If you’ve been playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for some time, there’s a strong chance you’ve heard about skin trading. Skins are a valuable community within the CSGO community, allowing established players to upgrade their avatars and put a personal touch to matches. Skins were first introduced to CSGO back in 2013, just a year after the game itself was launched. Although not designed to create a virtual economy, CSGO quicks quickly become a valuable commodity. Today, some Counter-Strike: Global offensive skins can cost many thousands of dollars.
The Beginnings of a Trading Boom
Originally, skins were introduced purely to provide players with a way to overhaul avatar aesthetics. However, with many skins in short supply, a thriving marketplace arose. In the early days of CSGO skin trading, there was no shortage of ways to get your hands on new skins for your avatar.
Most Expensive CSGO Skins of All Time
In 2020, a StatTrak M4A4 Howl skin was bought by a Chinese collector for a staggering $130,000. While this is certainly the priciest skin sale of all time, it’s by no means the only CSGO trade that’s broken five figures. In 2018, one player snapped up an AWP Dragon Lore skin for an eye-watering $61,000. What made the weapon skin so special? Well, the AWP Dragon Lore is certainly one of the rarest around, but this particular skin was emblazoned with Skadoodle, a player from the 2018 Cloud9 team line-up.
Safer CSGO Skin Trading
If you’re thinking about profiting from your existing skins or want to explore what’s available, skin trading platforms are the way forward. In theory, the practice is perfect, but you’ll want to protect yourself from scams with a little due diligence.
TO ensure you’re trading over a relative platform, do your research? How old is the platform? The longer the site has been around, the more likely it is to be a secure place to do business. That’s not to say that newer trading platforms are illegitimate, however. If you’re dealing with a younger trading platform, see what other online channels it may be using. Social media is always a good route. Check to see if the site operators are using their social channels to engage with users. If you’re encountering dead silence, take this as a sign to avoid the platform entirely.
Any decent CSGO trading site will make a point of mentioning how many trades it has facilitated. The more trades completed over a platform, the safer it will be to trade or buy skins yourself.
For most CSGO players looking to explore skin trading, commission rates will be a deciding factor. If commission rates are unreasonably high, avoid the platform entirely. However, the same logic applies in reverse. If commissions are marginal, you may be dealing with a scam to entice unsuspecting users into handing over their hard-earned cash. Look for platforms that offer commissions that are in line with the market average. Anything that deviates by more than 5-10% from the standard rate should be viewed with suspicion.
Trading CSGO Skins Online
Provided you’ve picked a reputable online platform, it’s perfectly safe to trade CSGO skins online. Looking to secure a new skin that will appreciate the value in the future? Find out the best CSGO player of 2021 here and see what in-game skins they’re currently sporting. See if your budget stretches to tournament-specific skins that will quickly accrue value. Alternatively, look ahead to future tournaments and be the first to snap up limited-time skins that can be resold for a small fortune down the line.
