I can dig it. I buy for 2.55, and if I ever am selling them its only at 2.66, and get fine business with that.

yea, range finally makes this work.

the range I buy/sell is 2.50-2.55

Not sure whether to neg this because of the fact that Keys are used as a currency or to pos this because there are lots of people that do, or at least try to, sell at 2.66

Most people on TF2 Outpost are lowballers and highballers. It's worth 2.55. Just because people have paid 2.66 doesn't mean it's worth that. Noobs have paid unusual hats for a normal weapon, doesn't mean the wep is worth an unusual.

I think it would be easier to leave it at 2.55 because you can buy it for $2.50 on store. This also means that 1 Ref = $1 making life so much easier.

Sorry, Negative From Me

I think leaving it at 2.55 is fine. 2.66 is a little overpriced but people do ask for that around the market.

I have little difficulty buying keys 2 for 5 refined. It just takes patience and staying off of outpost.

[url]http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/4702299[/url] 2.55

[url]http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/4702252[/url] 2 keys 5 ref 8+ stock sold within 5 minutes

Lots of people offering 5 ref for 2 keys, some 5.11

I still think the current price is just right.

Can everybody shut up with the "hurr durr outpost is all lowballers and highballers"? There's the same proportion of those everywhere. Outpost has the largest user-base, so they also have the most. That's no percentage more than anywhere else.

Honestly, I think this probably does properly reflect the price, but I don't like how high the value of keys are getting. I'll remain with my vote as unsure.

It's a close one for me. I'm downvoting for now though. It's hard to find anyone on Outpost posting a buy thread for 2.55-2.66, and asking for 2.66 per key in a trade server won't always give you the kindest reception. 2.66 is not yet representative of trading outside of outpost. I see more 2.33 trades in servers than 2.66.

I sell keys at 2.55 Ref. I hardly every buy keys with metal myself. http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/3137911

@Tiger: your trade is the most infuriatingly stupid gathering of people I've seen in quite some time.

"And Lard, the conversion from keys to ref should depend on how fast keys are being bought>how fast metal is being produced..." - [GBID] Outsourced

That is actually a very good point. I'll plus this up.

Would it please backpack.tf more if the price range was 2.5-2.6, perhaps 2.5-2.66? Keys most definitely have a range and this site should be accomodating that. I think the main issue people have with this suggested price is that it puts 2.55 ref as the bottom of the range, when it still seems to be the most reliable buying/selling meeting point rather than the low price.

There is always slight variation in the market driven by the desire to make "any sort of profit" on an item. 2.66 only applies to the "quick-buy/quick-sell" market and does not reflect what a keys value is as a whole. People always try and get a scrap more for all kinds of items. If 2.66 is accepted then everyone will sell for 2.77 and so on. There is no legitimate reason to adjust this pricing and 2.55 for a key is still completely accurate. Brad Pitt, you are correct.

IMO it just gives people more power to BS you if you're trading with/for keys.

Anyone selling at 2.66 is buying for less, averaging the price at 2.55

I buy them, effortlessly, at 2.5 each (2 for 5)

I have never bought a key at 2.66 and must have bought over 200 keys by now. Outpost is the WORST place to try to buy keys; this site should include sales on trade servers to be realistic, although of course maybe include screen shots of your inventory history for proof. (If anyone wants to see mine, let me know)

"I have never bought a key at 2.66 and must have bought over 200 keys by now. Outpost is the WORST place to try to buy keys; this site should include sales on trade servers to be realistic, although of course maybe include screen shots of your inventory history for proof. (If anyone wants to see mine, let me know)"

Whereas I'm well into the thousands on key transactions and I will tell you, unequivocally, that the supply of keys below 2.66 is insufficient to meet demand. People will always price below market to improve their liquidity. We need to be concerned with representing the price of the commodity as a whole.

@Carrington: Of course, you have to wait a bit to buy at 2.5, but then that's how everything goes, isn't it? Why is this item so special?

I kind of expected Outpost to sell keys at 2.66, but I rarely if ever buy keys from people there. Whenever I buy keys I always go on trade servers since the highest price from sellers in-game tend to be 2.55, while sometimes getting as low as 2.33

@xen - the point of the suggestion is to reflect that the price of keys covers a range of values based on liquidity. I think it would be more accurate to say that maximum liquidity (e.g. an almost immediate sale) is achieved around 2.5, and anything below is just inefficient, whereas anything about 2.66 is extremely unlikely to sell.

This is a currency. People who keep buying at 2.55 and selling at 2.66 are just scammers. You can not change the price of something only because many people are trying to sell it overpriced. The demand regulates the price.

If I were to post a trade buying keys for 2.66 I'd be swarmed with adds to my friends list.

There is always a constant supply of keys from the Mann co store. I don't think the price should be raised. People buying at 2.66 are just overpaying to buy faster. That doesn't mean the price should be raised. I regularly buy 2 keys for 5 ref at servers. It's stupid to raise the price now...

i swear i see this suggestion every week or 2... yet I can still find keys for 2.4-2.5...

also, people post high and low offers on trade sites all the time... thats jsut how it works. ever think that the good deals are jsut gone?

