You can cash out CS:GO skins (now CS2 skins) in two ways. The Steam Community Market only pays you in Steam Wallet funds, which cannot be withdrawn to a card. To get real money, you sell skins on a marketplace like LIS-SKINS: pick the items, see the final amount and withdraw it with a method that suits you.
Every CS:GO item carried over to CS2 along with your inventory, so the process is the same for old and new skins. Below we cover both options and how to avoid scammers. For an overview of every option, see our guide on how to sell skins.
Fast and with Minimal Losses
Let's start with the Steam Community Market, since many players trust only Steam. The amount you see in the client is your Steam Wallet balance in your chosen currency. To unlock most Steam features, including the Market, your account needs at least $5 in spending; this limit is stated in the client itself.
Once your account is fully unrestricted, go to the Market, open your inventory and list the skins you don't need. Check the price history of each item first so you don't undersell. Keep in mind that Steam keeps about 15% of every sale (5% Steam fee plus 10% CS2 fee), and items you receive in a trade are under Trade Protection for 7 days and cannot be listed during that time.
When a buyer is found, the money lands in your Steam Wallet. From there, your options are limited:
Buy games, DLC or other items on Steam;
Keep the balance for future purchases, such as a new game or CS2 Prime Status;
Avoid services that promise to "cash out" Steam Wallet funds or resell game keys for real money: this breaks Steam rules and often ends in a scam.
In short, the Steam Market does not turn skins into real money. If you need cash rather than Steam credit, selling on a marketplace is the practical option. The difference is covered in more detail in our guide on converting skins into real money.
Selling Skins for Real Money on LIS-SKINS
LIS-SKINS buys CS2 items, including cheap and heavily worn ones that are hard to sell to other players. If you play a lot, your inventory quickly fills up with low-value drops, and it is convenient to sell them all at once. To cash out your skins:
Go to the LIS-SKINS home page;
Click "Sign in through Steam" to connect your game account;
Paste your trade link into the corresponding field. You can find it on Steam under Inventory, Trade Offers, Who can send me Trade Offers, Third-Party Sites (here is more on where to find your trade link). You can change the link at any time;
Select the skins you want to sell, or select them all, since clicking through hundreds of items one by one takes too long.
As soon as at least one skin is selected, the "Get money" button becomes active. Choose a withdrawal method and enter your details. The site shows right away what the selected skins are worth, what fee is charged and the exact amount you will receive.
Then confirm the deal and wait for the payout, which usually takes just a few minutes. You might earn slightly more by selling items one at a time, but here you get paid immediately instead of waiting for buyers. Skins under Trade Protection can also be sold without the 7-day wait; see our guide on selling skins instantly.
Steam or a Marketplace: Which to Choose
The Steam Market makes sense if you plan to spend the money on Steam anyway: the balance works for games and new skins, but you cannot withdraw it.
A marketplace makes sense if you need real money: you sell skins right away and withdraw the amount minus the service fee.
Expensive items are worth selling one by one without rushing, while cheap drops are easier to sell in a single batch.
Whatever you choose, sell only from your own account and never move items to a "middleman" who promises a better price, since that is one of the most common ways players lose their inventory.
A Few Words About Scammers
If you want to cash out skins safely, take a few minutes to read these notes. First, never enter your Steam login and password on dubious sites, even if they look exactly like Steam. If a service looks suspicious, check it with a WhoIs lookup and look at how long the domain has existed: phishing copies of Steam and trading sites are often registered only recently.
Read the addresses of links people send you carefully. The real domain is steamcommunity.com. Not steamcomunity, steamscomunity or any similar variation. Always check the site details, and bookmark the real sites you use so you never have to open them from a link in chat.
Through Steam, only items can be transferred safely between inventories. Keys, real money and bank transfers on trust are entirely at your own risk. Always check what you are offered in a trade. Swapping an item for a look-alike takes seconds, and scammers rely on it: on a small thumbnail the cosmetic differences are almost impossible to spot. For more tips, read how to protect your inventory from scammers.
Finally, change your Steam trade link from time to time, never share your API key, and update your password every 2 to 3 months if you value your inventory.
