Steam Trading Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the Steam trading terms you actually run into.
- 01
Trade Hold
A Trade Hold is a Steam delay after a trade is accepted. If the account sending items has not been protected by Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator for at least 7 days, Steam may hold those items for up to 15 days. SteamVaults keeps a held offer pending and does not credit the site balance until Steam reports it accepted and the bot confirms receipt.
Read the full Trade Hold definition → - 02
Steam Mobile Authenticator
Steam Mobile Authenticator (also called Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator) is Valve’s two-factor app for login and trade confirmations. If the account sending items has been protected by it for fewer than 7 days, Steam may hold outgoing items for up to 15 days. Passing 7 days does not override other account or item restrictions.
Read the full Steam Mobile Authenticator definition → - 03
Steam Trade URL
A Steam Trade URL is a personal link Steam generates so other users or services can send you trade offers without being friends. It does not grant account access, but anyone who has the link can send offers, so review every offer and reset the token if the link reaches an unintended audience.
Read the full Steam Trade URL definition → - 04
Steam Trade Escrow
Steam Trade Escrow is an older name for Steam's trade-hold system. If the account sending items has not been protected by Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator for at least 7 days, delivery may be delayed for up to 15 days. SteamVaults tracks the offer as pending and credits nothing until Steam reports it accepted and the bot confirms receipt.
Read the full Steam Trade Escrow definition → - 05
Market Hash Name
The Market Hash Name is the canonical string Steam uses to identify a tradable item — for example, Sack of Gems or AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested). It is the lookup key for prices, listings, and trade offers.
Read the full Market Hash Name definition → - 06
Steam Wallet
Steam Wallet is prepaid balance attached to a Steam account. It is not a general bank-withdrawal balance. Steam's limited refund policy may cover Wallet funds bought on Steam within 14 days only when none of those funds have been used.
Read the full Steam Wallet definition → - 07
Marketable
A marketable Steam item can be listed on the Steam Community Market for Steam Wallet credit. Marketability is independent of tradability — some items are tradable but not marketable, and vice versa.
Read the full Marketable definition → - 08
Tradable
A tradable Steam item can be sent to another account via a trade offer. New items, items received in a trade, and items purchased from the Market each carry a different trade-lock duration before they become freely tradable.
Read the full Tradable definition → - 09
Trade Lock
A Trade Lock is an item-level restriction shown in Steam inventory. A newly purchased Sack of Gems may be untradable for 7 days. SteamVaults accepts only a supported Sack of Gems currently marked as tradable and rejects locked items.
Read the full Trade Lock definition → - 10
Steam Guard
Steam Guard is Valve's name for its account-security features, including email protection, mobile authentication, and login confirmation. Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator can remove the specific trade-hold need after 7 days of protection, but it does not guarantee that every account or item is ready to trade.
Read the full Steam Guard definition → - 11
Skin Float (Wear)
In CS2, every skin has a float value between 0 and 1 that determines its wear category — Factory New (0.00–0.07), Minimal Wear, Field-Tested, Well-Worn, Battle-Scarred. Float visibly affects the texture and the price.
Read the full Skin Float (Wear) definition → - 12
Sticker Capsule
Sticker Capsules are CS2 in-game packs that contain one random sticker. Major tournament capsules (e.g. Stockholm 2021, Antwerp 2022) carry investment value far beyond their drop price.
Read the full Sticker Capsule definition → - 13
P2P Trading
Peer-to-peer (P2P) trading is a direct item-for-payment exchange between two Steam users, usually settled through PayPal Friends & Family, crypto, or gift cards — outside of any marketplace.
Read the full P2P Trading definition → - 14
Gas Fee (Network Fee)
A gas fee is the on-chain cost of moving crypto. SteamVaults currently supports USDT withdrawals on Polygon; the configured user withdrawal fee is currently $0.80, but the applicable amount is the one shown before confirmation and it is separate from the bid/ask spread.
Read the full Gas Fee (Network Fee) definition →
Ready to sell Sacks of Gems?
SteamVaults currently supports only tradable Sacks of Gems. Check the live quote, then confirm the trade in Steam.