Pricing your skins can be a challenging task, especially for newcomers or those returning after a significant hiatus. In the past, CS.Money used to be the benchmark, but that’s no longer the case.

What is Buff163?

Buff163 is a Chinese company launched in 2018 and was one of the first marketplaces with a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) system. This means that Buff163 never actually possesses the skin; it goes directly from the seller to the buyer. All Buff163 does is hold the money until they confirm that the trade has been completed.

When Steam introduced the 7-day trade hold system, Buff163 experienced significant growth. They avoided the impact since they never physically hold the skin. The previous market leader, CS.Money, suffered as they held onto the skins themselves and were heavily affected by this change. Buff163, relying solely on supply and demand without a vested interest in selling skins at a higher price, kept their prices more accurate to the skin’s actual value. CS.Money earned money through upselling, buying and selling at a higher price, which made their prices more expensive than the actual value. Buff163 grew substantially and currently has the largest website with the highest buy/sell volume per day. This makes their prices the most updated based on demand, and that’s why we use their prices as a reference today.

Buff Market is an international version of Buff163, but it is not as large, and the buy/sell volume is not as high. When referring to Buff163 prices, we always mean Buff163.

Why don’t europeans sell their skins on Buff163?

Some do, but there’s a significant issue when it comes to withdrawing funds. Buff163 requires verification with a Chinese bank account, making it difficult to withdraw money if you’re not a resident of China. Non-Chinese citizens have two options for their balance:

1. Purchase other skins with their balance.
2. Sell their balance through platforms like Facebook groups by buying gift cards and providing the code to the buyer.

Apart from these alternatives, your balance remains locked on the platform. That’s why many opt for alternative platforms, such as CSMiddler!

How do you use Buff163 to price your skins?

First, you need to log in and create an account. Here’s how:

1. Go to buff.163.com.
2. Click on “Login” or “Register” in the upper right corner.
3. Scroll down to +46 (or the country code for your phone number) and enter your phone number.
4. Click “Get Code” and enter the code received via SMS.
5. Accept the terms and click “Login” or “Register.”

Afterward, look up the skin for which you want to check the price. Prices are always discussed in terms of “percentage of Buff163 price.”

Percentage of Buff163 Price	Pricing
Below 88%	Super cheap
88-92%	Cheap
92-97%	Standard
Above 97%	Expensive

It’s important to note that this is a general guide for what’s considered expensive and cheap. Depending on the skin’s rarity, float, and other factors, what’s considered expensive for the same skin can vary.

To calculate in Swedish krona or for example euro:

1. See the value in Chinese Yuan Renminbi.
2. Convert the value using a service like Google:

3. Depending on how quickly you want to sell, you can choose a Buff163 percentage. For example, 93 percent of 5000 becomes 5000 * 0.93 = 4650 kr/€.

Now, all that’s left is to find a buyer!

Pro tip: Skip this b*llshit and use CSMiddler

We recommend using an intermediary like CSMiddler to avoid the risk of scams. For sellers, it’s entirely free!

If you want to skip the entire process explained in the article, you can log in to csmiddler.com and go to your inventory. There, you can see the Buff value of all your skins (in kronor/Euro directly) as we fetch all the information for you!

Pretty convenient, right :)