Where to start?

[Ficti0nDoesTrading]

   So recently due to the CSGO trading being abruptly turned into a sideways mess from the 7-day cooldown and at least these past couple of months. I've been thinking about coming back into the tf2 trading scene. Problem is. I don't really want to shell money onto keys for easy unusual (1. That isnt my type of thing to do with tf2 and 2. Unusual's aren't my thing either)

   

   That's where you all come in. I'm looking to do start out in the low-tier trading part. But I don't really want to do the whole scrap banking that used to be effective. So I want everyone's opinions on where I should start out. I'm looking to do this all on the side like in my spare time. I'm not looking to do this for a living or have any goals like "Scrap to unusual" or anything like that. So let me know! Thanks everyone! -Ficti0n

[Phink]

27 minutes ago, Ficti0nDoesTrading said:

   So recently due to the CSGO trading being abruptly turned into a sideways mess from the 7-day cooldown and at least these past couple of months. I've been thinking about coming back into the tf2 trading scene. Problem is. I don't really want to shell money onto keys for easy unusual (1. That isnt my type of thing to do with tf2 and 2. Unusual's aren't my thing either)

   

   That's where you all come in. I'm looking to do start out in the low-tier trading part. But I don't really want to do the whole scrap banking that used to be effective. So I want everyone's opinions on where I should start out. I'm looking to do this all on the side like in my spare time. I'm not looking to do this for a living or have any goals like "Scrap to unusual" or anything like that. So let me know! Thanks everyone! -Ficti0n

a good way to spend time and make profit is to take advantage of the difference between scrap.tf sell price and bp.tf classifies buy prices. check items that there are only 1-3 on scpa.tf and tehre are bots in bp.tf taht pay more than that buy the item. 

for example this lord cockswains. Buying painted items for the items normal price can be profitable too. Putting your own money in can help but i think there are better ways to use your money than tf2 trading 

[Ficti0nDoesTrading]

1 hour ago, Phink said:

a good way to spend time and make profit is to take advantage of the difference between scrap.tf sell price and bp.tf classifies buy prices. check items that there are only 1-3 on scpa.tf and tehre are bots in bp.tf taht pay more than that buy the item. 

for example this lord cockswains. Buying painted items for the items normal price can be profitable too. Putting your own money in can help but i think there are better ways to use your money than tf2 trading 

I will keep that in mind. But i'm looking for a starting point. Like buying craft hats etc. Unfortunately I don't know if the prices of craft hats has changed since july of 2017 (when i last traded) and scrap banking looks useless. And I don't exactly remember what the common cheap strange weapon prices are anymore. I haven't found any guides, videos, or spreadsheets saying so.

[N.J]

 <this guide is incredibly comprehensive and come from someone who knows what their doing ( I think). 

For me, scrap.tf aucs have been quite profitable on occasion, as a lot of people sell some very cheap spells (Ive picked up double spelled nade launchers for a key and instantly sold for 2).

 

Hope this helps

[Yackitori]

Getting deals on scrap.tf is really profitable if you want to put time in it. I, like you, am coming from cs trading with nothing, and I turned 2 leftover refined in my inventory into over 70 refined. How long it took to do this? About 3 days of constant trading. 

[Gren]

23 hours ago, Yackitori said:

Getting deals on scrap.tf is really profitable if you want to put time in it. I, like you, am coming from cs trading with nothing, and I turned 2 leftover refined in my inventory into over 70 refined. How long it took to do this? About 3 days of constant trading. 

 

So let's say a full day is 8 hours of trading, so 3x8 = 24 hours.  In 24 hours, you made enough to buy 3 or 4 keys, i.e. less than 10 bucks.  That is absolutely terrible for 24 hours of work.  Here in Canada, you would have made at least $ 250 for that time working at McDonalds, i.e. 25x more.  

 

And herein lies the answer for TS: trading low tiers is a monumental waste of time and only becomes worthwhile if you have a bot with a large inventory of pure.  And if you're doing that, you're going to spend hours upon hours updating prices.  It's not worth it.  

[S.D.M.G.]

try just to buy non-unusual/skins stick around whit normal hats also try to get your hands in items like bills, buds and maxes heads because they are always a vaiavle option to make profit always whit pure