CS2 Skin GuideIndependent guide
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Trade lock and Trade Protection

Not the official SkinsMonkey website

Why a skin you just got cannot be traded yet, how Steam's 7-day protection works, and when to collect locked items from SkinsMonkey.

Sources checked: 6 min read

Key facts

  • Since July 2025, CS2 items you receive in a trade are under Steam Trade Protection for 7 days.
  • During those 7 days the sender can reverse protected trades. Reversing them all at once brings a 30-day trading and Market restriction.
  • Locked items bought on SkinsMonkey wait in the Backpack. You have 45 days after the lock ends to withdraw them.

Three different restrictions

People use "trade lock" for several different things. They work differently:

RestrictionWhat causes itHow longWhat you can do
Trade Protection (Steam)Receiving a CS2 item in a trade7 daysUse it in game. You cannot trade or sell it yet.
Trade hold (Steam)No Mobile Authenticator, new device, recent password or security changesDays, shown by SteamWait, or enable the authenticator for future trades
Trade lock on an item (SkinsMonkey)The site's item is still restricted by SteamUp to 8 days, per SkinsMonkeyBuy it now; it goes to your Backpack until withdrawable

Steam Trade Protection

Valve introduced Trade Protection for CS2 in July 2025. Each item you receive in a trade is protected for 7 days. During that time:

  • you can equip and use the item in game;
  • you cannot trade it on or list it on the Steam Community Market;
  • the other party can reverse protected trades from their trade history.

A reversal is all or nothing. It undoes every eligible trade from the last 7 days, not just one. The account that reverses gets a 30-day trading and Market restriction. The feature exists so that someone whose account was hijacked can get items back.

SkinsMonkey warns that accounts reversing trades with it in bad faith face a permanent ban on the site. Use reversal only to recover from a real scam or account theft.

Why items "disappear" from inventories

Items under Trade Protection are hidden from views that only show tradable items, including the "You offer" list on trading sites. They are still in your Steam inventory and come back to the list once protection ends.

SkinsMonkey's Backpack

You can buy items that are still trade-locked. Instead of arriving in Steam, they go to the Backpack on your SkinsMonkey account. When the lock ends:

  1. Open the Backpack on skinsmonkey.com and hover over the item.
  2. Click Click to Withdraw. The status shows Sending.
  3. Accept in Steam. Open the offer in your browser or the Steam app, check the contents and accept.

You have 45 days after the lock ends to withdraw. After that, SkinsMonkey may remove the item and credit its current sell price to your balance. That is balance, not money. Contact support before the deadline if you need more time.

Avoiding Steam trade holds

  • Keep Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator on at all times.
  • Avoid trading right after changing your password, email or phone, or logging in on a new device.
  • Steam shows the exact date a hold ends in the trade window. Wait for it rather than trying another account.

Sources