Trading CS2 skins is a big deal, considering how much money is in all of the biggest trades. The CS2 trading market holds hundreds of thousands of dollars, and traders with the most expensive Steam inventories often have a literal fortune in weapon skins, waiting to be traded away.
Because of this, all the details of the weapon skins you trade play a huge role in the process. Details such as rarity level, float value, or collection are pivotal in gauging the price of various CS2 skins. If you don’t want to overpay or get lowballed, you must learn how to inspect CS2 skins!
Why Inspect CS2 Skins?
You might be asking yourself, Is there really a point to going all this distance and inspecting CS2 skins?
If you’re a trader, you should always want to know as much as you can about the skins that you want to trade. The most expensive CS2 skins can be worth thousands of dollars, and the prices often differ between each wear rating. In some cases, the Factory New versions can be worth way, way more than their Battle-Scarred counterparts. Wear rating isn’t the only important factor however, since skin patterns can play an even bigger role. When it comes to skins such as Karambit Blue Gem, small differences in skin patterns can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in price difference.
If you’re just a gamer, inspecting CS2 skins is still something you shouldn’t overlook, especially if you plan to purchase an expensive CS2 skin. When you inspect skins in-game, you’ll have the best idea of how your purchase will look, what to expect, and if the money you spent was worth it.
Inspect CS2 Skins
Right now, there are three different methods that you can use to inspect CS2 skins. These are:
- third-party inspect sites
- community servers
- steam inventory links
Here’s an in-depth explanation on how each of these methods works, and how you can use them to improve your trading experience and help you invest in CS skins:
Third-Party Inspect Sites
The easiest way to inspect CS2 skins is to simply use a dedicated third-party website, such as CSinspect. While it lets you inspect CS2 skins, their price, and try out different sticker combinations, you won’t be able to view your weapon skins in-game this way.
Still, this is a very useful tool, particularly if you want to check out how new CS2 stickers will look on your gun, especially since third-party websites often provide you with the full price of your CS2 skin, including any stickers you want to view. Also, it’s much more convenient if you plan to inspect a larger number of CS2 skins, as it’s much quicker than other methods listed in this article.
Community Servers
CS2 features community servers created with traders in mind. While most of these servers might require you to sign up for some third-party site or join their Discord, completing this process is relatively easy, and with these servers, you can easily view each of the skins you want in-game.
Inspect servers are not meant for fast-paced action, but can let you view any of the possible CS2 skins in-game freely. Remember, however, that this is only a visual tryout, you won’t be able to play with these skins outside of that one server or trade them away.
Steam Inventory Link
If you don’t want to bother with joining private community servers or just want to quickly inspect a single skin in someone’s inventory, this can be done relatively easily by simply knowing the skin’s Steam inventory link. One great thing about this feature is that it lets you view a single particular skin from someone’s inventory, including all of its stickers and other modifications.
To use this method, you first have to enable the developer console and use the CS2 console commands. You will also need to copy inspect link from the player’s inventory that you want to view. This can be done easily via a dedicated button in the Steam inventory. Once you have the inspect link, simply paste it into the console to view your desired skin in-game.
In Conclusion
If you’re planning big CS2 trades, inspecting skins is a very important feature that you can’t overlook. Before you trade, always make sure you know what you’re doing and how much your skins are worth.
If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out the rest of our blog, where we regularly post more tips, tricks, CS2 news, and even offer free CS2 skins in giveaways!
A true gaming enthusiast, especially Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Rust. At SkinsMonkey, he is involved in creating game guides based on his own experience.
