Swap.gg and Steam’s trade reversal system

With Steam’s recent introduction of trade reversals and a mandatory 7-day hold period on CS2 trades, platforms like Swap.gg must ensure that trades remain safe, transparent, and fair for all users. Steam can now cancel trades involving CS2 items within this 7-day reversal window, which affects how balances, payouts, and items are handled.

To adapt, Swap.gg is introducing a new balance system that distinguishes between reserved balance (still within Steam’s 7-day reversal window) and available balance (fully safe and ready to use). This update ensures that your items, balance, and payouts are tracked accurately and securely while still giving you flexibility to trade, where other platforms may not.

How the New System Works

1. Two Balance Types

• Reversed Balance → Balance tied to CS2 trades (or partial CS2 trades) still within the 7-day Steam reversal period.
• Available Balance → Balance unaffected by reversals (Rust, TF2, direct deposits, or CS2 balance after 7 days) which can be used to instantly withdraw items.

2. Trades and Balance Allocation

• CS2-only trades: (leftover) Balance from these trades goes into Reserved Balance.
• Mixed trades (CS2 + Rust items):

CS2 portion → Reserved Balance.

Rust portion → Available Balance.

TF2 portion → Available Balance.

Reserved Items

• If you trade CS2 items for trade locked CS2 items, the chosen CS2 items will be placed in your Swap.gg Backpack as reserved items, just like they regularly would before this update was introduced.
• If you trade CS2 items for instantly withdrawable CS2 items, the chosen CS2 items will be sent to you in a Steam trade offer right away.
• If you trade CS2 items for Rust or TF2 items, the Rust/TF2 items will also be reserved in your Backpack and become withdrawable once the 7-day period ends.

In short, items in your Swap.gg Backpack can show as “Reserved/On hold” when:

• They are reversible (e.g., CS2) and still within Steam’s 7‑day window, or
• You used Reserved Balance to pay. We hold those items until enough reserved value is cleared to “unlock” them.

Good to know:

• Unlocks happen per item (not per entire trade) and in FIFO order based on the item’s earliest eligible buy time.
• The exact reserved amount used to unlock an item is the item’s reserved portion; if your Reserved Balance is short, you can add funds to cover the difference and unlock sooner.
• If you purchase an item from our bot that is still within Steam’s trade reversal period and the original owner reverses the trade, that item will be removed from your Swap.gg Backpack. You will automatically receive a full refund for the purchase price of that specific item. The original owner responsible for the reversal will also face penalties for this action.

3. Instant Sell Trades (Not back yet, but we’ll have it up again soon!)

• CS2-only instant sales: Payout is placed on-hold until the reversal period expires.
• Mixed instant sales (CS2 + Rust/TF2): Payout as a whole is also placed on-hold until the reversal period expires. This reduces transaction and processing fees for users.

If you request a cryptocurrency payout, you will receive the USD value of your item at the time of sale, converted to cryptocurrency when the payout is processed. The cryptocurrency amount displayed during the sale (e.g., 0.087 LTC) is only an estimate and may differ by the time the reversal period ends. Since cryptocurrency values fluctuate, your payout will always reflect the original USD amount shown as "You Receive" when selling, not the exact crypto quantity shown at sale.

4. Selling Reserved Items

If you decide to sell a reserved item from your Swap.gg Backpack (whether it be CS2, Rust or TF2 items), the balance reverts to its original state.

Example: You reserved a CS2 item with 4 days left on the reversal timer. If you sell it back the same day, the balance you receive will still carry the 4-day timer and be converted to Available Balance once the timer expires.

5. Direct Deposits (Unaffected)

Depositing funds directly via supported payment methods is not affected by Steam’s update. All deposits are instantly credited as Available Balance.

Key points to remember

• Reserved Balance protects trades during Steam’s 7‑day reversal window;
• Available Balance can be spent and used to withdraw items right away;
• Unlocks are per item and will automatically happen as soon as sufficient reserved value clears or you top up to cover the item’s reserved portion;
• Mixed trades are split per item: only the reversible portion of balance is reserved;
• You can continue trading while parts of your value are reserved; items simply unlock when eligible.

This system ensures Swap.gg users stay protected from Steam trade reversals, while keeping balances and items as flexible as possible.

Updated on: 10/10/2025