How to Tell Whether a Dota 2 Price Is Fair

A listing shows what one seller wants today. Recent sales show what buyers paid. You need both before you can judge a price.

Steam's Community Market page for any Dota 2 item shows a graph of median sale prices over time, with the number of sales per day. That graph gives you a reference point before you buy anywhere.

Look at the last few weeks, since older prices can mislead you after a patch or an event.

In early September, one listing of Aghanim's Interdimensional Baby Roshan asked $4,948.90. Recent sales for the same item ran from $797.49 up to $4,400, with an average of $2,434.08.

That asking price sat above every recent sale and at about twice the average. A seller can ask it, and a buyer who wants the item today may pay it. A buyer who checks the sales first can see what the extra money buys.

• ▸An asking price near the average points to a fair market price
• ▸An asking price above the highest recent sale means you pay a premium for availability
• ▸A wide gap between the lowest and highest sales means prices swing, so waiting may pay off
• ▸A narrow gap means buyers agree on a price, and waiting tends to save little

Items that trade a few times a month produce patchy history. One odd sale can drag the average around. On those items, look at the individual sales before you trust an average.