Difference between revisions of "Trading"

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[[File:steam_trading.png|right]]
{{Quotation|'''The Engineer''' on his delivery services|Another satisfied customer!|sound=Engineer_specialcompleted02.wav}}
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{{Quotation|'''The Heavy''', commenting on a proposed trade.|Everything you have is bad, compared to this thing!|sound=heavy_trade_14.wav}}
 
 
[[Image:steam_trading.png|right]]
 
 
 
'''Trading''' is an in-game system that allows players to swap items with other players. Introduced in the [[Mann-Conomy Update]], the system allows players to swap [[weapons]], [[hats]], [[miscellaneous items|misc items]], and [[tool]]s with other players. Players who have free accounts are limited to receiving items, and cannot give items to other players until they upgrade to premium status.
 
  
 +
'''Trading''' is a system that lets players exchange [[items]] with other players. Introduced with the [[Mann-Conomy Update]], this system allows players to swap or gift [[weapons]], [[cosmetics]], [[tool]]s and more with other players. Valve later implemented the trading feature Steam-wide to encompass other games as well as within [[Steam]] itself.
 
__TOC__
 
__TOC__
 
{{clr}}
 
{{clr}}
  
==Mechanics==
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== Steam Trading ==
[[File:Trading Screen Mann-Conomy1.png|thumb|300px|The trading screen, with an example trade in progress.]]
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[[File:Steam Item Trading.png|Steam Trading Beta|thumb|300px|A screenshot of Steam trading.]]
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'''Steam trading''' is a feature that was introduced on August 9, 2011 as an open beta.<ref>[http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=6202 Steam Trading: Out of Beta and available to everyone! - TF2 Team]</ref> The beta updates were added to the public [[Steam]] client on September 6, 2011. With Steam trading, players are able to trade their in-game items for other in-game items and/or gift copies of Steam games. Trade requests can be sent through Steam chat windows or via the Steam Friends List window. Trading will also be disabled for Free to Play (Nothing bought from Mann Co. Store) players and for 5 days after a user resets their password, which was added for user safety. If the user resets their password 2 months after their last account activity, trading will instead be disabled for 30 days. When changing your password, as opposed to resetting it, no restrictions will be applied.
  
* Up to eight items from a user's backpack can be traded from one player to another in a single transaction. The user's trading boxes appear on the upper right side of the screen. The user may select and drag items from their backpack, which is displayed on the left, into the trading boxes. The trading boxes at the lower right display the other user's trade offer. The trading window also shows the color of the item's [[rarity]] as a background and outline.
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=== Trade Holds ===
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In November 2015, Valve introduced an escrow<ref>[https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8078-TPHC-6195 Steam Support article about trade holds]</ref> system which - when trading items with other parties and only Steam Guard is enabled, the trade may be placed on hold for up to 15 days.<ref>[https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8078-TPHC-6195&l=english Steam Trade Holds - Documentation - Knowledge Base - Steam Support]</ref> If the users have been friends for over 1 year, the hold will last 1 day instead.
  
* Both users can communicate via the private chat box under the backpack section. The chat box also displays notifications about the quality and default name of added items, as well as tips to help avoid being scammed.  
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If Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator has been enabled for both parties for at least 7 days, trades will happen instantly once both sides have confirmed the trade, regardless of friends status.
  
* After reviewing the items offered in the trade, both users must click the "Ready to Trade" check-box. If the offer is changed by either party, the users are required to click "Ready to Trade" again. Once both users are ready to trade, clicking the "Trade Now" button completes the trade.
+
When a trade takes the form of gifts (someone giving items without receiving), only the gift giver needs to confirm the trade offer.
  
=== Audio cues ===
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=== Demonstration ===
There are several small sound files that play to alert the traders to certain events:
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{{youtube|ZT3j8pb_KyU|hd=1|width=640|ratio=16x9}}
*[[Media:Trade_changed.wav|Items in the trade have changed.]]
 
*[[Media:Trade_failure.wav|The trade was cancelled.]]
 
*[[Media:Trade_ready.wav|Both players have accepted the offer.]]
 
*[[Media:Trade_sucess.wav|Trade complete.]]
 
