How much money do CSGO skin traders actually make?

Skins can be big money in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and committing to them as a real job can yield massive returns.

It’s often thought that CSGO traders are in it for the love of the game, but many of them make a shockingly large amount of money by trading digital assets. The relatively unknown industry has finally been analyzed by EX CORP, and the results are surprising.

Despite taking just a few hours a week for most traders, the top 10% of trader claim to earn between $2,500 and $10,000 a month from their collections. Here’s how much money CSGO skin traders make in an industry with an estimated market cap of $3 billion.

How much money do CSGO skin traders earn?

According to EX CORP’s analysis, the top tenth of CSGO skin trader makes between $2,500 and $10,000 a month from trades.

EX CORP polled 41 established skin traders to learn how and why they got into the business. The answers varied, with 61% using skins as both in-game cosmetics and investment pieces. The stakes of each trade varied, with some users preferring high-volume investments in cheaper skins while others exclusively focused on flashy pieces like Katowice 2014 stickers or ultra-rare knives.

As for how they actually make money, 40% of traders said that their purchases are effectively spontaneous, relying on previous research. A shocking 17% of users admitted to using bots and other digital tools to inform their decision-making, if not outright automating the process. The selling process was not discussed, but many purchase items from third-party sites with the intention of selling them elsewhere for a higher price.

With these numbers in mind, you may be tempted to dump thousands into CSGO skins and try your hand at becoming a trader yourself. However, it’s not as easy as it may seem. The surveyed traders have years of experience under their belts and the necessary connections to flip pixels for profit. In addition, many of them have spent tens of thousands just starting their collection.

Time is also a crucial factor, as most high-end skins have slowly increased in price as opposed to sudden jumps.