Let's start with the basics

New to trading ?

Multiple times on both Steam and my Twitch channel, people have asked me the same question: “how do I make profit in TF2?”

Before even asking this question, new traders need to understand the tools and the basic concepts of the TF2 virtual economy. In this post, we will take a look at these concepts, as well as an introduction to the holy grail of trading websites known as Backpack.tf

The concepts:

Just like any economy, TF2 has its own currency. The Mann Co. Supply Crate Key is the Dollar of TF2 and has been one of the most stable items in the game in terms of monetary value. People can purchase keys off the official Mann Co. Store at a price of 2.5$/key, but do not do this as there are many better places you can purchase keys for cheaper like the Steam Community Market (2.3$/key) or even third-party websites such as Marketplace.tf (1.8$/key)

Along with keys, comes Metal. There are 3 kinds of metal types in TF2: Scrap, Reclaimed and Refined.

To make 1 Scrap metal, you will need to craft 2 weapons.

To make 1 Reclaimed metal, you will need to assemble 3 Scrap

To make 1 Refined metal, you will need to assemble 3 Reclaimed

In other words:

Craft weapons= 0.05 Ref

Scrap = 0.11 Ref

Reclaimed= 0.33 Ref

For the purpose of simplicity, this blog will now refer to Refined as Ref, and Reclaimed as Rec

Items worth below a key, will always be priced in refined metal. If somebody is selling a Team Captain for 8.44 Ref, this would be the equivalent of 8 Ref, 1 Rec and 1 Scrap metal.

In common TF2 trade slang, keys and metal are often known as “pure”. Pure is the backbone of your trading empire and will be needed if you want to chase any profit opportunities. As of today, 1 Key is priced at 51.33 Refined metal, but key prices in Refined metal are quite volatile, and tend to fluctuate day to day.

For our next post, we will take a look at the trading websites associated with TF2, and how to use them to find profit opportunities. You’ll realize that the first few posts of this blog are targeted for people who are new to trading. If you’re a more experienced trader, fear not for we will go more in depth once we have covered the basics.

-Pope