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Even though Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was launched in 2012, the relevancy of the game is still reaching all-time highs a decade later. Why? Several factors may explain it, but one of the key reasons behind this successful run is the ever-growing popularity of CS:GO skins.
Valve Corp. introduced the first skins to the game in 2013. At that time, no one could’ve imagined the impact these purely cosmetic items would have in the history of iGaming.
Since then, the introduction of skins created a whole new industry based on these items. Currently, hundreds of websites allow you to buy or sell skins for money, wager on casino games, bet on sportsbooks, or trade skins with other players or sites.
How is it possible to know the safest CSGO trading sites? How can you identify the best options available amid such an overwhelming number of platforms? Worry not, we have your back!
In this guide, we will take you through a full review of the best CSGO trading sites in terms of cost-benefit in 2022.
What is a CSGO Trading Site?
In essence, a CS:GO skin is nothing more than a graphical overlay that covers an in-game item to give it a unique color and aspect.
A CS:GO trading site is basically a platform that allows you to trade skins for other skins. Not all trading sites are equal, as many of them operate solely as trading sites, while others focus on games or cases while featuring built-in trading features.
Regardless of the type of site you choose, both options act as intermediaries by providing the middle ground where these trades occur.
Many CS:GO players might ask – “why not stick to the Steam market for skin trading?” The answer is simple – it is not worth the effort involved. Currently, the Steam market earns a 15% commission from every trade completed on their site.
CSGO trading sites allow you to trade up and exchange your skins for better ones while taking a much small commission. After going through our guide, you will likely pay no fees at all.
How to Use a CSGO Trading Site?
This type of trading platform is neither hard to understand nor to use. The first step is to find a trading site and sign in using your Steam account. The account used in the process must be properly set up for trading and completely free of restrictions.
Once you are connected to the site, you just need to identify the trade section and select it to get the process started. You must decide which skins from your inventory you want to trade for new ones.
After selecting the skins, you must select the skins you want to trade from the website’s inventory. Please note that the value must be equivalent, which means you’ll likely have to put several low-tier skins down to get a single high-value skin.
Confirm your options and wait for the site to complete the trade. Depending on the availability of some items, you may have the option to find the desired skins via P2P on some websites.
It is important to understand that not all trading websites are equal, which results in a certain discrepancy in the step-by-step. However, our guide only features sites with good navigation and intuitive user experience, allowing users to find their way in their first experience.
Top CSGO Trading Sites in 2022 – Updated Selection
If you are looking for sites where you can trade up skins, finding one will never be a problem. In fact, the abundance of platforms is overwhelming, which results in many users not knowing which option to choose.
The issue is finding reliable options where users can freely trade their skins assured that they will not run straight into trouble. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scam sites with beguiling promises to bait users into oblivion.
But calm down – you do not need to risk your money to filter out the safe options. Here’s our review of the best options for trading skins in 2022:
CSGORoll
Considered one of the pioneers of the CS:GO gambling industry, CSGORoll has been active since 2015. Primarily focused on gambling games and cases, the website also allows players to engage in skin trading.
While websites like Tradeit.gg or CSMoney focus solely on trading, CSGORoll and other sites have a unique proposal – players can have fun with games, open cases to drop different items, and have the possibility to trade their skin rewards anytime they want to.
Owned by a company registered and licensed in Cyprus, CSGORoll established itself among the world’s most respected CS:GO skin sites. Throughout the site’s history, the general user opinion has always been favorable.
In addition to a clean reputation, they have never been through events involving hacks or similar issues. The platform’s trading section is divided into a P2P dashboard and the website’s stock.
More often than not, the P2P dashboard offers the biggest variety of skins. The value and rarity of the skins available vary a lot. For example, it is not hard to find a Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore or an Emerald Butterfly Knife.
CSGORoll is always concerned about fair prices. When you select a certain item, the platform will tell whether an item is custom-priced and might be overvalued, suggesting a price at which the deal would be fair.
The website’s trading section also signals “Unstable Items,” which are skins that tend to suffer constant price fluctuations. Use the filters to select skins by minimum/maximum price or go straight for the “Best Deals” option.
CSGOEmpire
Nicknamed the “original skin gambling site,” CSGOEmpire is a licensed CS:GO gambling platform founded in 2016. Even though you can enjoy yourself wagering on Roulette, Jackpot, or Match Betting, most users do not know that the site offers a unique trading market.
CSGOEmpire’s withdrawal system is based on P2P trading. Accordingly, many users have been using it exclusively for trading without necessarily engaging in any sort of gambling activity.
