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Swap.gg is one of the oldest bot-based skin swap sites still running, trading Rust, CS2 and TF2 items since 2017. We tested it for Rust players who want quick inventory changes without listing items on a marketplace, and we looked hard at whether the platform has recovered from its rough patch in late 2025.
A veteran swap site with deep multi-game stock and a real fee discount, but a weeks-long 2025 outage means you should trade through it, not store value on it.
| Founded | 2017 (Swap.gg B.V., Amsterdam) |
|---|---|
| Category | Trading (instant bot swaps) |
| Min deposit | None, trade directly from Steam inventory |
| Fees | 8% base trade fee (5% with site tag in Steam name) + 0–20% availability fee; ~5% marketplace commission |
| Payouts | Skins; instant sell to crypto (BTC, ETH, USDT); fiat routes with KYC |
| Provably fair | N/A, trading site, no wagering |
What is Swap.gg?
Swap.gg (swap.gg) is an instant trading platform operated by Swap.gg B.V., a company registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam and live since 2017, a genuine veteran in this niche. It supports three games (Rust, CS2, Team Fortress 2), advertises over 200,000 items in stock, and claims more than ten million completed transactions. The core product is a bot swap: you hand skins to a site bot and receive different skins back in one exchange, with a separate marketplace and an instant-sell-to-crypto option bolted on. At the time of our August 2026 test it held a 4.4-star Trustpilot rating.
Our testing experience
We signed in through Steam, pasted our trade URL, and were browsing stock inside two minutes, no password, no API key, no email required for basic swapping. For the main test we swapped two Rust items worth about $24 combined (a weapon skin and a jacket) for a single hoodie skin priced at $21.40 on the site. The quote screen showed our items credited at $23.05, an effective haircut of roughly 4% on top of the site’s markup on the target item.
We timed the whole thing. The bot’s Steam trade offer arrived 50 seconds after we confirmed, and the completed swap, including Steam Mobile Authenticator confirmation on our end, took six minutes and ten seconds from click to items-in-inventory. That’s a touch slower than the fastest rivals we’ve tested but comfortably within the “instant” bracket.
We also ran a small instant-sell: a $9 Rust skin quoted at $7.10, about 79% of market. Reasonable for the convenience, but note the $20 minimum before crypto withdrawals unlock. Finally, we opened a support chat asking about the availability fee; a human reply landed in just under two hours with a clear, accurate explanation.
How trading works on Swap.gg
Inventory depth
The layout is the standard two-panel swap screen: your Steam inventory left, bot stock right, with filters for game, price and item type. Total stock across three games is genuinely large, but the Rust section is the shallowest of the three. Popular weapon skins, clothing sets and recent workshop items were well represented during our test; older discontinued pieces and high-tier rares thinned out quickly, and stock shifted noticeably between sessions. If you’re hunting a specific rare Rust item, check availability before depositing anything.
Pricing and the real spread
Swap.gg’s fee model has two moving parts. The base trade fee is 8%, and it drops to 5% if you add “swap.gg” to your Steam display name, a standing mechanic, not a limited promotion, and it works. On top of that sits a variable availability fee of 0–20% applied to items the site is overstocked on or that move slowly. In practice we measured effective spreads between about 9% and 18% depending on the items involved. The quote screen shows the final numbers before you commit, always read the total, not the headline rate.
Trade speed
Bot offers consistently arrived within about a minute in our tests, and complete swaps finished in five to seven minutes. As on every trading site, if your Steam Mobile Authenticator hasn’t been active for seven days, Steam holds items for up to 15 days.
Is Swap.gg legit and safe?
On the security fundamentals, Swap.gg does things properly. Login is via Steam OpenID, so the site never sees your password. It never asks for your Steam API key, any “trading site” that does is running the classic API-scam playbook, where scammers use your key to intercept and spoof trade offers. Verify every incoming trade offer inside the Steam Mobile app: check the bot’s registration date and level, and confirm the exact items listed match what you agreed to on the site. During our test, every bot offer matched the on-screen quote precisely.
