Steam Market selling requirements

Summary: Before Steam lists anything, the account needs a successful purchase older than 7 days but not older than a year, and Steam Guard enabled for 15 days. Without the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator for the last 7 days, listings can be held for up to 15 days. Password resets, new devices and a removed authenticator add temporary restrictions, and only commodity items work with Multisell. Each rule links to the Steam Support page it comes from.

A Multisell link only opens Steam's listing page. Steam still checks your account before anything is listed. This page summarizes Steam's own published rules and links to the official Steam Support page for each one. Steam can change these rules, so if Steam shows you a different message, Steam's message wins.

1. A purchase older than 7 days, but not older than a year

Steam's Community Market FAQ says: "The account must have a successful purchase older than 7 days, but not older than a year." The Trading and Market Restrictions FAQ adds that:

• Buying Steam Wallet funds, games, DLC or software meets the requirement.
• Retail CD-key activations and gift purchases do not, and redeeming a Steam gift does not grant access to the Market.
• A purchase that is charged back resets the requirement. Only purchases made after the most recent chargeback count.

So a brand-new purchase doesn't unlock the Market straight away: it has to be more than 7 days old. And if your only purchase is more than a year old, you need a newer one.

2. Steam Guard enabled for 15 days

Steam requires Steam Guard, by email or the Mobile Authenticator, to have been enabled for 15 days before you can trade or use the Community Market. Turning Steam Guard off and on again restarts that 15-day wait (Restrictions FAQ).

3. The Mobile Authenticator: not required, but it removes holds

You *can* sell with email Steam Guard, but your listings will be held. Steam's Trade and Market Holds FAQ explains that if your account hasn't been protected by the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator for at least the last 7 days, items leaving your account are held for up to 15 days. A *market hold* is the time between creating a listing and the item appearing on the Market.

With the authenticator active for 7 days, those holds go away and you confirm each listing in the Steam Mobile App. Setup steps are in Steam's Mobile Authenticator FAQ. If you use Multisell without the authenticator, expect your listings to sit on hold before buyers can see them.

4. Other restrictions that block the Market

From Steam's Restrictions FAQ:

Clearing your browser cookies, switching to a new browser or reinstalling Steam can make your device look new to Steam and trigger the new-device restriction.

5. Only commodity items work with Multisell

Steam defines a commodity as an item where "all the items are identical, and can be traded interchangeably" (Market FAQ). Typical examples are cases, crates, keys, sticker capsules and trading cards. Items with individual properties, such as most CS2 weapon skins (each has its own float and pattern), use Steam's normal one-at-a-time sell dialog instead. Steam Bulk Sell only shows items Steam marks as commodities.

Some items are never marketable, or only after a date. For example, items bought in-game or on the Market aren't tradable or marketable until the date shown on the item in your inventory, and Dota 2 timed drops are permanently unmarketable.

6. Wallet and price limits

• Steam caps Steam Wallet balances at $2000 (or a similar amount in other currencies) and won't let you list if your balance plus the sale price would go over it.
• The maximum price for a single listing is about $1800.
• Market proceeds stay in your Steam Wallet: Steam says they "cannot be withdrawn or transferred" to a bank or another account.

Quick checklist before you Multisell

• Signed into the same Steam account in the browser that opens the link
• A qualifying purchase more than 7 days old and less than a year old
• Steam Guard on for 15+ days, ideally the Mobile Authenticator for 7+ days so listings aren't held
• No recent password reset, authenticator removal or trade ban
• The items are commodities you own and they're currently marketable

Next: how fees and holds affect what you receive, or the step-by-step guide to using Steam Bulk Sell.