THE HIDDEN WORLD OF STEAM TRADING

10 三月 2016, 03:48
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n February 2014, Roberto Ranieri lost a small fortune in hats.

Ranieri was trading hats in the popular game Team Fortress 2. It was his second time trading in-game items for real-world money. He connected with a buyer, set the terms and thought he was going to get rich. Five rare hats, accumulated over years of playing the online shooter — easy money, or so he thought.

It was not meant to be.

Instead of cashing in, Ranieri got hoodwinked. He lost over $1,000 in the blink of an eye. He's all but given up hope of ever seeing the hats — or the money — ever again.

Ranieri is not alone. He's one of many who have plunged into the deep end of Steam's item trading since it debuted in September 2011 only to lose big. Polygon sought out a few of those who've dabbled in trading — a forum detective, a scammer and a goods hustler — to learn more about how it works and what can go wrong.

Some of the names in this story have been changed, but not all of those mentioned are innocent.

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