CS2 Trade-Up FAQ
CS2 trade-up contracts exchange 10 skins of one rarity for one skin of the next rarity. Profit depends on buying inputs below market value, predicting the output condition from the average adjusted float, and selling the result after marketplace fees. CSAlpha tracks real listings and calculates expected value so traders can evaluate contracts with current data.
Using CSAlpha
What is CSAlpha and how does it find profitable trade-ups?
CSAlpha scans live marketplace listings from CSFloat, DMarket and Skinport and runs every 10-input → 1-output combination through a deterministic output-float model and fee-adjusted expected-value math. It ranks the contracts whose inputs are buyable right now — at the shown float and price, in enough quantity to actually execute. No theoretical price sheets; only contracts you can buy this session.
Where does your pricing data come from, and how fresh is it?
Input and output prices are built from real listings and completed sales across CSFloat, DMarket and Skinport. How fresh the board is depends on your tier: Free sees a 2-hour delay, Pro 30 minutes, and Elite real-time.
What does "verified" mean on a trade-up?
CSFloat is the sole verification authority. A trade-up is verified only when a live, buyable CSFloat listing exists inside the required float range, deep-linked to the exact item. Verification is automatic — there is no button to press and it works the same on every tier.
What's the difference between Free, Pro and Elite?
Every tier gets the same NPV / IRR / depth / budget filters and the same deep links — the paid lever is board freshness. Free runs a 2-hour delay ($0), Pro 30 minutes ($15/mo), Elite real-time ($25/mo). Pro and Elite also unlock Risk-Ranked Boards, and Elite adds personalized Discord alerts — your own bot DM feed, filtered to your ROI, cost and risk settings (set up under Settings → Alerts). Annual billing is 20% off. See Pricing.
What are Risk-Ranked Boards?
A Pro/Elite ranking that sorts contracts by risk-adjusted return — expected profit per dollar at risk — and lets you filter by max-loss band: low (≤ $25), medium ($25–150) or high (> $150). The per-row risk badge is free for everyone; the ranking and curation are the paid part.
Do you take my Steam items or need my inventory?
No. CSAlpha never touches your inventory and never asks for trade access. You sign in with Steam only to identify your account — you buy the inputs yourself on the marketplace through the deep links we provide.
How trade-ups work
How do CS2 trade-ups work?
A trade-up contract exchanges 10 skins of one rarity for a single skin of the next rarity up. The 10 inputs must share a rarity; the output is drawn from the collections those inputs belong to, weighted by how many inputs come from each collection. Read the full breakdown →
How is the output float / wear calculated?
It's deterministic. Each input's float is normalised within its own min–max range, those normalised values are averaged, then mapped onto the output skin's float range. The same inputs always produce the same output float — only which skin you receive is random.
Are marketplace fees included in your profit numbers?
Yes. Buyer fees are added to input cost and seller fees deducted from output value: CSFloat 2.8% + $0.30 buyer / 2% seller, DMarket 2.5% / 2%, Skinport 0% / 8%. Every profit, ROI and EV figure on the board is already fee-adjusted.
Why do most trade-up calculators overstate profit?
They price inputs at the cheapest listing regardless of float, ignore that buying 10 at once moves the market, and skip seller fees. CSAlpha prices each input at its actual float, models listing depth, and applies both buyer and seller fees — so the number you see survives contact with the order book.
Money & account
Is trading up actually profitable?
Sometimes. Most gun-skin contracts run a few percent after fees; knife and glove contracts carry bigger absolute dollars but the same percentage drag. CSAlpha exists to surface the contracts where the math is genuinely positive — and to be honest about the ones that aren't. Profit is never guaranteed, because the output skin is random.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Subscriptions are monthly or annual and cancel anytime from Settings; you keep paid access until the end of the billing period. See Refunds and Terms.