Steam Market Fee for CS2: What You Really Pay and Receive
Updated · MyCS2Guru crew
Sold a skin for $10 and only got $8.70, bro? That's the Steam Market fee. Here's exactly how the CS2 Steam Market fee works, with examples, so you never get surprised again.
The fee structure
When you sell a CS2 item on the Steam Community Market, two fees apply:
- Steam transaction fee: 5%
- Counter-Strike 2 fee: 10%
Both are calculated on the amount you receive and added on top to make the buyer's price. Together that's 15% of your proceeds, which equals roughly 13% of the buyer's price.
Worked examples
| You want to receive | Buyer pays (approx.) |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $1.15 |
| $10.00 | $11.50 |
| $100.00 | $115.00 |
| Buyer pays | You receive (approx.) |
|---|---|
| $1.15 | $1.00 |
| $10.00 | $8.70 |
| $100.00 | $86.97 |
Steam rounds fees to the cent, so exact amounts can differ by a cent or two. The selling dialog shows both numbers before you confirm.
Minimum fees and cheap items
Each fee has a minimum of $0.01. On a very cheap item, that minimum can be a big percentage. For example, a $0.03 sale has $0.02 in fees. That's why flipping penny items rarely works.
Where the money goes
Sales go to your Steam Wallet, not your bank. Steam Wallet funds can be spent on games, items and other Steam purchases, but can't be withdrawn as cash. There's also a Steam Wallet balance limit (shown in Steam's terms, varying by currency).
How fees affect flipping
If you buy an item at $10 and want to break even selling it, the buyer must pay about $11.50. That means prices must rise about 15% just to break even. That's why short-term flipping on Steam is hard. See CS2 skin trading.
Quick rule: to profit on a Steam flip, the sale price (what buyers pay) must be more than 1.15 × your purchase price.
Ways to reduce the impact
- Buy with buy orders below current listings. See Steam buy orders.
- Hold items longer if you're investing, so gains can outgrow fees.
- Use the item instead of flipping it; enjoyment is free.
- Bundle decisions: avoid buying and selling repeatedly.
- Consider other markets for cash-out needs, being careful about scams and fees there too. See how to sell CS2 skins.
Steam fees vs skin sites
Skin sites like CSGOEmpire's marketplace let users sell skins for coins and withdraw crypto, with their own rules and fees. See our CSGOEmpire marketplace guide. CSGOEmpire excludes the US, UK, Australia and some other countries. 18+.
| Site | Bonus with FREECASES4U | Games | Payments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clash.gg (Top pick) | 3 Free Cases + 5% deposit bonus | Case battles, cases, upgrader, crash, roulette, plinko, mines, keno, esports | CS2 skins, crypto | Claim |
| CSGOEmpire | Free case up to $1.4k | Roulette, case battles, cases, coinflip, esports | CS2 skins, crypto | Claim |
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the buyer price includes fees.
- Flipping cheap items where minimum fees eat profit.
- Expecting to withdraw Steam Wallet funds.
- Listing below market and losing more than the fee.
Bottom line
The CS2 Steam Market fee is 15% on top of your proceeds, about 13% of what buyers pay. Price with it in mind, flip only with a real margin, and remember Steam money stays on Steam.