What is the BUFF CSGO Market for Counter-Strike?

From history to features and the question of safety, here is everything you need to know about BUFF CSGO, what they offer, and how they connect to the wider CS2 ecosystem.

What is BUFF CSGO?

BUFF CSGO is a well-known third-party CS2 skins trading platform market founded in April 2021. It is a subsidiary of BUFF163, one of the biggest skin marketplaces online, one that is exclusive to China. Unlike BUFF163, BUFF CSGO is available worldwide. As their website explains, “BUFF163 is mainly for users in mainland China with Chinese payment methods such as Alipay and WeChat Pay, while BUFF CSGO is for users out of mainland China with global payment methods such as Visa and MasterCard.”

It is a peer-to-peer marketplace, meaning it doesn’t hold an inventory of its own, and trades are manually managed between the buyers’ Steam accounts instead.

The founder of BUFF CSGO is Ding Lei, the founder of NetEase, one of the biggest technology companies in the entire world, into which this skin trading website is also rolled into. The platform has a 4.8/5 rating on Trustpilot, but it is important to note that this comes primarily from people with just one review made in their history of using the website, so treat them with a grain of salt as they might have been incentivized with a promotion to leave a glowing piece of feedback. However, reading around on forum posts and Reddit discussions also seems to confirm the legitimacy of the website, at least at the time of writing this article.

Originally created for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive as BUFF CSGO, the BUFF CSGO has transitioned to Counter-Strike 2, offering the same services and tools for the new game as they did for the old one.

Making money with Counter-Strike: esports betting and Bitsler

Many people get into CS2 skins trading with the goal of making a pretty penny along the way, and veterans of Counter-Strike esports may still remember the turbulent times of the early post Arms Race update era when websites of all kinds spawned from nowhere to take advantage of these cosmetics, betting platforms included.

Like it or not, skins betting played a huge part in establishing CS:GO as a powerhouse esport with a lot riding on the line, and those players and platforms paved the way to strictly regulated, safe and exciting sites that truly offer great experiences for those looking to bet on CS2 esports.

This is where we at Bitsler come in.

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Create an account now – it only takes a few clicks to do so – and check out the wonderful world of Counter-Strike esports betting in 2024! Who knows, it might be the way you find the funds for your next shiny weapon skin…

What is the benefit of using platforms like BUFF CSGO for CS2 skin trading?

There is a reason why veteran traders all go beyond the confines of the Steam Marketplace: if you are serious about making some money with your weapon skin wheeling and dealing, then the Steam Marketplace’s whopping 15% cut from your sales prices (the 5% standard rate plus the 10% that goes to the developers, meaning Valve again) makes it an impossibility to turn a profit – and, honestly, if you’ve got a fairly valuable skin, a big waste of money even if you’re just looking to cash out on an old favorite you’ve just got lying around.

Speaking of old favorite cosmetics that happen to be just lying around, platforms like BUFF CSGO also offer some Counter-Strike weapon skins that are not normally available on the Steam Marketplace. This is because of their incredible rarity and popularity, and since this makes them a prime target for big-time traders and professional players, it is even more likely that they end up on third-party platforms rather than the usual Marketplace platform.

Well-known examples of this include the M4A4 Howl, the only Contraband-ranked skin in the game, and some super-expensive goodies like the AK-47 Gold Arabesque, which can fetch a whopping $5,500 or more on third-party marketplace websites – it’s little surprise that buyers and sellers are opting for platforms like BUFF CSGO to make their exchanges and deals.

The savings often also materialize from the buyer’s side – if nothing else, the difference in market fees is often discounted from the sales deal, ensuring a situation where both sides end up doing better than if they were to involve the Steam Marketplace.

BUFF CSGO allows you to trade all CS2 in-game items, not just weapon skins, making it a great choice to exchange your virtual goods or to cash out outright. The website also requires KYC (know your customer) verification before you can start trading, making it one of the more serious operators in the space.

Is BUFF CSGO & other third-party skin trading platforms safe?

While there are reputable and popular platforms around, and BUFF CSGO is one of them, the situation can change at any time. Even for a fully legitimate site, skin trading scammers and shady actors are always swarming around the place, and there is a reason why their FAQ has multiple entries about how you should guard yourself against potential fraud like API scams utilizing Google-sponsored links pointing to fake login prompts.

There’s also the ever-evolving question of Valve’s stance on platforms of this kind. The giants of Bellevue have long been insistent that trading should be confined to the Steam Marketplace with no direct method of cashing out, and they have previously gone after various skin trading and skin betting websites with cease-and-desist letters to shut them down. Still, the impact of cosmetics on Counter-Strike is hard to ignore, and that seems to be exactly what Valve is doing with the big players: looking the other way. It’s a grey area, and circumstances could change at any time, so be sure to keep this in mind.

While BUFF CSGO is wholly owned by NetEase, therefore making them one of the largest and most measurable platforms out there when it comes to third-party skin trading, it can be difficult to trace the operators and the origins of most companies of this kind, and you can’t expect a formal announcement or proof should their ownership situation change. And articles like this are inevitably just a snapshot in time, and while we do strive to keep them up-to-date, there could be changes in features and ownership between our content updates, which means you should be vigilant in researching which platforms you trust with your information and precious Counter-Strike weapon skins.

Be sure to read our detailed article linked above to learn more about general concerns and considerations about trading your hard-earned cosmetics in your favorite shooter! And if you want to learn even more about all things esports, the Bitsler blog is the place to be with its incredible collection of informative and fun articles about the biggest players and tournaments in the world of competitive gaming, so do take a look!