Trading

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Trading is an in-game system first introduced in the Mann-Conomy Update that allows players to swap weapons, hats, misc items, and tools with others.

Mechanics

The trading screen, with an example trade in progress.

A successful trade.

To reach the trading screen from the main menu, select the Manage Items button, and then the Trading icon.

Players may request a trade with a fellow user from their friends list, from the current game server or by entering the Steam Community URL of another player. A trading request will be sent to that player, providing they are online and are currently playing Team Fortress 2. Should the receiver choose to accept the trade, the game screen will be replaced with the trading screen. Should the player deny the trade or not accept within the 30 second time limit, the trade will be canceled. There is a 30 second time period until another trade request can be sent.

Up to eight items of any kind can be traded from one player to another in a single transaction. The user's trading boxes are the upper eight on the right side of the screen. In order to offer items for trade, the user may either select and drag them from their backpack (displayed on the left) into any of their available boxes or double-click on them, which will automatically move them into the first available box. The lower eight trading boxes display the other user's trade offer. The trading window also shows the color of the item's Rarity as a background and outline. Both users can communicate and determine the trade using the provided private chat box visible under the backpack.

After reviewing the items offered in the trade, both users must click the "Ready to Trade" checkbox. If the offer is changed, the players will be required to click "Ready to Trade" again. Once both users are ready to trade, they can then click "Trade Now" to complete the trade.

It is possible to continue playing, and leave the trading window in the background, by pressing the 'escape' key. Pressing 'escape' again returns to the trade window. A player wishing to block all trade requests can do so using the game options.

Audio Cues

There are several small sound files that play to alert the traders to certain events:

• Items in the trade have changed.
• The trade was cancelled.
• Both players have accepted the offer.
• Trade complete.

Trading Tips

Keep the following tips in mind for an enjoyable trading experience.

• Pay attention to the background color of the items being traded, signifying Rarity.
• Always re-check items being traded after seeing the "Offer is changing... Please wait" message.
• Trades should be conducted with patience. Don't give into the other player's pressure if they're pushing you into a trade you're not happy with.
• Keep your backpack tidy. A well-organized inventory will allow you to easily show a trading partner the items they're looking for.
• Respect goes a long way in a trade.
• Always remember that patience is the key. There will usually be somebody who will want to take your trade.
• Keep in mind that certain sites or forums such as the official TF2 steam forum has a trading section. This is handy for setting up fair trades and a good place to consult if one is not sure about the value of an item.

Scams

Due to the wide range given to trading, players may be subject to scam attempts and/or offer disagreements. It is advised to avoid the following practices.

• Multiple trade transactions: Trading more than 8 items over two separate trade transactions is a risky practice, and best avoided. There is no guarantee the other trader will not simply disappear after the first trade.
• External trades: Trading in-game items for money and/or Steam games is extremely risky and not supported by Steam's Terms of Service or Item Trading Guidelines.
• Glim-Dropper: A common scheme made by multiple accomplices (most likely two). The primary accomplice will declare that they desire a certain item (usually of low value), and are willing to trade one of their valuable items for it, to a victim who does not have the certain item. At another time, the second accomplice will approach the victim and say that they have that certain item and want to trade. The victim, thinking to profit, offers an item (or multiple items) with value between the certain item and the valuable item, to the second accomplice. The main accomplice, after this trade is conducted, cannot be found to complete the trade, and the victim is left holding the certain item, which is less valuable than the items traded for it. If a trade is too good to be true, don't buy it.
• Raffle contests: These usually consist of players giving a low value item, such as scrap metal, to enter a raffle for a chance to win a high value item, such as a hat. There is no way to guarantee the contest is carried out fairly; in all likelihood, the "random winner" is in on the scam. An alternative outcome to this scam is that the host of the raffle, i.e. the person receiving all the entry items, may simply leave the server with the low level items they have collected.
• Fake Middle-man: A scheme in which someone offers a valuable item for more than the trade box will allow. When someone accepts their trade offer, the scammer offers to use a middle-man to ensure the victim that he will get his items. The scammer uses his own middle-man in the trade. When the scammer's accomplice (the middle-man) receives the victim's items, he then leaves the server.
• Re-naming: A scam where a player will re-name the item something different to give the illusion of a higher rarity. Commonly named "Unusual..." or "Vintage...". Perhaps the most common example is when someone attempts to pass off a re-named Rocket Launcher or Sticky Launcher as "Rocket Jumper" or "Sticky Jumper".
• Bait and Switch: A rare scam in which you make an agreement in a trade and the scammer ask to add more items, such as crates or weapons. As the victim is putting the items, the scammer switches the valuable item with a less valuable item. Fortunately, the October 20, 2010 Patch added a notice in chat whenever the person you're trading with adds or removes an item, making this scam less effective.
• Double Team: An uncommon scam where two people working together join a server and the first person states he/she desires an expensive/rare item. When the first person receives a trade, he will offer something, usually of low value, to the seller, should the seller decline the trade, the first person will ask the seller to price check the item on the server, now the second person will give a price similar or lower then the item that the first person offered, now the seller will either decline altogether or accept the trade, after the trade is complete the person will change servers and repeat with a new screen name.

