The Core of the CS2 Economy
1. Understanding the Steam Tax
- If you list a skin and the buyer pays $100, you will only receive $85 in your Steam Wallet.
- Pro Tip: Never buy a skin on the SCM with the intention of immediately reselling it on the SCM for profit. The 15% tax makes short-term "flipping" mathematically impossible unless the skin spikes massively in price overnight.
2. Using Buy Orders (Never Pay Retail)
- You find a skin you want, for example, an AK-47 | Redline.
- The cheapest one currently listed is $20.00.
- Instead of buying it for $20.00, you place a "Buy Order" for $18.50.
- Your $18.50 is temporarily held by Steam.
- The next time a player decides they want to "Quick Sell" their Redline, they will sell it to the highest current Buy Order (yours!).
- You get the skin for $1.50 cheaper than retail.
3. Analyzing the Price Graph
- Spikes and Dips: Look for abnormal price spikes. Did a new CS2 Update just drop? Did a major tournament end? (Read our guide on How Majors Affect Prices). If the price is currently at an all-time high, wait a week before buying.
- Volume: Look at the number of items sold per day. A skin that sells 500 times a day is "liquid" (easy to resell later). A skin that sells 2 times a day is illiquid—if you ever want to sell it, you might be stuck waiting for weeks.
- For detailed analysis: The SCM graph is basic. To see moving averages, 24h volume, and percentage changes, always cross-reference with the TAKE.SKIN Market Database.
4. The 7-Day Trade Hold
5. Searching for Specific Stickers and Floats
- Check the box for "Include descriptions in search."
- Type
"Natus Vincere"in the search bar (including the quotes).
