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Recommended Trading Practices

Trading is a community feature that allows you to make deals with other players for various Steam and in-game items. As in the real world, players may attempt to deceive or cheat you out of items. We encourage players to review the trading recommendations below in order to enjoy a safe and fair trading experience.

What is a Scam?

A scam is when a player convinces someone to make a deal (trade, gift or market transaction) under false pretenses. Scams usually involve deception in order to convince a player that they are getting a good or fair deal when in fact they are not.

Please view our Steam Item Restoration Policy for more information.

Trades to Never Accept


Trades involving money

The Steam trading interface does not support the transfer of money in any form. This includes Wallet credits, PayPal, gift cards or any other type of currency.

Trades involving CD Keys

Trading for CD Keys is not supported in the Steam Trading interface. CD Keys that are offered are often for a different game, fake, used or region restricted.

Trading items/gifts for nothing in return

You should complete any trades in a single trade. The trading interface supports an unlimited amount of items to be included with each trade so there is no reason to perform multiple trades. If you choose to trade an item without receiving anything in return, you will receive a confirmation dialog prior to completing the trade which lets you know the item you are sending is considered a gift.

Trades offering Steam Wallet credit

Steam Wallet credit cannot be traded, moved, gifted or automatically added to accounts by other players. Never accept trades that offer Steam Wallet funds.

Do not lend or allow others to borrow items

If you give another player an item, there is nothing to stop them from keeping it. In most cases, if a user wishes to borrow an item they will not return it. Do not lend items to other players.

Things to Watch Out For


Ensure that you are trading with the correct person

Scammers often try to impersonate friends and trusted traders. Make sure to review the information in the trade offer to ensure you’re trading with the correct person. It is your responsibility to verify who you are trading with.

Steam provides plenty of information within the trade offer, including how long you’ve been friends, Steam level, how old the account is, and what groups they are moderators of.

Trades involving purchasing an item in order to trade the item to another person

A scammer may attempt to convince you that they will trade you an item if you purchase and trade them something that is for sale on the Steam Market. The scammer will have an excuse as to why they cannot buy it themselves, and they will often have a reason for not being able to trade for it directly (the seller of the item will not communicate with them). After the item is purchased, the scammer will unfriend you and even ban you from communicating with them. The person selling the item is working with the scammer and they just sold a cheap item for a significant amount of money.

Do not trade items outside of the trade itself

If another player requests that you do, they could be attempting to scam you. Always insist that all items be traded within a single offer.

Avoid using middlemen

Middlemen should not be needed if you are trading within the system. A middleman can scam you by impersonating another trader, working with a scammer or keeping any item that you give to them.

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Recommended Trading Practices Steam Item Restoration Policy