No matter how inexperienced you might be on CS:GO gambling, you will not need to go through it to trade skins on CSGOEmpire. Even Steam accounts at level zero can engage in skin trading through the website.
Please note that CSGOEmpire has KYC requirements for players who attempt to deposit or withdraw skins priced over US$1,000. To start trading skins on CSGOEmpire, you just need to sign in, click on “Deposit,” and choose “CSGO P2P” as the payment method.
The next step is to select the skins you want to trade. If you want to set up a custom price, click on the selected item, and use the “Price Increase” slider to set the item’s price.
After confirming the price, you can list the skin for P2P buyers. Once another user decides to place an offer, you just need to click on “Sell Now,” and go through the following steps to trade the item via Steam.
Please note that you will be credited with coins after completing the trade. These coins are the virtual currency used on CSGOEmpire, which you will later withdraw in the form of skins.
DatDrop
DatDrop is a world-class platform exclusively focused on case openings and upgrades. The website also offers the “Battle Opening” feature, which makes the experience of opening CS:GO crates much more exciting.
Another honorable mention is the great selection of cases available on DatDrop, ranging from cases priced at a few cents to the more expensive options. However, that is not the focus of our guide.
Many users do not know that you can trade skins on DatDrop without necessarily buying cases or going through upgrades. The system is simple, as players depend on the site’s P2P system to withdraw skins.
After signing in through Steam, users can deposit the selected skins via G2Pay or SkinPay. DatDrop’s “Withdrawal” section is virtually a skin marketplace. If you want to take advantage of the best deals, you must act rapidly.
Users on DatDrop tend to look for the same skins, as the most desired skins are actually those with higher market value. In the “Withdrawal” section, you will have the “Select Offers” dashboard showing a list of skins you can choose to trade.
Bellow each item, you will find its price and the suggested price based on the fair market value. After selecting one or multiple offers, you can click on “Purchase All” to complete the transaction.
Once you select an item for purchase, its status will be shown as “Pending” until the trade is complete. The whole process involves no fees and works directly from one user to another via Steam.
Hellcase
If you want a top-notch case-opening website with a great reputation and solid features, Hellcase is the way to go. Active since 2016, the site amassed a large crowd of followers throughout the years.
Currently, data from SimilarWeb shows that they have more than one million views per month, which is an outstanding number considering the website’s niche. Before talking about Hellcase’s P2P marketplace, it is interesting to take a look at the “Trade Up Contract” feature.
Available for skins from CS:GO, Dota 2, and Rust, the feature allows you to get rid of unwanted skins and exchange them for better items. Hellcase has a fair exchange policy, which means users can rest assured that they are actually upgrading their portfolios.
The website has no virtual currency or token, as users use cash, crypto, or skins to pay for cases – all done directly. Similar to the sites recommended in this list, withdrawals are limited to CS:GO skins.
You can deposit skins and trade them with other players through the P2P system used for withdrawals. With no fees involved and plenty of interesting possibilities for trade, smart skin traders will certainly consider Hellcase’s P2P market heaven sent.
After signing in through Steam, you must deposit the skins you want to exchange. Once the selected skins are listed on the platform’s P2P system, you just need to wait until another use places an offer and complete the remaining steps to conclude the deal.
The platform has an automated trading bot, allowing users to connect within seconds. Hellcase’s user experience is smooth. No matter how crowded the P2P market might be, the site runs smoothly without lags.
Gamdom
Gamdom is a well-known CS:GO gambling website with the well-known Gamdom promo code, but many users do not even have a clue that it also offers a solid skin trading market. Launched in 2016, the site is focused on gambling games and has a strong presence on different social media channels.
The platform allows players to deposit and withdraw CS:GO skins through a P2P system. You do not need to engage in gambling to participate, just sign in using your Steam account, and select the P2P method to deposit the skins you want to trade-off.
After selecting the skins to trade and clicking on “Deposit,” the platform will automatically create an offer.
Each trade offer is active for up to 15 minutes. If no one is interested in the offer within 15 minutes, the system will automatically cancel it. In such cases, you’re free to create another offer.
Once someone joins your trade offer, the 10-minute timer to conclude the trade deal starts running down. All you need to do is confirm the transaction on Steam to complete the steps.
Considering the massive amount of users active on Gamdom, their P2P market offers a broad variety of options.
Similar to Hellcase, Gamdom also allows users to get rid of low-tier skins through their own “Trade Up” feature. If you are smart enough, it is possible to combine the advantages of trade-ups and P2P trading to get the best possible skins.
Which Was the Criteria Used to Pick the CSGO Trading Sites Featured on Our List?
