Transparent, Data-Driven, and Accurate: How SteamAnalyst Calculates CS2 & CS:GO Skin Prices
Last updated: January 2026
For 12 years, SteamAnalyst has been trusted by millions of traders because we do one thing exceptionally well: we provide accurate prices based on real market data.
Unlike many competitors who display inflated listing prices or manipulated data, we track actual completed sales from the Steam Community Market and verified third-party platforms. This page explains exactly how we do it.
Core Principle: Our prices reflect what items actually sell for, not what sellers hope they will sell for. This distinction is what makes SteamAnalyst the industry standard.
The CS2 skin economy has evolved significantly since 2013. Today, trading happens across multiple platforms - from Steam Market to BUFF163 to dozens of other marketplaces. SteamAnalyst aggregates data from all major markets to give you a complete picture of what skins are actually worth.
Why Multi-Market Matters: A skin might sell for $100 on Steam Market (with 15% fees) but $85 on BUFF163 (with ~2.5% fees). Which is the "real" price? We believe you need to see both - that's why we show prices across all major platforms.
We aggregate real transaction data from the following verified sources:
The world's largest CS2 skin marketplace by transaction volume. BUFF163 has become the de facto price reference for serious traders due to its low fees (~2.5%) and high liquidity. We integrate BUFF pricing directly into our multi-market comparison.
The official Valve marketplace. While fees are higher (~15%), Steam Market remains important for:
Having data from multiple markets allows us to:
Once we collect raw transaction data, we apply a multi-step calculation process to derive the final displayed price.
We aggregate sales data across multiple time periods to capture both short-term volatility and long-term trends:
Why time-weighted? Recent sales are more relevant for current trading decisions, but longer-term data prevents short-term price manipulation from distorting the market view.
Not all sales are equal. High-volume items (100+ daily sales) have more reliable pricing than rare items (1-5 sales per week). We adjust for this:
Price manipulation attempts (wash trading, fake sales, bot manipulation) must be filtered out to maintain accuracy.
Our outlier detection algorithm:
Example: If an AWP | Dragon Lore typically sells for $2,000-$2,500, and we detect a sale at $50 or $15,000, this is automatically flagged and excluded from our calculations until verified as legitimate.
Automated trading bots can create artificial volume that distorts market data. We filter these transactions using:
SteamAnalyst displays prices in 15+ currencies. Our conversion methodology ensures accuracy:
Accurate pricing requires continuous validation and quality control. Our QA process includes:
Our team of veteran traders reviews:
We encourage community feedback:
Pricing data is updated on different schedules based on item liquidity and market dynamics:
| Item Category | Update Frequency | Data Latency |
|---|---|---|
| High-Volume Items (AK-47 | Redline, AWP | Asiimov, etc.) | Real-time (5-15 min) | <15 minutes |
| Popular Knives (Karambit, Butterfly, etc.) | Hourly | <1 hour |
| Mid-Tier Skins | Every 4 hours | <4 hours |
| Rare/Low-Volume Items | Daily | <24 hours |
| Stickers & Collectibles | Daily | <24 hours |
Here's how our methodology compares to other CS2/CS:GO pricing sites:
| Feature | SteamAnalyst | Most Competitors |
|---|---|---|
| Data Source | Actual sales data | Listing prices |
| Outlier Filtering | Advanced statistical filtering | Minimal or none |
| Bot Trade Filtering | Comprehensive bot detection | Unfiltered data |
| Multi-Market Validation | 5+ marketplace cross-checks | Single source only |
| Manual Review | Expert trader oversight | Fully automated |
| Methodology Transparency | Fully documented (this page) | Undisclosed methods |
| Historical Data | 12 years of records | Limited history |
While we strive for maximum accuracy, traders should be aware of inherent limitations in any pricing system:
CS2 and CS:GO skin prices can change rapidly due to:
Our recommendation: Always check the timestamp on price data. For volatile items, refresh prices before making large trades.
Steam applies regional pricing that can create 10-30% price differences between countries. Our prices reflect global average pricing weighted by transaction volume in each region.
For wear-based skins (Factory New, Field-Tested, etc.), float values (0.00-1.00) significantly impact price. Our base prices represent median float values. Exceptionally low floats (0.00x) or pattern-specific variants (e.g., Karambit Case Hardened "Blue Gem") can trade at 2-10x our listed price.
High-value skins ($5,000+) are often traded privately or via third-party platforms with limited transparency. Our prices for these items may lag behind private market valuations by 5-15%.
Our methodology is continuously refined based on:
Our Commitment: SteamAnalyst will always prioritize accuracy over convenience, transparency over opacity, and real market data over inflated listings. That's why traders have trusted us for 12 years—and why we'll remain the industry standard for years to come.
We believe in complete transparency. If you have questions about how we calculate prices, concerns about specific items, or suggestions for methodology improvements, please reach out:
