numerous smaller stores where sellers expose CS:GO skins and items.
The skins are exposed to all potential buyers scrolling down the website’s catalog. If a buyer demonstrates interest in a skin, the marketplace’s mechanism is responsible for matching the two parties for negotiation and closing the transaction.
In terms of cost per transaction, CS:GO skin trading sites generally charge lower fees than CS:GO marketplaces.
Advanced Pricing Skills at CSGO Skin Trading Sites
Unlike mechanisms used in other FPS games, the appearance of a CS:GO skin does not affect the item’s performance, as these skins are purely aesthetic enhancements.
If you want to trade CS:GO skins online, you must be aware of the criteria used to value different items based on their characteristics. In the following topics, we’ll help you to determine the value of each skin and decide whether it is worth trading certain items for others.
The fundamentals to determine the value of a CS:GO skin are the item’s float, rarity, unique features, and stickers.
Float
To increase the CS:GO gaming experience, Valve Corp. designed all skins to be subject to wear and tear. The process of deterioration of an item is assigned by a numerical designation attached to it, which is called “Skin Float Value.”
The Skin Float Value has five wear levels ranging from 0 to1, with 0 representing perfect skins and 1 representing worn-out skins. The classification goes as follows:
- Factory New (0.00 to 0.47)
- Minimal Wear (0.07 to 0.15)
- Field-Tested (0.15 to 0.38)
- Well-Worn (0.38 to 0.45)
- Battle-Scarred (0.45 to 1.00)
Most traders prefer skins with lower float values, as they generally can be sold for higher prices or traded for high-value skins. On occasion, a few players focus on building unique inventories with worn-out skins based on their unique patterns.
Please note that, depending on the item’s rarity, it is possible to find Field-Tested skins that are worth more than Factory New skins, for example.
Rarity
Even more important than the float value of a skin is the rarity element, also referred to as “Grade.” There are seven different Grades to classify how rare a skin is. The rarer a skin is, the more value the rarity grades add to its worth.
The Grades of different skins are indicated by color patterns:
- Consumer-grade (indicated in white)
- Industrial grade (indicated in light blue)
- Mil-spec (indicated in darker blue)
- Restricted (indicated in purple)
- Classified (indicated in pinkish purple)
- Covert (indicated in red)
- Exceedingly Rare (indicated in golden yellow)
It is common to see CS:GO enthusiasts trading several consumer or industrial-grade skins for a single skin with a classified grade or above. If you have rarer skins, you can use them to your advantage and apply different strategies to build a valuable inventory.
Unique Features
- StatTrak Skins: The StatTrak feature permits users to track specific stats for CS:GO skins. If a certain skin has more combat history, it is considered more unique and more valuable. Traders with StatTrak skins in their inventories only trade them when an exceptionally better trade offer appears. Otherwise, they keep holding on to them.
Souvenir Skins: CS:GO features exclusive skins that are only obtained when users redeem them from souvenir packages. These packages are dropped exclusively on special occasions, such as Majors and other tournaments sponsored by Valve Corp. This type of skin often features limited edition stickers.
Stickers
Many CS:GO players like to attach stickers to a skin to make it unique. The value of a sticker is not affected by its wear or similar factors. For example, a brand-new sticker may feature a worn-out appearance to give a special effect when attached to an item.
Depending on the value of a sticker, it may either increase or decrease the value of a skin. Usually, the best approach is to attach the best CS:GO stickers to high-value skins. Using a low-tier sticker in a high-value skin could affect its value negatively, and vice-versa
The value of stickers depends on their rarity, variant, and whether it is related to a special CS:GO event. In many cases, unique stickers from older CS:GO tournaments are more valuable than recent ones.