  
== Steam Trading ==
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[[File: Steam Item Trading -Trade Offer.png|Steam Trading Beta|thumb|300px|A screenshot of Steam Trade Offers.]]
[[File:Steam Item Trading.png|Steam Trading Beta|thumb|300px|A screenshot of Steam Trading]]
 
'''Steam Trading''' is a feature that was introduced on August 9, 2011 as an open beta. Users that opted into the Steam Trade Beta were also given the ability to "Tag" people on their Friends List and organize them into Common Groups.<ref>[http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=6202 Steam Trading: Out of Beta and available to everyone! - TF2 Team]</ref> The beta updates were added to the public Steam client on September 6, 2011. With Steam Trading, a user is able to trade their in-game items for other in-game items and/or gift copies of Steam games. Trade requests can be initiated through Steam chat boxes or via the Friends List window.
 
  
 
=== Features ===
 
=== Features ===
* Although at first the Steam Trading window shows only 8 slots to trade, when the 3rd slot on the last line is filled, more slots appear. This allows for up to 256 items to be traded at once, virtually removing the need for successive trading.  
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* At first, the Steam Trading window only shows 8 slots to trade. When the 3rd slot on the last line is filled, more slots will appear. This allows for up to 256 items to be traded at once, eliminating the need for excessive trading.
 +
* Items can also be searched for by using the search bar, making trades quicker and easier to conduct. A chat box is also available for each of the traders to discuss, and items are color-coded according to their quality (Unusual, strange, etc.).
 +
* Once a trade has been made, any received items are placed into the user's in-game Backpack and Steam Inventory, ready to be used.
 +
* Items from other games can also be traded by clicking the inventory drop down menu and choosing a supported game's inventory.
 +
* On September 4, 2013, a new feature named "Trade Offers" was released. This feature allows users to send a pre-packaged trade to a friend, similar to regular trading, except the sender proposes the items for both sides. This feature includes the ability for regular traders to generate their own personal trade offer links, allowing other users to send them trade offers without needing to add them as a friend first.
 +
* Trade offers can be confirmed or declined through the Steam mobile application's "Confirmations" tab.
  
* Items can also be searched for by using the search tool, making trades quicker and easier to conduct. As with the in-game trading screen, a chat box is also available and items are color-coded according to [[rarity]].  
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=== Trading inside ''Team Fortress 2'' ===
 +
In addition to sending trades through Steam, it is possible to send a trade to another player in ''Team Fortress 2'', though it still uses the Steam trading system to do so. The option for this is in the [[Customize items]] section of the [[main menu]], accessible through the "Items" button on the main menu, through the key set to open the menu (Default bind: {{Key|M}} ), or through the console command {{code|open_charinfo_direct}}.  
  
* Once a trade is made, any received items are placed into the user's Backpack and Steam Inventory, ready for immediate use.  
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This will open a small window with options to select a trading partner from the friends list, the current server, or directly through their Steam profile. If the friends list option is selected, it will show a list of users on the friends list currently playing ''Team Fortress 2''. The current server option will show a list of users in the current server. Once a user is selected through any of the three options, a trade request will be sent to them, which they can choose to accept or deny.  
  
* Items from other games can also be traded by clicking the inventory drop down menu and choosing a supported game's inventory. The current inventories available are ''Portal 2'', ''Team Fortress 2'', ''Spiral Knights'' and Steam gifts (games bought but not yet redeemed).
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Once a trading partner has been selected, the Steam Overlay will open with a Steam Trade window, which can be toggled to return to the game and vice versa. If the trade is accepted, any items received will be shown in the in-game chat box, if the player is currently in a server.
  
== Trading tips ==
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It is possible to filter trade requests through the game's Advanced Options menu. This option can be set to ''Anyone'', ''Friends Only'', ''Friends and In-Game Players'' and ''No-one''
{{hatnote|Note: Keep the following tips in mind while trading.}}
 
  
*Pay attention to the background color of the items being traded, signifying [[Quality|Rarity]].
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Additionally, Free to Play players are not able to trade any items to other players; however, they may trade items that they have received from another player.
*Always re-check items being traded before finalizing the trade.
 
*Trades should be conducted without any pressure; don't give into another player's pressure if they're pushing you into a trade you're not comfortable with.
 
