Steam vs. the Other Markets: Where Arcanas Are Cheaper, and Where They Actually Sell
By Kevin ·
Everybody has an opinion about where to buy skins. “Steam is safe.” “Steam is a rip-off.” “Market X is cheaper.” “Market X is sketchy.” I don’t do opinions in this post. I do two numbers: where is each arcana cheapest today, and where do arcanas actually get sold. Both from our data, October 7, 2026. 🔍
Who is cheapest today
| Market | Cheapest for |
|---|---|
| Steam | 8 of 18 arcanas |
| DMarket | 4 of 18 arcanas |
| Lis-Skins | 4 of 18 arcanas |
| BitSkins | 1 of 18 arcanas |
| Skinport | 1 of 18 arcanas |
10 of 18 tradable arcanas are cheaper outside Steam right now, by 7% on average. The biggest gap today: Blades of Voth Domosh is $21.01 on DMarket against $26.56 on Steam, 21% less. That is not a rounding error, that is a second arcana every 5 purchases. 💸
10 of 18 arcanas are cheaper outside Steam today. But 18,589 sales on Steam against 92 on Skinport in a month. Both true. Both matter.
Where arcanas actually sell
Now the other number, and this one surprised me. For 14 arcanas we have the sales of the last 30 days on both Steam and Skinport:
| Arcana | Sold on Steam, 30 days | Sold on Skinport, 30 days |
|---|---|---|
 The Resurrection of Shen (Vengeful Spirit) |
3,505 | 20 |
 Manifold Paradox (Phantom Assassin) |
2,733 | 12 |
 The Devotions of Dragonus (Skywrath Mage) |
2,005 | 6 |
 Fractal Horns of Inner Abysm (Terrorblade) |
1,983 | 5 |
 Bladeform Legacy (Juggernaut) |
1,401 | 11 |
 Feast of Abscession (Pudge) |
1,177 | 3 |
 Frost Avalanche (Crystal Maiden) |
1,079 | 6 |
 Tempest Helm of the Thundergod (Zeus) |
943 | 6 |
 The Magus Cypher (Rubick) |
881 | 4 |
 Fiery Soul of the Slayer (Lina) |
876 | 7 |
 Flockheart’s Gamble (Ogre Magi) |
784 | 7 |
 Great Sage’s Reckoning (Monkey King) |
695 | 3 |
 Blades of Voth Domosh (Legion Commander) |
299 | 1 |
 The One True King (Wraith King) |
228 | 1 |
18,589 copies on Steam. 92 on Skinport. The Resurrection of Shen alone sold 3,505 times on Steam in a month; on Skinport it was 20. Steam is the stadium, everything else is the fan shop outside.
Why does that matter for you? Two reasons:
- Price discovery happens on Steam. The thousands of sales there set what an arcana “is worth”. The other markets price against that, usually a bit below, because they want the sale.
- Low volume means luck. On a market with 92 arcana sales a month, the cheap listing you saw yesterday may be gone, and the next one may be 20% higher. On Steam there is always a next one.
Arcana Hype Meter October 7, 2026
Formula: 50 + 2 × the average price move of all tradable arcanas (%) + 40 × (share of arcanas up − ½), 0 to 100. Real prices only, no opinions.
Copies sold in 30 days
14 arcanas with sales data on both markets, October 7, 2026.
So where should you buy?
I buy where it is cheapest that day, and I check every time, because the answer changes. The market comparison has all five markets side by side, and every arcana page shows its own row. Two honest notes:
- Third-party markets deliver through a Steam trade offer; the item is the same, the path is different.
- Some of our links to markets are affiliate links and marked “Ad”. They never change which market is shown as cheapest. The numbers decide, not the commission.
So, Steam or elsewhere? Where did you buy your last arcana, and did you check before you clicked? I will not judge. Much. 😄 GL HF! ✌️
The usual: this is Kevin having opinions about pixels, not financial advice. Prices move, sometimes in the wrong direction. You buy at your own risk.
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