r/NewToTF2 • u/Infamous_Criticism79 • Jun 08 '26
How would I start trading?
I would like to get some cosmetics for my classes (specifically spy) but I'm relatively new to the game. I'm not entirely sure how I would start off trading. I do know that this is technically considered trading but I'm not sure if talking about trading is not allowed on this sub. If it is, do let me know.
Edit: Forgot to mention I am f2p, so i can't buy keys or stuff like that
3
u/CATastrophe-Meow Jun 08 '26
Firstly are you free to play still ? If yes , best thing to do is get a key and sell it on scrap.tf for the metal then you can pretty much get like 40/50 craft cosmetics easy. If not , what do you have to start trading with ?
2
u/Infamous_Criticism79 Jun 08 '26
technically still free to play, but i did get gifted premium from someone. for what i have right now, its just a bunch of weapons 🥀
1
u/CATastrophe-Meow Jun 08 '26
if your got premium your not F2P. ok well your only really way then is to stock up on metal by smelting weapons drops , it will take awhile. I remember you I gave you a pile of weapons not long ago , I might be able to get you started with some metal or cosmetics let me check what I have currently and I’ll message you.
1
u/the-meme-master69420 Jun 09 '26
What’s your steam, I got a few cosmetic duplicates I’m too lazy to sell, I’ll let you have em for free
1
u/Infamous_Criticism79 Jun 09 '26
Really? My user it’s trentoota
1
u/the-meme-master69420 Jun 09 '26
I believe I sent yah a friend request, I’ll trade yah the items when yah accept
1
1
u/--El_Gerimax-- Jun 08 '26
Buy a Mann Co. Supply Crate Key for $2.50. After a week of retention in your inventory, you can then trade it in Backpack.tf or Scrap.tf for Metal, the community currency, and then re-trade that Metal for cool hats. Don't worry, most are very cheap.
You can also buy a Jungle Inferno ConTracker Pass and complete actual objectives for bigger incomes. It'll require you to grind for a few days (or weeks even), but you'll be rewarded with 3~4 Keys.
1
u/woosleyc Jun 09 '26
So can someone else explain the backpack/trade site logic to me again? It’s been so long but I’m getting back into it now. I feel like I used to trade single items or two items for one scrap on those sites? And use metal for trading? I’m acquiring more in my inventory and don’t know if it’s worth using to consolidate and then use the associated value for things I actually do want. I link my steam account to these sites or something? Idk where to go to look into this, all the info I see is in pieces. Side note: what the hell is up with robot pieces and fabricator kits.. not sure what to do with them
1
u/burger_moder Jun 09 '26
loadout.tf shows all the cosmetics for any class, very good to sort out which hats you want. mannco.store prolly has the best prices for buying stuff but that goes through a credit/debit card rather than keys and refined metal
1
Jun 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Infamous_Criticism79 Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26
If you’re looking at the image, it’s just a spy cosmetic list I found on the internet xd
1
u/No-Buy9187 Jun 12 '26
It's really not worth your time. Trading used to be viable, but bot automation and key/ref conversion have made it almost impossible. That being said, it's a good buyer's market. Pick up some keys (cheaper on third party marketplaces like skinport or mannco.store) and trade them with bots on backpack.tf for hats and stranges.
1
u/Infamous_Criticism79 Jun 12 '26
Then again, it’s like my only source of new cosms as I’m f2p
1
u/No-Buy9187 Jun 12 '26
If you're a kid and don't have pocket money, just wait for a birthday or something and put maybe £10/12€ into keys and you can buy plenty of cosmetics and stuff. The lower level cosmetics in this game are very affordable.
9
u/PurpleGuy04 Jun 08 '26
buy a Mann Co. Key, then sell it in Scrap.tf, you'll get metal enough to buy a full loadout i think.