Is TF2 Trading still fun? (2024)

[Rainy]

I really do enjoy trading and spend a decent amount of time on it. The community is so full of pessimism but I think that if you truly work at it and enjoy it, you can make great progress. Now sure, it’s harder to make it into high tier trading without supplementing your trades with some cash, but even a small amount can go a long way. Start trading for the enjoyment of it, and keep going for the profits. 

[taser1153]

no. if you want to have fun buy hats you like and actually play the game. if you wanna make money get a job :0000000 1 hour of work = 10000 hours of sitting on a trade server advertising hats nobody wants to buy

[`Yahiamice]

Ignoring all the pessimists in this thread; TF2 trading is still right as fun as it's been in the past, just far less populous. With so much more supply in unusuals and the same overall demand, it may seem as if you get less offers, less interest on your hats, but the core of it all, flipping hats around, buying discounted stuff, trading it for slightly less sucky stuff and building a bigger backpack, is still kicking. I traded from 2013-2017 and came back in 2020-2024, and a lot of things are still the same. You can still snag good deals on auctions (scrap.tf, formerly bazaar), you can still get lucky w/ deals on trade servers (Firepowered, formerly WantedgovIT or Vatican), and even in a market overcentralized by bots (which, IMO, are more of a help than a burden), you can still explore niches like spells, low crafts or collector's and thrive in your own way. Only big difference that might drive people away right now is how hard it is to start: the early-game of trading is comparable to starting off in Terraria. It's a struggle, and you'll make infinitesimal progress for god knows how long until you have a decent capita. If you're starting off from scratch, i'd highly recommend starting off with buying a couple hundred keys, no less than 200. Besides, the fact it's far less active nowadays DOES have it's silver linings; as you can trade passively on the side while you focus on other hobbies, work or studies, while you harvest incoming trade offers all the while your personal trading bot fructified your investments. It's different, it might throw some old time traders away, but the one constant is that it STILL feels right as good to receive a trade offer offering your full buyout in pure for something you're selling. Virtual hat dopamine is an unrivaled motivator

[Dominant]

Bruh, we should just lie for a while and say trading is amazing and ez money. We need to get people interested in trading again. More people means more money in the game, which results in a better economy. 

[TheTexanTiger]

No.

 

There aren't nearly enough new players to generate demand for average items. The new cosmetic items since EOTL have been 99% hot garbage. There are 0-1 active trade servers on a given night, and not many new players on the scene. 

 

Not to mention, it feels like trading has gravitated heavily to whales and collectors hoarding og and event items. 

[AwesomeSause]

My goal is unusual pithy professionals

4 hours ago, TheRenegadeSniper said:

Depends on what your idea of "fun" is.

 

Is "fun" making profit? If so, you need a decent investment into the game for the sake of actually trading unusuals and any other items you get. 

 

Is "fun" meeting new people? If so, go outside. You don't want to know what half of the unusual traders are like outside of the game, trust me. It's a nice mix of weebs, furries, homophobia, racism, or lord knows what else. 

 

I think most people that have any interest in trading usually just end up doing it to work up to a dream unusual of theirs, and call it a day so they can play the actual game afterwards while enjoying the fruits of their labor. Or just treat it like a side hobby if you have some free time. If you're gonna spend a while doing something, might as well try to make some money out of it. 

 

[AwesomeSause]

52 minutes ago, TheTexanTiger said:

No.

 

There aren't nearly enough new players to generate demand for average items. The new cosmetic items since EOTL have been 99% hot garbage. There are 0-1 active trade servers on a given night, and not many new players on the scene. 

 

Not to mention, it feels like trading has gravitated heavily to whales and collectors hoarding og and event items. 

And the problem is, og traders don't want other og traders stuff but og traders cant sell their stuff because newbies can't afford it, I know inflation and economic thingies and stuff happen but man alive that must suck having something worth a lot but not being able to sell it as quickly as some items

 

The other problem is, no one wants to give full pure. It's always "can you do a lil bit lower" or items or mixed, I personally like anything but I can see how, if you sell it for less, they will try to sell it for more and where the hell are the keys going since there's like a bajillion of them, I dont know why its like this but i thought id add it in so someone whos a massive nerd can quote and tell me why

 

Someone bought my hat for 45 keys, sold it for 60, and then one day i saw the hat in a trade server, the exact same one, and they wanted 125 keys for it

 

Vicious circle

[thaboy]

15 hours ago, Rainy said:

I really do enjoy trading and spend a decent amount of time on it. The community is so full of pessimism but I think that if you truly work at it and enjoy it, you can make great progress. Now sure, it’s harder to make it into high tier trading without supplementing your trades with some cash, but even a small amount can go a long way. Start trading for the enjoyment of it, and keep going for the profits. 

Absolutely well said.

[S0me_Random_Guy]

I offered 5 keys over buyers for a massed flies hat yesterday and they declined because they "need" more. Ive had halloween effects myself where people have offered 5 keys over buyers.

 

99% of the trading scene is now profit traders which is no complaint, I'm sure most of this comment section is or has been a profit trader at some point (myself included) and its only logical, but no trading is not really fun any more. Finding good deals has become extremely hard due to automation and competition. Add to that that most people have become bitter at how hard trading is and has made them unwilling to move on their prices with almost an attitude of the wold owes them profit because it is so much harder. Pay up when you want something and lowball when you buy something is really the only meta now.

 

That said its not fun but it is still possible 

 

I think the glory days of trading are long gone from what I hear and I wasn't around for them. Trading was becoming harder but was given a new life by covid and everyone being stuck inside with nothing to do except buy pixels. I went from a $5 to $10,000 backpack from 2020 - 2023 and there's people that have done even better than me but all this to say that to me it has felt exponentially harder in the last year and I can't imagine it will get any easier