How accurate is the quantity in existence?

[ConVict The_Hairy_Baboon]

I trade in crates quite a lot but have noticed that no crate series seems to ever have the # in existence ever drop.

 

Is this because of how the backpack scanner works, it doesn't go through all the backpacks every now and then to get updated values?

 

For example, look at crate #1.  http://backpack.tf/stats/Unique/Mann%20Co.%20Supply%20Crate/Tradable/Craftable/1

The quantity hasn't dropped since May 2011, which even then was about 1/2 a year after they stopped dropping.

 

I'm 100% sure a decent number of said crates have been unboxed and now do not exist.  Is there any way of showing that info (or would the database have to start rescanning backpacks from scratch again?

 

 

(I have an idea of how to at least partly keep track, from the item number you can see if it came from a crate, and if it's only been released once, it can be attributed to an opened crate and therefore the count could be reduced by 1 of the corresponding crate.  Not sure if it is worth implementing)

[AwesomeMcCoolName]

I trade in crates quite a lot but have noticed that no crate series seems to ever have the # in existence ever drop.

 

Is this because of how the backpack scanner works, it doesn't go through all the backpacks every now and then to get updated values?

 

For example, look at crate #1.  http://backpack.tf/stats/Unique/Mann%20Co.%20Supply%20Crate/Tradable/Craftable/1

The quantity hasn't dropped since May 2011, which even then was about 1/2 a year after they stopped dropping.

 

I'm 100% sure a decent number of said crates have been unboxed and now do not exist.  Is there any way of showing that info (or would the database have to start rescanning backpacks from scratch again?

 

 

(I have an idea of how to at least partly keep track, from the item number you can see if it came from a crate, and if it's only been released once, it can be attributed to an opened crate and therefore the count could be reduced by 1 of the corresponding crate.  Not sure if it is worth implementing)

Backpack.tf tracks items by ids, if it doesn't see the id then it doesn't count it, iirc for expendable items (keys/crates) it adjust the entire number in existence--its wonky, or it used to be anyway. 

[Sasuke200]

I don't think this is really possible, there is not a way to really tell if an item has been traded away or unboxed without having access to Steam's database and there is not an api for stuff like that(not that I know of).

[HusKy]

It's impossible to tell if an item is deleted (no longer exists) or if it was just traded away to an unscanned/private backpack. I believe the graph shows total amount in existance since the beginning, not currently available amount.

[ConVict The_Hairy_Baboon]

Ok, thanks,

 

That's what i felt was the case, but wasn't completely sure.

[Baraklava]

Backpack.tf tracks items by ids, if it doesn't see the id then it doesn't count it, iirc for expendable items (keys/crates) it adjust the entire number in existence--its wonky, or it used to be anyway. 

Can someone just answer me this and maybe I don't have to make a new thread:

My australiums are not tracked in the australiums stat pages (They are level 88) and is that because the stat track system needs a heck of a long time to register that they are actually in my backpack or is it just a bug? I have had the ambassador for more than a week and it is still not there so it feels like it should have registered. 

http://backpack.tf/stats/Strange/Australium%20Ambassador/Tradable/Craftable

Still nothing