*If you feel that you are paying too much, ask a friend or another player. Many trade servers also offer "price guides" to give an idea on the value of items being traded (though these are often subjective).
 
*Keep in mind that the order that items appear in Steam Trading is not the same order that they appear in your Backpack. In Steam Trading, inventory items appear in the order in which you obtained them. This can be confusing if you own more than one of a particular item. Be sure to preview items by hovering over them in the inventory or trading boxes to make sure you are adding the correct ones. Also note that the inventory ordering (left to right = oldest to newest) also applies to items filtered by searches.
 
*Respect goes a long way in a trade.
 
*Avoid trades in-game that involve more than eight items or are split up into separate trades; use Steam Trading to trade more than eight items at a time. For example, if you were selling an item for 19 Refined Metal, a scammer could give you eight Refined Metal for the item in the first trade and then not engage in additional trades for the rest of the items. Also, do not trade with someone if they tell you to send them an item(s) and then they will send one back - on almost all occasions, they will not send you an item back and will either ignore you or leave the server after you have given them an item(s).
 
*Be aware of renamed items, as a scammer could rename a common item as a rare item. Look out for notices in the private trade chat window that tell you if a certain item has been renamed with a [[Name Tag]]; renamed items always have quotation marks surrounding the name.
 
  
== Tradability ==
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Lastly, trading is permanent. If you trade an item that wasn't meant to be traded, you're unable to get it back unless the other person is willing to trade it back, so be cautious while trading with other people and double-check all trade offers.
  
=== Permanent ===
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==== Untradable Items ====
 +
All items in the game are tradable, with the exception of items with a "Not Usable in Trading" suffix or an [[Achievement weapons#Weapons|achievement milestone weapon]]. If metal is crafted using any achievement weapon, it becomes untradable. Anything crafted using untradable items also becomes untradable. Likewise, you can not trade items that you get from other games via achievements.
 +
Also, Free to Play players are unable to receive tradable items from a [[Item drop system|drop]]; they would have to get the item from someone else.
  
{{Item tradability list}}
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==== Purchased Items ====
<br\>
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* After the [[Manniversary Update & Sale|Manniversary Update]], all items purchased from the [[Mann Co. Store]] will become tradable after seven days, as long as the Steam account has made another purchase at least 30 days prior.
* All items in the game are tradable with the exception of the items above and [[Achievement weapons#Unlocked weapons|achievement milestone weapons]]. If Metal is crafted using any achievement weapon, it becomes untradable. Anything crafted using untradable items also becomes untradable. However, most of the above items are [[Gift Wrap|gift-wrappable]], providing a way to bypass the untradability.
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* Additionally, items that are awarded in [[Genuine|Genuine quality]] upon pre-ordering a game on Steam are initially untradable, but generally become tradable once the associated game is released or the promotion period ends.
 +
* Items purchased from the Steam Community [[Marketplace]] can be put back on the market as soon as they are purchased, but cannot be traded within 7 days.
  
* All items purchased from the [[Mann Co. Store]] cannot be traded or used in crafting. [[Item Quality #Self-Made Items|Self-Made]], [[Item Quality #Community Items|Community]], and [[Item Quality #Valve Items|Valve]] are also untradable and uncraftable.
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== Trading tips ==
 
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{{main|Community trading tips{{if lang}}|l1=Community trading tips}}
=== Temporary ===
 
 
 
* [[Tools]] that are bought in the [[Mann Co. Store]], such as [[Paint Can]]s, [[Mann Co. Supply Crate Key]]s, [[Gift Wrap]], and [[Backpack Expander]]s, are untradable for a period of two days. Afterwards, they become tradable like other normal items.
 
 
 
* Additionally, items that are awarded in [[Item Quality #Genuine items|Genuine quality]] for pre-ordering a game on Steam are initially untradable, but generally become tradable once the game is released.
 
  
 
== Update history ==
 
== Update history ==
{{Update history|
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{{Update history |
'''[[September 30, 2010 Patch]]''' ([[Mann-Conomy Update]])
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'''{{Patch name|9|30|2010}}''' ([[Mann-Conomy Update]])
 
* Added trading system.
 
* Added trading system.
  
'''[[October 6, 2010 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|10|6|2010}}'''
 
* The Trading dialog now starts with the chat window having focus.
 
* The Trading dialog now starts with the chat window having focus.
 
* Gifted items are now craftable and tradable.
 
* Gifted items are now craftable and tradable.
 
* Community, Self-Made, and Valve items are not tradable or usable in crafting.
 
* Community, Self-Made, and Valve items are not tradable or usable in crafting.
  
'''[[October 20, 2010 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|10|20|2010}}'''
 
* Added some anti-scam advice to the chat window.
 
* Added some anti-scam advice to the chat window.
 
* Increased trading slots to 8 slots per person.
 
* Increased trading slots to 8 slots per person.
 
* Added item rarity colors.
 
* Added item rarity colors.
 
* Added the item’s original name to the item description.
 
* Added the item’s original name to the item description.
* Made most tools tradable.
 
* Fixed Ellis' Cap and the Frying Pan not being tradable
 
 
'''[[October 27, 2010 Patch]]''' ([[Scream Fortress|Scream Fortress Update]])
 
* Gentle Manne's Service Medal is now tradable.
 
 
'''[[January 3, 2011 Patch]]'''
 
* The Earbuds and Gentle Manne's Service Medal are now gift wrappable.
 
  
'''[[January 19, 2011 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|1|19|2011}}'''
 
* Added a note in the trading dialog to let you know when your trading partner is typing.
 
* Added a note in the trading dialog to let you know when your trading partner is typing.
  
'''[[February 7, 2011 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|2|24|2011}}''' ([[Community Map Pack Update]])
* Updated the RIFT pre-order items to be not-tradable until the RIFT pre-order period is over
 
 
 
'''[[February 24, 2011 Patch]]''' ([[Community Map Pack Update]])
 
 
* {{Undocumented}} Fixed trades only displaying one of the items traded to the server.
 
* {{Undocumented}} Fixed trades only displaying one of the items traded to the server.
  
'''[[March 1, 2011 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|6|14|2011}}'''
* Updated the Sharpened Volcano Fragment and the Sun-on-a-Stick so they can be traded.
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* Fixed Steam inventory/trading not showing the correct item level for some items.
 +
* Fixed Steam inventory/trading sort order not matching the in-game backpack.
  
'''[[March 15, 2011 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|10|20|2011}}'''
* Updated The Shogun Pack items to be tradeable.
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* Fixed "Not Usable in Crafting" text not appearing under certain conditions on item tooltips in the trading UI.
  
'''[[March 21, 2011 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|11|16|2011}}'''
* Hero's Hachimaki now tradable.
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* Fixed an exploit that allowed untradable items to be traded with Steam trading.
  
'''[[May 5, 2011 Patch]]''' ([[Replay Update]])
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'''{{Patch name|11|23|2011}}'''
* {{Undocumented}} The Hetman's Headpiece, the Janissary Ketche,The Dead Cone, and The Brain Bucket were made craftable, tradable, and could be found in drops.
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* {{Undocumented}} Fixed a Steam Trading bug that allowed items to be duplicated.  
  
'''[[May 19, 2011 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|12|15|2011}}''' ([[Australian Christmas 2011]])
* Made the [[Three-Rune Blade]], [[Hero's Tail]], and [[Sign of the Wolf's School]] tradable.
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* {{Undocumented}} Players with [[Account types|free]] accounts can now trade items that have been traded to them.
  
'''[[June 14, 2011 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|2|14|2012}}'''
* Made the [[Conjurer's Cowl]] and [[Maul]] tradable.
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* Updated the in-game trading system to use the Steam trading menus.
  
'''[[August 9, 2011 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|9|4|2012}}'''
* Made the [[Original|The Original]], [[Dragonborn Helmet|The Dragonborn Helmet]], [[Anger|The Anger]], [[Pip-Boy|The Pip-Boy]], and [[Wingstick|The Wingstick]] tradeable.
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* Added a notification to Steam Trading when a user's backpack is full.
  
'''[[August 23, 2011 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|2|22|2013}}'''
* Made the [[Manno-Technology Bundle]] tradable
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* Fixed a problem where traders that send in-game trade requests would receive the error message "The other player is currently busy trading with someone else" when the problem was actually related to Steam Guard settings.
  
