Buying, selling, or trading Dota 2 cosmetics couldn’t be easier.
Dota 2 has many cosmetic items that you can equip. From hero-specific skins for each weapon or armor piece to HUDs, custom map effects, skill effects, effigies, and music packs, you can completely change how Dota 2 looks and sounds.
Outside of events like Crownfall, most of these items will cost you money, however. Fortunately, Valve allows players to trade, buy, and sell (most) cosmetics in the Steam Community Market or through the trade offer system. Here's how to use the market to get your hands on the Dota 2 cosmetics you want.
How to sell items on the Dota 2 market
Outside of purchasing items from the client, Dota 2 uses Valve's Steam Community Market for item sales. Here, players can buy and sell cosmetic items with other players using Steam funds. Valve takes a 5% cut of each transaction.
It is highly recommended you enable two-factor authentication before proceeding to prevent the unwanted sale of items in case you lose access to your account.
It takes a while to sort through an entire Dota 2 inventory looking for market prices, so I recommend using the Item Value Sorter to find out how much each item is worth!
To sell Dota 2 items on the Steam Market:
- Head to your inventory in the client or on Steam in a web browser.
- Select the item you would like to list on the market.
- Click "Sell" at the bottom of the item's description.
- Set a sale price of your choosing.
- Confirm the listing.
- You may need to verify the sale using a Steam mobile authenticator.
- When the item is sold, you'll receive the amount (minus Valve's cut) in your Steam Wallet.
To buy Dota 2 items on the Steam Market:
- Go to the Steam Market page for Dota 2.
- Enter the name of the item in the search box, or adjust the search filters to your specifications.
- Select the item, then pick one of your choice from the listings below.
- Click "Buy Now."
- Ensure you have sufficient Steam Wallet funds to cover the transaction.
- The item will appear in your Dota 2 armory after the purchase is confirmed.
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How to trade Dota 2 items to other players
Trading uses Steam's trade tool to open a window allowing two players to trade items. Normally, you must be friends with the player on Steam to send a trade offer — you can change this setting to allow trade offers from any player, but it is recommended to keep this locked to friends only.
To trade Dota 2 items on Steam:
- Right-click the player in your Friends list in Steam.
- Select Trading, then Send a trade offer.
- Add the items you wish to give to the player.
- Add the items you wish to receive from the player.
- Select Confirm.
- Make sure the offer is correct before you send it!
- The other player will open and accept/decline the offer.
- If accepted, the items will appear in your inventory immediately.
Not all items are tradable. Some may be trade-restricted or bound to an account, meaning you won't be able to market or trade them. Both the in-game Armory and the item in your Steam inventory will indicate any trade restrictions.
When receiving trade offers, be sure to confirm the contents of the trade before you go through with the trade. Once you accept a trade, there's no going back!
For more on trading Dota 2 (and other game's items) check out Steam's full trading guide here.
