We pulled live prices for every CS2 skin across 24 marketplaces and compared each one against the Steam Community Market — the same skin, wear and StatTrak. The gap is bigger than most players think.
Of 18,197 skin variants listed on Steam and at least one other marketplace (both priced at $1 or more), Steam was the pricier place to buy 95% of the time. The median shopper buying the same skin elsewhere saves 42% off the Steam price — $11.32 on the median skin. And that is before you account for the catch every CS2 player knows: money you put into Steam is locked in your Steam wallet. You can spend it on games, but you cannot cash it out.
Median saving buying off-Steam, by the item's Steam price.
Average listing price vs the cross-market average for the same variant. Negative = cheaper than average. ★ = trade/credit market (priced in site credit, not cash).
Credit/trade markets appear at both extremes because their listings are denominated in site credit, which prices differently from cash. Among pure cash markets, CSFloat, ShadowPay, White.Market and Waxpeer were the cheapest and Steam the most expensive.
It is not just Steam. Across 12,963 variants listed on three or more markets, the median gap between the cheapest and most expensive listing was 50%. Buying the identical skin on the wrong site routinely costs half as much again — which is the entire reason a live price comparison exists.
Prices are live listings from the 24 buyable marketplaces SkinWise tracks (reference-only markets Buff163 and YouPin excluded), snapshotted in June 2026. Every comparison is within the exact same variant — skin, exterior, StatTrak and Souvenir — never a lowest-wear shortcut. The Steam analysis covers the 18,197 variants listed on Steam and at least one other market with both at $1 or more. Market price levels compare each listing to the average of all markets carrying that exact variant (3+ required). Figures are listed buy prices and do not adjust for each market's buyer fees, which would widen Steam's gap further.
Yes. In our June 2026 sample of 18,197 skin variants listed on both Steam and at least one other marketplace, Steam was the more expensive place to buy 95% of the time, with a median saving of 42% buying elsewhere.
Steam adds a buyer-side markup on top of its ~15% transaction fee, and funds stay locked in your Steam wallet — you cannot cash out. Third-party markets compete on price and let you withdraw real money, so the same skin usually lists lower elsewhere.
On average across our sample, credit/trade sites like CS.Money and cash markets like CSFloat, ShadowPay, White.Market and Waxpeer priced below the cross-market average, while Steam sat well above it. The cheapest source still varies per skin, which is why we compare every market live.
A lot. Across 12,963 variants sold on 3+ markets, the median price spread between the cheapest and most expensive listing was about 50% — so shopping around routinely saves real money.