'''[[August 30, 2011 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|2|23|2014}}'''
* {{Undocumented}} Item server update made the tournament medals untradable.
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* Fixed trade invites not working in-game.
  
'''[[September 15, 2011 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|12|17|2014}}'''
* {{Undocumented}} Made the [[El Jefe]] tradeable.
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* Added a one week delay before items purchased from the Mann Co. Store or the Steam Community Market can be traded.
  
'''[[September 20, 2011 Patch]]'''
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'''{{Patch name|7|4|2015}} #1'''
* Made the [[Pilotka]] and the [[Stahlhelm]] tradeable.
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* Fixed items that are removed from the Steam Community Market having the trade restriction removed.
 +
}}
  
}}
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== Bugs ==
 +
* If a player is kicked from a server while waiting for a trade request, the timer at the home screen will show over 10,000 seconds.
 +
* Sometimes users in a trade will be unable to add items to a trade or click the 'confirm trade' button. This can typically be fixed by pressing the 'F5' on your keyboard to refresh the trade.
 +
* Often items in a trade will not display correctly for a short period of time after they are added. The picture is typically absent in this scenario along with the item's description and name.
 +
* Sometimes when a user adds an item into the trade, it will not be visible from the other user's perspective, even though the name of the item will be shown in the trade chat. This can be fixed if the other user puts an item into the trade and then takes it out again.
  
 
== Notes ==
 
== Notes ==
* When first released with the [[Mann-Conomy Update]], the trading system had 4 slots for players to trade with. This was changed to 8 slots in the [[October 20, 2010 Patch]].
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* If you have been [[Glossary of player terms#Scam|scammed]], you can file a [http://support.steampowered.com/ Steam support ticket] and explain the situation. It helps to provide evidence of the scam, such as conversation logs or screenshots/videos of the scammed transaction. ''See: [[Community trading tips#Trade Scamming|Trade Scamming]].''
* If you have been scammed, you can file a [http://support.steampowered.com/ Steam support ticket] and explain the situation. It helps to provide evidence of the scam, such as conversation logs or screenshots/videos of the scammed transaction. Valve has clearly stated, however, that they will not do anything to recover your items if you are a victim of a phishing scam.
 
* It's possible to continue playing and leave the trading screen in the background by pressing the 'Esc' key. Pressing 'Esc' again returns to the trading screen.
 
* A player wishing to block all trade requests can do so using the game options.
 
 
* There is a 30 second waiting period between unsuccessful trade requests.
 
* There is a 30 second waiting period between unsuccessful trade requests.
* After trades, the transaction details show up on the server messages.
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* If a player sends multiple trade requests to another player who declines them, there is a 2 minute waiting period between each trading request to prevent spamming.
* If a player sends multiple trade requests to another player who denies them, there is a 2 minute waiting period between each trading request to prevent spamming.
+
* You can not trade if your Steam account has been restricted and/or you have been trade banned on Steam.
 +
* Some ways that users scam others are by using external links outside the control of Valve (sometimes posing as fake steam sites) and/or by impersonating other users with high value inventories. Never enter your Steam login unless you trust the site! Only visit trusted links like the Steam Store/Community Hubs.
  
== Demonstration ==
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== Old Trading System ==
 
{{youtube|JRIt84itoJs|width=640|hd=on|ratio=16x9}}
 
{{youtube|JRIt84itoJs|width=640|hd=on|ratio=16x9}}
 +
 +
== Gallery ==
 +
<gallery>
 +
File:News item 2011-09-06 Inter-Universe Trading!.png|In-game announcement of Steam Inventory.
 +
</gallery>
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
* [[TF2TP]]
 
* [[TF2 Backpack Examiner]]
 
* [[Item quality]]
 
 
* [[Gift Wrap]]
 
* [[Gift Wrap]]
* [[Backpack Expander]]
+
* [[Account types]]
 +
* [[Trade Scamming]]
  
 
== References ==
 
== References ==
Line 157: Line 142:
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
* [https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=9958-MJDG-3003 Official Team Fortress 2 Item Trading Guidelines]
+
* [https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=9958-MJDG-3003 Official Team Fortress 2 Item Trading Guidelines page]
 
* [https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=6748-ETSG-5417 Steam Trading FAQ page]
 
* [https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=6748-ETSG-5417 Steam Trading FAQ page]
 
+
* [https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8625-WRAH-9030 Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator page]
 
[[Category:Items]]
 
[[Category:Items]]
 +
[[Category:Trading]]

Latest revision as of 20:22, 5 January 2024

Steam trading.png
Everything you have is bad, compared to this thing!
The Heavy, commenting on a proposed trade.

