However, one feature that sets Steam apart from its competitors is the Steam Community Market. If you know of this feature but have never used it, here’s all you need to know about the Community Market.
What is the Steam Community Market?
The Steam Community Market is a unique marketplace offered by Steam to its users, where players buy and sell in-game items or store collectibles for games they’ve been playing. The amount paid or received is in the form of Steam Wallet currency, which roughly equates to your real-world money. Using this money, you can buy other items on the Community Market, or even games. The Community Market is supported by around 350 games, with the most popular games being Counter-Strike 2 (RIP CS:GO), Team Fortress 2, and DOTA 2. It is usually used to buy or sell skins, or other cosmetic in-game items, usually for a profit. These items are stored in your Steam Inventory and can be put up for sale at any time. However, not all items can be sold; these items have a Not Marketable tag on them.
⤷ Is the Community Market safe and legit?
The Community Market is a native feature of Steam itself, and not by some third-party group. Also, Steam has placed several safeguards to limit the access of suspicious accounts and scammers. Therefore, it is completely safe to use, and you can rest assured that no scams of any kind will take place. All deals are done under the moderation of Steam and every decision on there is up to you. Read More: How to Use Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator
How Do I Access the Community Market?
The Steam Community Market can be viewed by anyone for free. However, trading on it is a whole other matter. Anyhow, here’s how to access the Community Market on your Windows device:
How To Use the Community Market
Before using the Community Market, your Steam Account must meet some requirements.
⤷ Requirements for using Community Market
These guards allow the Community Market to operate with a minimal risk of scammers, as not every new account will be able to access the Community Market straightaway.
Things to know before buying and selling on the Community Market
Here are some essential tips you should know before you step into the Community Market.
1. Graphs
When you’re looking at an item on the Community Market, always make sure check out the graphs at the bottom. They help you figure out the best price to buy or sell. There are 2 types of graphs on the Community Market: the median graph and the buy-sell order graph.
Median Graph: This shows how the item’s price has changed over time. By hovering your mouse over the green line, you can see past prices. You can look at prices for a week, a month, or the entire time (lifetime) the item has been sold. You can also zoom in on a part of the graph by left clicking and dragging the cursor to make a square at a specific point on the graph.The median graphs shows the item’s price over timeBuy-Sell Order Graph: This one tells you about the demand from buyers and sellers. The up-and-down axis shows how many orders there are, and the left-to-right axis shows the price. Green areas on the right are for selling, and blue areas on the left are for buying. The middle part shows the current popular price range. If you’re selling or buying, this range is a good place to start.The buy-sell order graph shows the total buy and sell orders for the item and helps determine a suitable price range
2. Steam Commission Fees
Steam takes a commission fee on every sale made; 5% for itself and 10% goes to the developers of the game; meaning a total of 15%. The minimum fees are $0.01 or its equivalent. When, you’re selling an item, you’ll have to decide on a price which profits you most while maintaining a reasonable demand from the buyer.
BUYING an item on the Community Market
Once, you’ve satisfied the requirements stated above, it’s time to finally time to start trading. Follow the steps below to buy something on the Community Market:
⤷ Buy Orders
If, when buying an item on the Community Market, you offer a price that is lower the default one or the one shown in this list, you’ll create a buy order. A buy order allows you to purchase an item when a seller offers that item at your desired price. The purchase will take place automatically, provided you have enough funds in your Steam Wallet. You’ll receive an email notification if the purchase is successful.
SELLING an item on the Community Market
Now, that we’re done with buying, here’s how you can sell items on the Community Market: You should see all the items you’ve put up for sale near the top of the page.
The Best Microbusiness for Gamers
The Steam Community Market is, arguably, the best feature to exist in any kind of game store. No game store allows you to play games and earn an equivalent of real money which can be used to buy skins or whole games. It’s clear why Steam is the choice of nearly all PC gamers, and another reason why you should have a beefy password for your Steam account. Overall, the $5 fee for using the Community Market is well worth it as it is bound to pay off later on. At any rate, make sure to read the graphs and set an appropriate and reasonable price for any items you sell. Who needs business school when you’ve got the Community Market?
