The 7-day trade protection on CS2: the clear guide
Since mid-July 2025, Steam applies a trade protection to Counter-Strike 2 items: for 7 days after a trade, it can be reversed. This rule changed the way marketplaces pay their sellers, and it also created new scams. Here is what you need to understand, without the jargon.
Why Steam created this protection
The stated aim is to fight scams and account theft. Before, an item that was stolen or obtained by deception could be resold within minutes and vanish. With a 7-day window during which the trade can be reversed, the victim of a hack or of manipulation has time to get their items back. Valve announced that other games using the Steam Community Market would follow.
How trade protection works
For 7 days, the trade can be reversed
When CS2 items change hands in a trade, they become "protected" for 7 days. During that time, the trade can be reversed and the items go back to their original owner. Sources do not entirely agree on who can trigger the reversal (the sender only, or either party): the main thing to remember is that a trade is only final after 7 days.
The item you receive is usable, but not tradable
During the 7 days, the item you received is in your inventory and you can equip it in game. However, you cannot trade it again, modify it (for example apply or scrape a sticker) or destroy it.
Reversing is all or nothing
A reversal is not pick-and-choose: it covers every trade of protected items from the last 7 days. And it comes at a price: the account that reverses can no longer trade or use the Steam Market for 30 days. This is designed to discourage abuse.
What it changes when you buy
- The item arrives quickly, but stays locked for 7 days. You can use it in game right away, but you won't be able to resell it before the protection ends.
- Buy on a platform, never directly for money. If you pay an individual by bank transfer or PayPal and they send you a skin, they can reverse the trade and get the item back: you lose your money and the skin. Serious marketplaces handle this risk for you.
- No "express" resale. If you were planning to buy and immediately resell for more, that is no longer possible: allow at least 7 days.
What it changes when you sell
- You are paid after the protection window. Marketplaces wait for the 7 days to end to be sure the sale is final, then credit your balance. Allow about 8 days between the sale and the money being available.
- Some sites add their own delay. Since September 2025, DMarket holds sale proceeds for 7 days before withdrawal. Lis-Skins only pays instantly to verified sellers who have already sold at least $50; the others wait 8 days.
- Instant sell is no exception. Even on a bot site that buys your skin right away, the money generally cannot be withdrawn before the protection ends.
To find out where you get the most and how quickly, use the sell calculator: it shows each site's payout time.
Concrete example: a sale from start to finish
Here is the typical sequence of a sale on a serious marketplace, with trade protection:
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | Your skin sells. You confirm the trade in the Steam app (or the site's bot collects it). |
| Days 1 to 7 | The trade is protected: it can still be reversed. The buyer can use the skin in game, but not trade it on. The site holds the money pending. |
| Around day 8 | The protection is over, the sale is final. The site credits your balance. |
| Days 8 to 10 | You request the withdrawal. A SEPA transfer usually arrives within one to two working days. |
If you need the money by a specific date, sell at least 10 days beforehand.
The scams that exploit the protection
The direct sale followed by a reversal
This has been the most widespread scam since July 2025. A "seller" offers you a skin below market price, asks for payment by bank transfer, PayPal friends-and-family or crypto, does send you the skin… then reverses the trade a few days later. They get the item back and keep your money. The simple defence: never buy a skin for money outside a marketplace.
The fake buyer in a hurry
Conversely, a "buyer" may ask you to send your skin before paying, promising to settle "on receipt". There is no reason to do this outside a platform that secures the transaction.
The fake support that "unlocks" your item
Scammers pose as Steam support or a marketplace's support and claim they can lift the protection in exchange for a "verification trade". Nobody can lift trade protection for you, and Steam never asks you to trade an item for a verification.
For the full list of traps, read how to avoid skin scams.
Good habits
- Buy and sell only on recognised marketplaces, which handle the protection for you.
- Never pay an individual outside a platform for a skin.
- Allow about 8 days between a sale and withdrawing the money.
- Don't try to resell an item you received before the 7 days are up: Steam won't let you anyway.
- If a trade is reversed against your will, contact the support of the marketplace concerned with dates and screenshots.
FAQ
When did the 7-day trade protection start?
With a Counter-Strike 2 update in mid-July 2025. Sources give 15, 16 or 17 July depending on whether they date the update or the announcement.
Can I use a protected skin in game?
Yes. It is in your inventory and usable in matches. You simply cannot trade, modify or destroy it before the 7 days are up.
Why isn't my money available right after the sale?
Because the sale is only final when the trade protection ends. Marketplaces wait for that period, about 8 days, before letting you withdraw.
Does trade protection apply to the Steam Market?
Valve said the system applied to CS2 first, then to other games using the Steam Community Market. An item bought on the Steam Market cannot be resold immediately either.
What happens to me if I reverse a trade?
The reversal returns all the items from protected trades of the last 7 days, not just the one you are targeting, and your account can no longer trade or use the Steam Market for 30 days. It is a last-resort tool, to be kept for real cases of scam or hacking.
Can a reversal make me lose a skin bought on a marketplace?
Serious marketplaces protect their buyers and handle disputes. The real risk concerns direct purchases between individuals, paid for outside a platform.