coverage / buff
Buff163 API
Buff163 — the largest Chinese CS2 marketplace, and the reference price for the CN side of the market.
Buff163 at a glance
Query Buff163 through one endpoint
Buff163 is available through the CS2 price API. Filter any price endpoint to this source with "markets": ["buff"], or omit the filter and get Buff163 back beside every other marketplace in the same response.
curl https://api.skintick.io/v1/prices/latest \
-H "Authorization: Bearer skt_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"items": ["AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)"],
"markets": ["buff"]
}'What Skintick returns for Buff163
Prices are the lowest current ask — the cheapest listing you could actually buy — as decimal strings in USD, never floats. Every row carries collected_at, source_updated_at, staleness_seconds, is_stale, is_outlier and a confidence tier — so Buff163 prices are safe to combine with the other 15 sources without one bad row poisoning your pricing logic.
Buff163 is the reference market for Chinese pricing and one of the few sources with a real bid side (highest standing buy order) alongside asks. Prices are converted CNY→USD at the daily ECB reference rate.
CN marketplaces refresh on a slower cadence than the European and North American sources: actively traded items roughly every three hours, the full catalogue daily. Every row carries its own freshness stamp, so check `staleness_seconds` before treating a CN price as spot.
Buff163 compared to other markets we track
Fees and trade locks decide whether a headline price is actually the better deal. Skintick returns these through /v1/markets for every marketplace it currently tracks, so your spread math can account for them.
| market | type | seller fee | trade lock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buff163 | CN P2P marketplace | 2.5% | 7d |
| Youpin898 | CN P2P marketplace | 2.5% | 7d |
| C5Game | CN P2P marketplace | 1% | 7d |
| Skinport | P2P marketplace | 12% | none |
| DMarket | P2P marketplace | 5% | 7d |
| Waxpeer | P2P marketplace | 5% | 7d |
Buff163 API — FAQ
How do I get Buff163 prices through an API?
Request any item from Skintick and Buff163 comes back as one row alongside every other marketplace, keyed by Steam's canonical market_hash_name. Filter to it with "markets": ["buff"], or omit the filter to compare all 16 sources in a single call. A free key takes seconds and needs no card.
What does the Buff163 price on Skintick represent?
The lowest current asking price — what you would actually pay for the cheapest listing. Every row also carries collected_at, source_updated_at, a staleness figure in seconds, and outlier and confidence flags, so your code can decide what to trust rather than guessing.
How often are Buff163 prices updated?
~3 hours (actively traded), daily (full catalog), covering full live catalog, ~31k names. Because the age of every row is on the row itself, you never have to assume — check staleness_seconds and is_stale and apply your own threshold.
What fees does Buff163 charge, and is there a trade lock?
Buff163 charges roughly 2.5% on the seller side, and items carry the standard 7-day Steam trade hold on delivery. Skintick returns fees and lock days through /v1/markets so spread calculations can account for them.
Can I see Buff163 prices without a Buff163 account?
Yes. Buff163 prices come back in USD through the same endpoint as every western marketplace, so you can compare Chinese and western pricing in one call without holding an account anywhere. Chinese venues often set the reference price for an item, which is why they are worth watching even when you trade elsewhere.
Start querying Buff163
A free key returns Buff163 and every other marketplace we track, 100 requests a day, no card.
Other sources
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