I managed to find 3 keys on outpost for 7.3ref just a few days ago... i should rly find the dead trade and post it here... (cuz aparently thats legitimate proof >.>)

@Outsourced

Because why would you resell keys? I, and I think I speak for everyone, save keys to buy other stuff. Most people don't buy keys to make profit.

@outsourced

Yea, whats your point? Welcome to trading where traders buy lower to sell higher. Sales and buys aren't always at exact spreadsheet price, Sometimes it's lower, and sometimes it's higher. It all depends on time..

Outpost is crazy with prices. Other than outpost, I've never seen anyone really accepting keys as 2.66. Always 2.55. Sometimes 2 for 5 ref, but never 2.66. Plus keys are the glue between metal and money. Change keys and you change the TF2 currency system. Let outpost have their fun, keep keys at 2.55.

Side note - whenever 'it's a currency' comes up in a pricing debate as a reason not to adjust a price, I immediately note the poster as someone I can completely ignore in the future. You guys literally do not know what you are talking about, at all.

i make a vote -- i get -60 rep. someone elese makes a vote for a key -- vote passes

@Zombie it's probably because you priced them at 2.66, and didn't apply a range, which assumes the bare minimum you have to pay for keys is 2.66, which is bs. 2 for 5 refs sometimes get accepted, albeit rarely, but if you post one for 2.55 either on Outpost or a trade server, you'll get bites soon enough, just not instant ones, which is why people buy keys for 2.66, to get them ASAP.

Just so everyone knows, I buy these things for 2.33 ALL THE TIME.

If anything, keys should go down.

I think a new price suggestion of 2.44-2.66 should be made instead. That's something everyone can be happy with.

"I think a new price suggestion of 2.44-2.66 should be made instead. That's something everyone can be happy with."

Xen is right

Not a good idea, because keys were 2.55, so people tried selling for 2.66 or buying for 2.33-2.44, so if it went to 2.66, people would sell for 2.77 more often.

It's obvious that the people selling for 2.66 did NOT buy for 2.66, they can regularly get for 2.55 and lower. Also know that 2.66 is not a price these are being commonly traded for when it comes to trades of actual keys or items counted in keys.

Xen has probably the best price suggestion for this: 2.44-2.66.

The comment section reminds me of youtube. Anyways, Xen, why don't you make a suggestion yourself?

Quite accurate. Self-respecting Outpost traders never sell for less than 2.66 unless they're looking to make some quick metal. 2.44 sells in minutes while 2.33 sells in mere seconds.

I do not know how you got the idea that Keys are worth '2.66' as it has been 2.55 since the dawn of man and it should stay that way 'till the end of humanity.

I always based a keys as 2.55 since its $2.50 in store.

1 refined = $1.00, 1 reclaimed = $0.30, 1 scrap = $0.10

Down vote from me, if this passes through i've lost all hope in the TF2 trading community. >:P

I have had people buy and sell keys from me at 2.66 quite often. However, it is not difficult to buy for 2.55 if you try. So this range seems good.

@ merchant, keys are 1.25, not 2.50. use sourceop more.

also, refined is 50 cents, not a dollar.

As probably stated many times in the 48 comments that I am too lazy to go thru, most people buy at 2.44 and sell at 2.55 or 2.66, so my vote would be for a span of 2.44-2.66.

Even if half of outpost were buying keys for 2.44 refined I don't think they would get many. It's way too easy to set up a trade and sell key for 2.55

http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/4210874 (selling for 2.55 + 1 wep, should we take this trader's word as to how many have been sold?) Note: This trader buys for either 2.55 or 5 ref for 2 keys.

The only chance I see people reliably buying for less than 2.55 is if they do a 2 key for 5 refined deal. Keys are always in high demand.

The current price is right. I have no problems buying keys at 2.55. The 2.66 sellers all always the OP highballlers and the reason why the price is raising.

Stay away from Autpost and you will find 2.44-2.55 or 2 for 5 ref.

Downvoted. If you go to other websites besides outpost, you can get them for 2.33-2.5 pretty easily. There are still 2.66 sellers, but lower prices undermine them.

Have to downvote it. I can still find people selling at 2.33 (although most of their trades end almost instantly) and I just bought two for 5 refined last night (literally immediately after I made the trade post on TF2Trading Post). Proof of finding sales at 2.33 here: http://tf2tp.com/trade.php?trade=8240543 (may disappear in the coming days, as it sold pretty fast).

I like 2.66 better.

never bought a key for 2.66 and never will. i only exchange keys at 2.55 buying or selling. the up votes are those trying to make a profit. this system of voting is flawed.... btw i always post buying keys for 2.55 or 2 for 5.11 and get plenty of adds within a day to get the amount of keys i need.

wow... I cant beleave how hard people are fighting to make that 1scrap profit...

if your best money making method is buying keys at 2 for 5ref and reselling for 2.6ea then your not that great of a trader >.>

Keys are now expensive nowadays, but it's only 1 scrap more than it was before. I don't mind buying keys for 2.66.

