How does the trade profit calculator work?
Enter what you pay for a skin, what you plan to sell it for, and the fees on both sides. The calculator shows your profit, your return on investment (ROI) and the lowest sell price that gets your money back. Results update as you type.
Each fee side has two presets. Pick "Steam Market" to use Steam's exact fee rules, or "Custom %" to type the fee from any other site. Add a quantity if you are flipping more than one of the same item.
When a flip makes money, the profit turns green. When it loses money, it turns red.
How is profit on a CS2 flip calculated?
Profit is what you get from the sale minus what you paid. Fees come off both sides.
- Cost per item = buy price x (1 + buyer fee / 100)
- You receive per item = sell price x (1 - seller fee / 100)
- Profit = (you receive - cost) x quantity
- ROI = (you receive - cost) / cost x 100
When the sell side is the Steam Market, "you receive" is not a simple percentage. Steam adds a 5% Steam fee and a 10% CS2 fee on top of what the seller gets, each rounded down to whole cents with a one cent minimum. The calculator copies Steam's own rounding, so the result matches the Steam sell window. You can see the full breakdown in the Steam fee calculator.
What is the break-even sell price?
The break-even price is the lowest sell price where you get back exactly what you paid. Sell above it and you make money. Sell below it and you lose money.
For a percentage fee, break-even = cost / (1 - seller fee / 100), rounded up to the cent. For the Steam Market, it is the listing price where the seller amount equals your cost. That is your cost plus 5% plus 10%, each rounded down.
| You paid | Break-even with 2% fee | Break-even with 5% fee | Break-even on Steam |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5.00 | $5.11 | $5.27 | $5.75 |
| $20.00 | $20.41 | $21.06 | $23.00 |
| $100.00 | $102.05 | $105.27 | $115.00 |
Steam's break-even is always about 15% above your cost. That makes quick flips on the Steam Market hard.
Worked example 1: the AK-47 | Redline the tool starts with
The empty form shows real numbers for AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested) from our 24 Sep 2026 Skinport snapshot. The buy price is its lowest listing, $22.67. The sell price is its 30-day median sale, $29.75. Both fee boxes start on the Steam Market setting.
- Buy side: Steam prices already include fees, so your cost is $22.67.
- Sell side: a $29.75 buyer price leaves the seller $25.88. The fees are $1.29 and $2.58.
- Profit: $25.88 - $22.67 = $3.21.
- ROI: $3.21 / $22.67 = 14.2%.
That looks fine, but the profit is Steam Wallet money. Steam says these funds cannot be withdrawn. It is only good for spending on Steam.
Worked example 2: buying with a fee, selling on a cash site
Take AWP | Asiimov (Field-Tested). On 24 Sep 2026 its Skinport lowest listing was $99.35 and its 30-day median sale was $107.13. Say you buy at $99.35 on a site with a 2% buyer fee and sell at $107.13 on a site with a 5% seller fee. You want five of them.
- Cost per item: $99.35 x 1.02 = $101.34.
- You receive per item: $107.13 x 0.95 = $101.77.
- Profit per item: $101.77 - $101.34 = $0.43.
- Profit on five: $0.43 x 5 = $2.15, with an ROI of 0.4%.
The break-even sell price here is $101.34 / 0.95 = $106.68. An 8% price gap looks big, but two fees eat almost all of it. If the price drops by even 0.5% while you wait, the flip loses money.
Why do fees matter so much for flipping?
Fees are paid every time an item changes hands. A flip pays them twice: once on the buy and once on the sale. A 15% total on Steam means an item has to rise about 15% in price before you earn anything.
Small differences add up fast. On a $1,000 flip, the gap between a 2% and a 5% seller fee is $30. Use the marketplace fee calculator to see what you keep on each tested site.
What does this calculator not include?
It does not know future prices. Skin prices move, and a flip that looks good today may not work next week. Our guide on how CS2 skin prices work explains what drives them.
It also does not include:
- Withdrawal fees. Cashing out can cost extra. Check the site's review.
- Waiting time. Items bought on the Steam Market or received in a trade cannot be traded right away. The trade hold calculator shows when yours unlocks.
- Currency conversion. If you buy in one currency and sell in another, exchange rates change your result.
- Taxes. Steam's FAQ says tax rules differ by country and are up to you.
When should I use this calculator?
Use it before you buy an item you plan to resell. Enter the price you can realistically sell at, not the best price you have ever seen. If the break-even price is close to today's price, the flip has very little room for error.
It is also useful after a trade, to see what you actually earned once all fees are counted. If you are thinking about holding skins for a long time instead, read are CS2 skins a good investment first.