Trading is a system that lets players exchange items with other players. Introduced with the Mann-Conomy Update, this system allows players to swap or gift weapons, cosmetics, tools and more with other players. Valve later implemented the trading feature Steam-wide to encompass other games as well as within Steam itself.

Steam Trading

A screenshot of Steam trading.

Steam trading is a feature that was introduced on August 9, 2011 as an open beta.[1] The beta updates were added to the public Steam client on September 6, 2011. With Steam trading, players are able to trade their in-game items for other in-game items and/or gift copies of Steam games. Trade requests can be sent through Steam chat windows or via the Steam Friends List window. Trading will also be disabled for Free to Play (Nothing bought from Mann Co. Store) players and for 5 days after a user resets their password, which was added for user safety. If the user resets their password 2 months after their last account activity, trading will instead be disabled for 30 days. When changing your password, as opposed to resetting it, no restrictions will be applied.

Trade Holds

In November 2015, Valve introduced an escrow[2] system which - when trading items with other parties and only Steam Guard is enabled, the trade may be placed on hold for up to 15 days.[3] If the users have been friends for over 1 year, the hold will last 1 day instead.

If Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator has been enabled for both parties for at least 7 days, trades will happen instantly once both sides have confirmed the trade, regardless of friends status.

When a trade takes the form of gifts (someone giving items without receiving), only the gift giver needs to confirm the trade offer.

Demonstration

A screenshot of Steam Trade Offers.

Features

  • At first, the Steam Trading window only shows 8 slots to trade. When the 3rd slot on the last line is filled, more slots will appear. This allows for up to 256 items to be traded at once, eliminating the need for excessive trading.
  • Items can also be searched for by using the search bar, making trades quicker and easier to conduct. A chat box is also available for each of the traders to discuss, and items are color-coded according to their quality (Unusual, strange, etc.).
  • Once a trade has been made, any received items are placed into the user's in-game Backpack and Steam Inventory, ready to be used.
  • Items from other games can also be traded by clicking the inventory drop down menu and choosing a supported game's inventory.
  • On September 4, 2013, a new feature named "Trade Offers" was released. This feature allows users to send a pre-packaged trade to a friend, similar to regular trading, except the sender proposes the items for both sides. This feature includes the ability for regular traders to generate their own personal trade offer links, allowing other users to send them trade offers without needing to add them as a friend first.
  • Trade offers can be confirmed or declined through the Steam mobile application's "Confirmations" tab.

Trading inside Team Fortress 2

In addition to sending trades through Steam, it is possible to send a trade to another player in Team Fortress 2, though it still uses the Steam trading system to do so. The option for this is in the Customize items section of the main menu, accessible through the "Items" button on the main menu, through the key set to open the menu (Default bind: M ), or through the console command open_charinfo_direct.

This will open a small window with options to select a trading partner from the friends list, the current server, or directly through their Steam profile. If the friends list option is selected, it will show a list of users on the friends list currently playing Team Fortress 2. The current server option will show a list of users in the current server. Once a user is selected through any of the three options, a trade request will be sent to them, which they can choose to accept or deny.

Once a trading partner has been selected, the Steam Overlay will open with a Steam Trade window, which can be toggled to return to the game and vice versa. If the trade is accepted, any items received will be shown in the in-game chat box, if the player is currently in a server.

It is possible to filter trade requests through the game's Advanced Options menu. This option can be set to Anyone, Friends Only, Friends and In-Game Players and No-one

Additionally, Free to Play players are not able to trade any items to other players; however, they may trade items that they have received from another player.

Lastly, trading is permanent. If you trade an item that wasn't meant to be traded, you're unable to get it back unless the other person is willing to trade it back, so be cautious while trading with other people and double-check all trade offers.

