Before a high-value item trade or an account deal, look up your partner with an online verification tool. One lookup shows active VAC bans, community bans, trade probations, and the days since the last violation.
This protects you from trade holds, phishing, and account recovery fraud. Here is how to audit an account before you exchange anything.
Valve's policy on account trading #
The Steam Subscriber Agreement (Section 2.C) forbids selling, renting out, or transferring your Steam account.
Buying or trading an existing account is risky:
- Valve can terminate it. If Valve's automated risk systems detect an account transfer or a change of IP location, the account is disabled for good.
- The original owner can take it back. They can recover the account at any time through Steam Support with their first purchase receipt or CD key, and you are left with nothing.
- Old bans can stay hidden. A ban from years ago can lock you out of matchmaking platforms such as FACEIT or Premier mode.
Create your own Steam account directly with Valve. Use lookups only to inspect trade partners before you swap skins.
Pre-trade checklist #
1. Check the ban status with SteamID Resolver #
Scammers often set the profile to private so partners cannot see their infractions.
- Copy their profile URL or custom vanity link.
- Paste it into the SteamID Resolver tool.
- Confirm that the VAC status is green with zero infractions. The tool queries live Valve endpoints, as our VAC checking guide explains.
2. Check account age and level #
Old accounts with a high Steam level are less likely to be disposable phishing profiles.
- An account under 30 days old at level 0 or 1 is a significant trade risk.
- Look at the badges and the size of the game library to see how much the owner has invested.
3. Check for trade holds #
If a user has not had the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator enabled for at least 15 days, Valve puts their trades in escrow for up to 15 days. Confirm that your partner has mobile authentication active, or you will wait.
4. Watch for Steam Web API phishing #
Never log in to unverified sites that offer "free giveaways" or "skin evaluations". These sites harvest your Steam Web API key. With the key, a scammer can cancel real trade offers and redirect them to fake accounts.
Red flags #
Cancel the trade if your partner does any of this:
- Pushes you to trade fast. Scammers try to rush you before you inspect item wear or Doppler phases.
- Claims to be a middleman or a Steam admin. Valve employees never message you on Discord, Steam Chat, or email to "verify" or "hold" your skins.
- Sends you to an outside link. If someone asks you to click a link to "check trade status" or "verify ban history", close the chat and use an independent tool such as our SteamID Converter.
- Has a recent ban. A game or VAC ban from the last 90 days often means a compromised or hacked profile. For the differences between penalties, see VAC ban vs game ban vs trade ban.
Frequently asked questions #
Is buying or selling a Steam account allowed by Valve? #
No. The Steam Subscriber Agreement prohibits buying, selling, or sharing Steam accounts. Valve regularly terminates purchased accounts permanently.
Why should I check a user's Steam ban status before trading items? #
It helps you avoid trade holds, scams, and exchanges of hijacked items. A user with a trade ban cannot complete trades, and an account with a recent VAC ban may be compromised.
Can a scammer hide an active VAC ban during a trade? #
No. A scammer can set the profile and inventory to private, but the Steam Web API returns ban data whatever the privacy settings are.
What should I check before accepting a high-value Steam trade offer? #
Check the partner's account age, ban history (with SteamID Resolver), and trade probation status. Also confirm that the trade URL matches their real profile, to avoid API key scams.
Paste your trade partner's profile link into the free SteamID Resolver to see their VAC, game, and economy status in milliseconds.
Last updated: October 2026