Guide · CS2 trade protection

CS2 trade protection explained

Since July 2025 every CS2 trade comes with a 7 day safety window. Here is what it locks, how a reversal works and how you still get paid.

CS2 selling opens soonSee all CS2 prices

TF2 keys or crypto
Price locked when you sell
You never send first

★ Butterfly Knife | Marble Fade (Factory New)

Day 0
Trade accepted
Day 1 to 7
Steam protects it
Day 7 to 8
Paid automatically

Short answer

The 7 day rule

When you get a CS2 item in a trade, Steam marks it Trade Protected for 7 days. During that time the item cannot be traded, sold or changed, and the person who sent it can reverse the trade from Steam. When the protection ends, the trade is final.

What happens after a CS2 trade

The trade is accepted
The items move to the other account right away and Steam marks them Trade Protected.
Seven days of protection
The items cannot be traded or sold. The sender can reverse the trade from Steam in this time.
Protection ends
Steam ends it at its next daily reset, so the full wait is 7 to 8 days. Now the trade is final.

Why Steam added it

Scammers used to take over accounts and move every skin away in minutes. By the time the owner noticed, the items had been traded five times.

Trade protection stops that. Stolen skins cannot move on for 7 days, and the real owner has time to get into the account and undo the trades.

What is locked during protection

A protected item stays in your account and you can use it in game. These things are blocked until the protection ends:

Trading it to someone else
Selling it on the Steam Community Market
Changing it, for example with stickers or a name tag
Using it up, for example in a trade up contract

How a reversal works

The person who sent the items can reverse their recent trades from Steam. Steam then rolls the trade back and the items return. It reverses all of that account's protected trades, not just one.

A reversal is meant for hacked accounts. Steam can also limit trading on the account that uses it, so it is not something to try for fun.

Why CS2 skins and TF2 keys need two trades

Steam does not allow CS2 items in the same trade as items from games without trade protection. That includes TF2 keys, Dota 2 items and Rust skins.

So a swap of a CS2 skin for TF2 keys cannot happen in one offer. On tf2.gg it works in two steps: first you trade us the skin and the price is locked, then we send a second offer with the keys when the protection ends.

What it means when you sell on tf2.gg

A seller could take the money and then reverse the trade, so no honest site can pay for a CS2 skin instantly and stay safe. We wait until the protection is over and pay automatically. You do not have to do anything or come back.

Your price is locked the moment you sell, so a falling market does not change what you get. Your order page shows the exact payout date.

If the trade is reversed, the skins go back to you, the order is canceled and there is no payout.

What we pay right now

All CS2 prices

Questions

How long does CS2 trade protection last?

Seven days, and it ends at Steam's next daily reset. So a protected item unlocks 7 to 8 days after the trade. Hover the item in your inventory to see the exact time.

Can I see items under trade protection?

Yes, in your own Steam inventory. Other people cannot see them in your public inventory until the protection ends.

Does trade protection apply to Dota 2, Rust or TF2?

No, only CS2 for now. Valve has said it may add the same system to other games, but it has not given a date.

Can I reverse a trade if I change my mind?

The option is there for hacked accounts. If you reverse a sale on tf2.gg the order is canceled and you are not paid.

Do you pay before the protection ends?

No. We pay when it is over, because until then the trade can still be undone. Your price is locked from the moment you sell.

What if I bought the skin in a trade last week?

Then it is still protected and you cannot trade it. It will not show as sellable until the protection ends.