Many websites promise to offer the “best guides” on the internet but the final content features only repetitions of other content. Instead of going in this direction, we decided to reunite a team of experts to identify the best CS:GO trading sites from a different perspective.
Most lists available online exclusively focus on trade-only sites. However, these websites have commissions on top of each trade successfully completed on their platforms.
Our list is focused on alternative trading sites that offer you the possibility to trade skins without necessarily paying a commission. Here’s our list of criteria to pick the CS:GO trading sites feature in this guide:
Reputation
In recent years, the CS:GO industry has grown exponentially, which led to the birth of thousands of trading sites. However, not all of these sites managed to survive in such a competitive environment.
Our list consists only of trading sites that have survived the test of time and have been proving throughout the years that they are worth the user’s attention.
Please note that it does not necessarily mean that only pioneer CS:GO sites were considered in the assessment. Still, the longer a trading website has been available, the more convincing it sounds to new users.
Security and Usability
No trading site can be considered good without safety and usability. If users are exposed to the risk of losing skins to hackers, why would they even engage in trading? In our assessment, we only considered how good each site’s security tools are and whether they go through regular audits.
Another important aspect is how smooth the website’s navigation is, allowing users to trade skins freely without going through complex proceedings.
Online Reviews
Our assessment is the result of unbiased research, which means simply looking at other reviews is not the way to go. The sincerest reviews are those written by everyday users on different websites.
Our team has checked several platforms and forums to reunite thousands of reviews of each assessed website. We’ve considered the general user opinion amid the CS:GO community, how good or bad the content of the reviews has aged, and the proportion between positive and negative reviews.
Variety and Quality of Skins
Good trading websites tend to attract more customers, which directly affects the variety and quality of the skins available for P2P trades. No one wants to trade high-value skins using a shady or invisible site with minimal options.
From Battle-Scarred to Factory New items, users must have a wide variety of skins to choose from.
Level of User Activity
As part of our selection criteria, we exclusively picked sites with a high level of user activity.
It is almost impossible to complete successful trades on a platform that looks like it has been abandoned for several years. Some CS:GO sites simply fail to attract users, which results in scarce or non-existent options.
Another recurrent issue in the CS:GO trading market is the scarcity of stocks. Many sites promise a stock filled with skin options, but they fail to hold on to their promises once players want to withdraw certain items.
The situation is even worse when the site fails to update its stock or communicate with its audience, leading users to a frustrating experience.
Social Media
One of the best indicators that a skin trading site is active is how they interact with users on social media. Simply having a “dead” account on Twitter is not enough.
Our team went through in-depth research to assess each platform’s performance on social media and how they interact with users on daily basis. Good factors include posting regularly, responding to comments on time, and offering bonuses to active followers.
Customer Support
Often an underrated aspect, customer support is a crucial factor for any CS:GO trading site. Without proper customer support, users may commit mistakes or lose skins due to the lack of proper information.
Our team considered several elements to determine whether a trading site offers solid customer support, including:
- The number of customer support tools available
- The quality of the tools
- Whether the site responds in a timely fashion
- The quality of the FAQ section
- How supportive the FAQ information actually is
Another crucial aspect of our assessment was to look at accounts and reports from past users on how the site handled real-world situations that required detailed support.
F.A.Q About CSGO Trading Sites
Congratulations! Now you can freely trade CS:GO skins without paying hefty commissions. To close down this guide, we answered the most frequently asked questions about our CS:GO trading sites.
Is it Safe to Trade Skins via P2P Trading Sites?
Yes, our list of CS:GO trading sites consists only of reputable platforms with extensive positive reviews by experts and users.
Another aspect of P2P trading is paying attention to the proceedings involved in trades. Failing to follow the required steps correctly may result in costly mistakes or even the loss of valuable skins.
Why Trade Skins on P2P Sites Other Than Steam?
You are free to trade skins on Steam. However, they require a commission of 15% for each trade completed through their platform. In terms of cost-benefit, the best option is to trade skins directly with other users and save a significant amount of money in the process.
How Can I Avoid Issues When Trading CSGO Skins via P2P?
The first step is to read the “Terms & Conditions” of each trading site. Although the steps involved in P2P trading are always similar, different sites have their own set of policies.
Additionally, it is fundamental to walk through the process precisely and only confirm after checking all the aspects of a trading offer.
Which Factors Determine the Price of Skins?
Determining the price of CS:GO skins involves several aspects, including the skin float, the rarity of the item, and whether it has special features, such as belonging to a special collection, the presence of stickers, etc.
The combination between these different elements and the demand for certain skins based on the current market trends results in a certain skin price threshold.