Up voted

http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/4732221

bam! bought 4 keys for 2.55 each today and i just made that trade today

It only makes sense that keys will eventually rise in price theres more metal being pumped into the tf2 market every day, granted some is crafted but im positive there is more metal now then ever before, so its correlation to keys has to change and 2.55 to 2.66 is acceptable, inflation happens in virtual economies too, http://stats.teamfortress.org/cat/other, i remember when the numbers of metal were all just over 500,000

Yes, haven't seen a seller for 2.55 in at least 3 months

Has proof and I've seen 90% of people on TF2Outpost, selling keys for 2.66!

Up Vote!

Just want to point out that the ONLY examples posted here so far are from Outpost. I like Outpost, but it is not the DEFACTO pricing guide for the MANY different trading sites that are out there. Lets see some CONCRETE examples from some of those sites first. Suggested price changes should be REQUIRED to provided multiple examples from a MINIMUM of THREE different sites before being authorized to submit a change in the first place. If this thread had provided a variance of substantiated references this wouldn't have become such a "hot-button" issue and we could then evaluate and vote on the pricing more effectively.

yeah and GHS servers have keys at 2.33 ref, unusual servers are up to 3 ref. does that mean they are 2.33-3 ref? come to think of it thats actually not a bad suggestion...

An easy downvote for me. Seems to me that every few months the keys reach 2.66, then they dip about a reclaimed. Need I remind the people who are supporting the rise in price that these are not promos, they are tools, and more of them are being bought than being consumed. 2.66 will be as high as they will go, and if they price it any higher, no one will buy keys at that price, and the price will plummet. Then the cycle begins anew.

I think 2.55 is perfectly okay, with bulk buy/sell at 2.50 (5.00 for 2). I'm buying them for the latter price and don't have any serious problems getting them.

Supply/demand didn't change significantly lately so why should the price change?

Also, since it's mostly used as currency, think of calculating with 2.66 without a calculator. 2.5/1, 5.0/2 is a thousand times better :P

2.66 is a hell of a lot more convenient for math purposes than 2.55, but that's not what we base them on. If anything, key demand seems to be dropping. The supply has been stagnant, and there hasn't been a flux of new players to the trading scene since Pyromania. People confuse Outpost systematically locking down the key price with a rise in demand.

2.55-2.66 seems to be the average price. Some people just can't accept that the price has risen

like it was said in the origional posting... "lots of buyers at 2.5 and sellers at 2.6"

this backs up what ive seen... people buying for 2.5 and people trying to get 2.6.

dont see a whole lot of people actually buying at 2.6 tho...

why not just put the price at 2.3-2.6 like it actually has been for the past year or so? >.>

Just leave it at 2.55.

Very rarely do I see people selling at 2.44. Indeed, keys mostly sell for 2.66 on the Outpost, and sometimes 2.55. Most people buy for 2.55, and should probably stay at that price.

This won't work. At all. People will start selling ONLY at 2.66, and there will be no "buy at 2.55, sell at 2.66" anymore.

This Isn't Right.

Metal And Keys Are Both Currency And You Can't Change How Much Currency You Need To Get Other Currency.

It's Like Saying That Now You Need 110 Cents To Get $1

If This Keeps Up, People Can Just Buy Keys Then Hold On To Them For A Month Before Selling Them For Way More Than They Bought Them For.

When You Think About It, The Actual Purpose Of Keys Is To Open Crates.

Out Of Crates You Have A Low Chance Of Actually Getting Anything Worth The Same Or More Than A Key.

And As I Said Before, It Is Easier If 1 Ref = $1 Which Makes Sense Because 1 Key = $2.50

i hope you all know if this goes through ppl will begin to ask for 2.77?

2.66, most people sell at 2.66 and most people seem to be fine with this

The price is 2.66 on outpost because it is 2.55, it's not highballing, it's a lockdown. Because everyone on Outpost posts threads selling for 2.66, and nobody instantly jumps on those, it removes the trades that are successfully completed at 2.55, most of the key resellers purchase all the 2.55 keys while constantly bumping their 2.66 trades. The increase in demand is artificial, and if we raise it to 2.66, it'll go up to 2.77, people will stop using keys as currency, and it will be right back down to 2.33 by Christmas.

I'm going to upvote this because yes keys do go for 2.55 or 2.66 depending on the trader. These are the general prices on the market today. So I say this is fair

Apparently tf2wh has over 5,000 keys at 11,200 (with a few credits knocked off for bulk sales). I know that tf2wh doesn't control the market- but neither does tf2op.

[url]http://www.tf2wh.com/item.php?id=5021;6;2007c65ba3d3acb661e57ee5550676fc[/url]

1. tf2 currencies don't work like dollars to cents, they have room to move a bit.

2. 2.5-2.66 would make more sense, shows the whole range in which they sell.

I tweaked the start point at 2.5 instead of 2.55 to reflect the correct price range, and I'll accept this because it is true most people sell for 2.66 but it is also true that it's possible to find cheaper at 2.5 (2x5 ref) or 2.55 even. So this reflects the correct full range.