Community trading glossary

With the implementation of the trading system the community has started and since then continuously used specific terms describing items' specific attributes concerning their usability in trading and crafting as well as their trading value.

"Clean" items 

Refers to hats, weapons and Miscellaneous items that have not been gifted to obtain the "Gifted from" text. They can be directly used in the trading process (without requiring the use of a gift wrap). They are also generally craftable (with few exceptions).

"Dirty" items 

As opposed to the "clean" ones, these are not directly tradable (Mann Co. Cap e.g.) and eventually not usable in crafting. Items that have been gifted or bought from the Mann Co. Store are neither tradable, nor craftable. However, items gifted through the Secret Saxton and Pile o' Gifts can be crafted and traded like any other "Clean" item. Many Halloween hats are dirty as well as a result of the (Haunted Metal Scrap) being made untradeable soon after the release of the update. Items that are tradable but have been gifted are also considered "dirty".

"Crate hats" 

These are hats that are obtainable by unlocking a Mann Co. Supply Crate with a Mann Co. Supply Crate Key. Whether the hat was crafted or found via the Item drop system, it is still considered a "crate hat" since it is one that could be obtained from a crate. Therefore, the value of it is slightly diminished in the eyes of traders. (Note: Unusual hats are not considered to fall under this category, despite originating from crates.)

"Sweeteners" 

Sweeteners are additional non-specific items usually added into a trade negotiation where the value on one side of the trade is perceived to be notably different in comparison to the other. The goal of adding sweeteners is often to provide additional incentive to trade, despite the perceived difference in value of the original item(s). Sweeteners include, but are not limited to, weapons, paints, description tags, name tags, metal, or in some cases, even other hats.

"Upgrading/Downgrading" 

A term used to describe trading a Vintage/Genuine/Unusual item for a corresponding non-Vintage/Genuine/Unusual item plus extra material, or vice versa. In some cases, may also be used to describe trading for the same, but different level, item to attain a specific level item. It may also refer to trading the same unusual quality hat for another unusual quality hat, that is basically the same, except with a different effect. (Ex: Trading a Killer's Kabuto with the Burning Flames effect for a Killer's Kabuto with the Sunbeams effect.)

Common Abbreviations

Information on other common abbreviations used in Team Fortress 2 that are not strictly related to trading can be found Template:W.

Chat Abbreviations
Meaning	Wanting to buy	Wanting to gift	Wanting to sell	Wanting to trade	Item to item ratio	Scrap = 2 items	Promotional items
Abbreviation	WTB	WTG	WTS	WTT	X:X	Scrap Banking	Promo
Meaning	Looking For	Not For Sale	Unique	Vintage	Vintage Vintage	Unusual	Genuine
Abbreviation	LF	NFS	NV	V	VV	U	G

In general, one method that can be used for hats with names that are 4-6 syllables, i.e. the Hustler's Hallmark, Ye Olde Baker Boy, and the Officer's Ushanka, is to abbreviate the hat name by using only the first word or the last word. For example, the Hustler's Hallmark can be abbreviated to Hustler's or Hallmark. But the Ye Olde Baker Boy and the Officer's Ushanka can only be abbreviated to Baker Boy and Ushanka respectively.

Alternatively, one can state the class that the item is for as the prefix and what the item looks like for the suffix. An example would be Demo Crown for Prince Tavish's Crown, and the Soldier Pot for the Stainless Pot.

Untradable items

However, most of these items are 'gift-wrappable'. See Gift Wrap.

Update history

September 30, 2010 Patch (Mann-Conomy Update)

• Added trading.

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.
• Made most tools tradable.
• Fixed Ellis' Cap and the Frying Pan not being tradable

October 27, 2010 Patch (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

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

February 7, 2011 Patch

• 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.

March 1, 2011 Patch

• Updated the Sharpened Volcano Fragment and the Sun-on-a-Stick so they can be traded.

March 15, 2011 Patch

• Updated The Shogun Pack items to be tradeable.

March 21, 2011 Patch

• Hero's Hachimaki now tradable.

May 5, 2011 Patch (Replay Update)

• [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.

May 19, 2011 Patch

• Made the Three-Rune Blade, Hero's Tail, and Sign of the Wolf's School tradable.

June 14, 2011 Patch

• Made the Conjurer's Cowl and Maul tradable.

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 of negotiations 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. A complete list of trading guidelines can be found here.
• Trading isn't available for those users who haven't bought the game but are playing during promotional free periods.

Gallery

• 

  The trading screen, with an example trade in progress

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  Receiving items after trade

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  Successful trade dialog

See also

• TF2TP
• TF2 Backpack Examiner

External links

• Official Team Fortress 2 Item Trading Guidelines