The Economy of Esports
The Pre-Major Hype (The Build-Up)
- General Skin Prices Drop: To buy the new sticker capsules and the viewer pass, thousands of players sell their liquid "play skins" (like an AK-47 | Redline or AWP | Asiimov) on the Steam Market. This sudden flood of supply causes a temporary dip in general skin prices.
- Investment Opportunity: This pre-Major dip is often considered a great time for investors to buy high-tier play skins at a 10% to 15% discount.
The Tournament (The Hype Phase)
- Player-Specific Spikes: If a relatively unknown player suddenly carries their team and makes a legendary clutch, their specific autograph sticker can spike in price by 300% overnight.
- Team Hype: If an underdog team makes a Cinderella run to the finals, their team stickers and holos will surge in demand.
- Weapon Spikes: If a pro player uses a specific, highly visible skin during a legendary play, that weapon skin will often see a temporary spike in trading volume and price as fans try to emulate them. For example, s1mple using a specific AWP, or m0NESY using a specific Desert Eagle.
The Post-Major Sale (The Crash)
- The Sticker Crash: The prices of all stickers from that specific Major instantly plummet because the supply becomes infinitely cheap and abundant. This sale usually lasts for several weeks (sometimes months).
- The Long-Term Hold: Savvy investors wait until the very end of this 75% off sale to buy thousands of capsules. Once Valve finally removes the capsules from the in-game store, the supply is hard-capped.
- Explore: Read our guide on Best Major Stickers to Hold Long Term (Coming soon!) or check out the Best Paris 2023 Stickers to see how discontinued stickers perform over time.
Souvenir Packages
- If a legendary map like Cobblestone or Dust II is played, those specific souvenir packages are highly hoarded.
- Souvenir skins of high-tier items (like the Souvenir AWP | Desert Hydra) are some of the rarest and Most Expensive Skins in CS2.