Untradable Items

All items in the game are tradable, with the exception of items with a "Not Usable in Trading" suffix or an achievement milestone weapon. If metal is crafted using any achievement weapon, it becomes untradable. Anything crafted using untradable items also becomes untradable. Likewise, you can not trade items that you get from other games via achievements. Also, Free to Play players are unable to receive tradable items from a drop; they would have to get the item from someone else.

Purchased Items

  • After the Manniversary Update, all items purchased from the Mann Co. Store will become tradable after seven days, as long as the Steam account has made another purchase at least 30 days prior.
  • Additionally, items that are awarded in Genuine quality upon pre-ordering a game on Steam are initially untradable, but generally become tradable once the associated game is released or the promotion period ends.
  • Items purchased from the Steam Community Marketplace can be put back on the market as soon as they are purchased, but cannot be traded within 7 days.

Trading tips

Main article: Community trading tips

Update history

September 30, 2010 Patch (Mann-Conomy Update)
  • Added trading system.

October 6, 2010 Patch

  • The Trading dialog now starts with the chat window having focus.
  • Gifted items are now craftable and tradable.
  • Community, Self-Made, and Valve items are not tradable or usable in crafting.

October 20, 2010 Patch

  • Added some anti-scam advice to the chat window.
  • Increased trading slots to 8 slots per person.
  • Added item rarity colors.
  • Added the item’s original name to the item description.

January 19, 2011 Patch

  • Added a note in the trading dialog to let you know when your trading partner is typing.

February 24, 2011 Patch (Community Map Pack Update)

  • [Undocumented] Fixed trades only displaying one of the items traded to the server.

June 14, 2011 Patch

  • Fixed Steam inventory/trading not showing the correct item level for some items.
  • Fixed Steam inventory/trading sort order not matching the in-game backpack.

October 20, 2011 Patch

  • Fixed "Not Usable in Crafting" text not appearing under certain conditions on item tooltips in the trading UI.

November 16, 2011 Patch

  • Fixed an exploit that allowed untradable items to be traded with Steam trading.

November 23, 2011 Patch

  • [Undocumented] Fixed a Steam Trading bug that allowed items to be duplicated.

December 15, 2011 Patch (Australian Christmas 2011)

  • [Undocumented] Players with free accounts can now trade items that have been traded to them.

February 14, 2012 Patch

  • Updated the in-game trading system to use the Steam trading menus.

September 4, 2012 Patch

  • Added a notification to Steam Trading when a user's backpack is full.

February 22, 2013 Patch

  • Fixed a problem where traders that send in-game trade requests would receive the error message "The other player is currently busy trading with someone else" when the problem was actually related to Steam Guard settings.

February 23, 2014 Patch

  • Fixed trade invites not working in-game.

December 17, 2014 Patch

  • Added a one week delay before items purchased from the Mann Co. Store or the Steam Community Market can be traded.

July 4, 2015 Patch #1

  • Fixed items that are removed from the Steam Community Market having the trade restriction removed.

Bugs

  • If a player is kicked from a server while waiting for a trade request, the timer at the home screen will show over 10,000 seconds.
  • Sometimes users in a trade will be unable to add items to a trade or click the 'confirm trade' button. This can typically be fixed by pressing the 'F5' on your keyboard to refresh the trade.
  • Often items in a trade will not display correctly for a short period of time after they are added. The picture is typically absent in this scenario along with the item's description and name.
  • Sometimes when a user adds an item into the trade, it will not be visible from the other user's perspective, even though the name of the item will be shown in the trade chat. This can be fixed if the other user puts an item into the trade and then takes it out again.

Notes

  • If you have been scammed, you can file a Steam support ticket and explain the situation. It helps to provide evidence of the scam, such as conversation logs or screenshots/videos of the scammed transaction. See: Trade Scamming.
  • There is a 30 second waiting period between unsuccessful trade requests.
  • If a player sends multiple trade requests to another player who declines them, there is a 2 minute waiting period between each trading request to prevent spamming.
  • You can not trade if your Steam account has been restricted and/or you have been trade banned on Steam.
  • Some ways that users scam others are by using external links outside the control of Valve (sometimes posing as fake steam sites) and/or by impersonating other users with high value inventories. Never enter your Steam login unless you trust the site! Only visit trusted links like the Steam Store/Community Hubs.

Old Trading System

Gallery

See also

References

External links