New to trading and only have 2 ref to my name

[BattleHit119]

I recently jointed tf2 late September and after doing my steam guard time and setting up mobile authenticator I can finally market and trade. I then looked at my backpack and saw I had 2 ref but hey, everyone starts from rags right? So, what's the best possible thing I could get with 2 ref?

[volette1]

ppl will say to start off with more, and it's true to an extent. For info, 2 ref is about 8 cents, so, you won't be getting much of value which desirable. Bots play a big role in this, as the profit margins for items costing 2 ref are about 1 scrap, which isn't even a cent. You will spend too much time trying to buy and resell stuff using only 2 ref, and the profits will be non-existant. 

 

Maybe if you're lucky you can pull something off buying stuff people sell for regular prices on the steam community market (painted, spelled, etc.), but 2 ref is just not enough nowadays unfortunately

[HaloGAMER0329]

As mentioned 2 ref wont really get you anywhere. At that level idling for weapons would be more profitable than trading. You can buy a few keys to get jump started or spend a lot of time trading your way up, but keep in mind  2 refined is only about 8 cents and a key is currently 46 refined so it would be a long climb. 
 

It all comes down to time vs money investment

[Bomsusik]

Back in the days when keys were worth 3-4 refined it would've been possible, but today after all the inflation happened, in my opinion it would be almost impossible... I recommend investing some money and getting yourself at least a single key to get yourself to practice and get to know the craft of trading.

 

But if you traded in the past and know what you are doing, you can start off with at least 10 keys and jump right into low-tier unusuals, slowly but surely moving up the ladder.