SWAP.GG

Introduction

SWAP.GG is a marketplace for Steam items, particularly for CS:GO skins and items. The platform was founded about 3 years ago, on December 18th, 2018. SWAP.GG is currently operated by Stan van Langen, with headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The SWAP.GG marketplace and company have been vetted by CSGOSKINS.GG and deemed trustworthy by all our standards.

Popularity

SWAP.GG is rated 4.3 out of 5 with over 1.2K reviews on Trustpilot. The SWAP.GG platform received approximately 220.5K visits during the last month. There are currently 1.7K different items available on the marketplace, with a total of 19.1K listed offers. Additionally, the combined value of all CS:GO skins that are currently available on the SWAP.GG market amounts to $21K.

Market Type

SWAP.GG is a traditional bot-based marketplace. That means a seller must first deposit an item before it can be listed on the market. The deposit is done by sending the item to one of SWAP.GG’s Steam bot accounts. Compared to P2P markets where the item can be listed on the marketplace while still being in the seller’s inventory, this is not such a smooth experience for the seller. But it provides a better buyer experience because upon purchase, the buyer can immediately receive the item without needing to wait for the seller to accept the trade.

History

Initially, SWAP.GG was founded as a skin-trading platform where users could trade their own skins from CS:GO and other popular Steam games in exchange for other skins from the bots’ inventories. The website gained decent popularity within a short span of time since its release and later released its own marketplace for users looking to buy and sell CS:GO skins for cash directly instead of trading them.

The rapid growth of SWAP.GG was fueled by the wide variety of skins that the website’s bots had in stock alongside the multiple successful advertising campaigns that it ran alongside some renowned CS:GO YouTubers.

The SWAP.GG marketplace isn’t nearly as popular as its trading platform, but still records a decent number of users logging in per month.

Transaction Fees

The SWAP.GG marketplace charges its users a fixed 5% fee per item sale made on the platform. This fee is automatically deducted from the account balance after a sale is finalized, and is always rounded to the nearest higher Eurocent. The minimum sales fee on SWAP.GG is 0.01€.

The SWAP.GG skin-trading platform, on the other hand, charges a 7% commission on CS:GO skins, with up to 20% additional fee based on its stock.

Users & Popularity

Both the SWAP.GG market and the trading website are decently popular throughout the globe. The SWAP.GG market receives about 200,000 user visits per month, which is a considerable number but still lags behind when compared to some other popular third-party markets like BUFF163. Taking a glance at the stats further reveals that the CIS region accounts for over 20% of the website’s visits per month.

How to Use SWAP.GG

The SWAP.GG platform can be used to purchase, sell, or trade skins from CS:GO and other popular Steam titles. The well-built and intuitive UI of the website makes it a breeze for newer users to navigate through the marketplace. Let’s take a look at how you can use SWAP.GG to purchase and sell CS:GO skins.

How to Buy Skins on SWAP.GG

To begin purchasing skins on SWAP.GG, you’ll first need to log in with your Steam account. This can be done by clicking on the "Log In" button located towards the top-right of your screen.

Once you’ve logged into the website, you can start purchasing skins right away. However, you’ll need to make sure that you have enough funds in your SWAP.GG wallet before you try to make a purchase from the marketplace. To add funds to your wallet, simply head to the Wallet section of the website.

When you’ve added the required amount of funds to your wallet, you can head to the Market section and make your selection from the wide variety of skins available on the SWAP.GG marketplace.

Once you’re done making your selection, hit "Add to Cart" to start the checkout process. You can also choose to "Bargain" when purchasing certain items if you wish to grab them at a lower price.

Proceed with the transaction and finish it. Once done, the CS:GO skins will automatically be added to your inventory after you accept the bot’s trade offer.

Do note that since SWAP.GG is a bot-based marketplace, there’s often a trade hold on certain items available on the marketplace, in which case you’ll have to wait for up to eight days to be able to withdraw that item.

How to Sell Skins on SWAP.GG

Selling skins on the SWAP.GG market is as simple as buying skins on the platform.

Once you’re logged in to the website, you’ll want to head over to the Sell tab to be able to sell skins on the market.

Select the skins that you want to list on the market, set the price tags on them, and hit "Sell Items" to list them on the marketplace.

If your SWAP.GG account is restricted, you’ll have to complete a verification process first before being able to sell skins on the marketplace.

Once you’ve listed your items, all you have to do is wait for a buyer to purchase them. Once a buyer purchases your items, you’ll automatically receive the funds in your SWAP.GG wallet.

How to Trade Skins on SWAP.GG

Trading skins via the bots on SWAP.GG is perhaps the easiest way to exchange your current CS:GO skins for other skins that you want without the hassle of purchasing or selling them. To trade skins on SWAP.GG, you’ll need to navigate to the Trade section of the website and log in with your Steam account.

Once done, you’ll see a list of the skins that you own on the left-hand box and the bots’ inventories on the right. Select the skins that you want to trade from your inventory and choose the skins that you want from the bots. Make sure that the value of the skins you’re offering equals or exceeds that of the bots’ items and hit "Trade" to start the transaction.

The SWAP.GG bots will then automatically send you a trade offer which you can then accept to finish the trade.

If the value of your skins exceeds that of the bots’, you’ll receive the extra funds in your SWAP.GG wallet, and you’ll be able to utilize them in future trades.

Advantages

Here are some of the key advantages of using SWAP.GG over other third-party skin marketplaces:

• Only 5% transaction fee on item sales, which is significantly lower than that of selling CS:GO skins on the Steam Community Market (15%).
• Items on SWAP.GG are generally priced lower than on the Steam Community Market, which makes it a great choice for buyers looking to purchase skins for cheap.
• The "Trade" system is extremely useful for users looking to get new skins without undergoing the hassle of selling and purchasing skins with real money.
• Has a built-in "Screenshot" tool that enables users to inspect weapon skins on the SWAP.GG marketplace without needing to launch the CS:GO client.
• Lots of payment options for buyers who are looking to deposit money into the website.
• Enables users to buy, sell, and trade skins across other popular titles including Team Fortress 2 and Rust.
• Well-built UI makes navigating through the website much easier for new users.

Disadvantages

Here are some disadvantages that you may face when using SWAP.GG:

• Transaction fees are higher than on some other third-party marketplaces like BUFF163.
• Several skins on the website are often seen to be on a trade hold, which means that users are left with no choice other than to wait out the duration of the trade lock before being able to receive the skins in their inventory.
• Selling times for certain items can be quite high, even if they’re put up at reasonable prices.