Is CS Skin Selling Still Profitable?
I keep seeing TikToks about people making thousands flipping CS skins, but every time I try, I just lose money on the trade lock or the site fees. Is the "golden age" of skin trading actually over for the average person? It feels like you need a massive starting budget or a bot to make any real profit these days. I'm considering just selling my whole inventory and moving into something else if there's no way for a casual player to grow a small $100 investment anymore.
Comments
The TikTok guys are usually selling a dream or a course; the reality is much slower and more boring. You can still make profit, but it’s about "buy low, hold for a year," not "flip today for 20% profit." The trade lock was designed specifically to kill the fast-flipping meta, so you have to be patient if you want to see any meaningful growth in your balance.
Success in the current market requires a much deeper understanding of timing and platform selection than it did a few years ago. Check out https://www.ebar.com/story/328818 for a realistic look at the pros and cons of selling CS:GO skins and why the market has become so much more competitive recently. One major takeaway is that casual flipping is nearly dead due to the high fees and the seven-day trade cooldown, which traps your capital for too long. If you want to grow that $100, you're better off looking at low-supply items like older operation stickers or specific trade-up fillers that people need for high-tier crafts. It’s not about how much you trade, but how smart your entries are. Don't expect "get rich quick" results, but if you treat it like a long-term savings account with higher risk, the rewards are still there for those who do their homework.