The honest caveat is recent history. In August–September 2025, Swap.gg went through a weeks-long service shutdown during which pending reservations were force-sold rather than returned as-is. The platform came back and has operated normally since, and its decade-long track record and registered Dutch operator count for something, but that episode is why our rating sits at 7.5 rather than in the 8s. Our practical advice: swap and withdraw in the same session rather than parking balance or reservations on the site; real-money withdrawals also require KYC identity verification. Note this is a trading platform, not a gambling site, there’s no wagering, so licensing and provably-fair systems don’t apply here.
Fees, bonuses & promo code RUSTYSKINS
Budget for four numbers. The 8% base trade fee, cut to 5% by adding “swap.gg” to your Steam name. The variable 0–20% availability fee on overstocked or slow-moving items. A roughly 5% commission when selling through the marketplace. And the $20 minimum for crypto cashouts, with network fees on top. There are no deposit fees, you trade straight from your Steam inventory.
To credit our code, open the referral or affiliate section in your account settings and enter RUSTYSKINS. Swap.gg’s bonus system has historically run through referral links and the Steam-name discount rather than splashy deposit bonuses, so treat any bonus as modest and confirm the current terms on the redemption screen before relying on them.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Long track record: operating since 2017 under a registered Dutch company, with 10M+ completed trades claimed
- Real, permanent fee discount, base fee drops from 8% to 5% just by adding “swap.gg” to your Steam name
- Large multi-game stock (200K+ items) with full quotes shown before you confirm any trade
- Fast swaps: bot offers in under a minute, complete trades in five to seven minutes in our tests
Cons
- The August–September 2025 shutdown, during which reservations were force-sold, is a genuine trust scar
- Variable availability fee of up to 20% makes the true cost of a swap unpredictable until the quote screen
- Rust inventory is the shallowest of its three games and fluctuates between sessions
- $20 minimum for crypto cashouts, and KYC verification required for real-money withdrawals
Swap.gg vs alternatives
Against Tradeit.gg (our 8.9/10 category leader), Swap.gg loses on the numbers that matter most: Tradeit’s bot inventory is deeper for Rust, its effective spreads ran lower in our testing, and its support answered faster. Swap.gg’s counterpunch is the Steam-name fee discount and its longer operating history, but for pure swap value most Rust traders will do better on Tradeit.
Against SkinSwap (8.3/10), the deciding factor is cashout. SkinSwap pays out real money including PayPal with near-zero crypto fees, which Swap.gg only partially matches, its instant sell routes to crypto with a $20 floor, and fiat requires KYC. If your endgame is cash rather than different skins, SkinSwap is the stronger pick; see the full field in our ranking of the best Rust trading sites, or our guide on how to sell Rust skins for PayPal.
Who is Swap.gg for?
Swap.gg suits traders who move across games, anyone holding a mix of Rust, CS2 and TF2 items will appreciate swapping between all three in one place, and cost-conscious users willing to wear the Steam-name tag for the 5% rate. It’s also fine for quick, one-session Rust swaps.
It’s not for anyone who wants to hold balance or reservations on a platform, the 2025 incident argues against that, nor for traders chasing rare high-tier Rust items, where the stock is too thin. And if PayPal cashout is your priority, a dedicated cashout site serves you better.
FAQ
Does Swap.gg have a promo code?
Enter code RUSTYSKINS in the referral or affiliate section of your account settings to credit our partnership. Separately, Swap.gg runs a standing fee discount that isn’t a coupon at all: add “swap.gg” to your Steam display name and the base trade fee drops from 8% to 5% automatically. The two stack fine, and both are free, always check the redemption screen for the current referral terms.
How long do Swap.gg trades take?
In our August 2026 testing, bot trade offers arrived within about 50 seconds of confirming a swap, and complete trades finished in five to seven minutes including Steam Mobile confirmation. The main exception is Steam-side: if your Mobile Authenticator hasn’t been active for seven days, Steam itself holds traded items for up to 15 days on any platform.
Is Swap.gg legit after the 2025 shutdown?
Swap.gg has operated since 2017 under Swap.gg B.V., a registered Dutch company, and held a 4.4-star Trustpilot rating at our August 2026 test. The August–September 2025 outage, when pending reservations were force-sold, was real, and it’s why we rate the site 7.5 rather than higher. Trades we ran completed exactly as quoted; we simply advise swapping and withdrawing in one session rather than parking value.
What are Swap.gg’s fees?
The base trade fee is 8%, reduced to 5% if “swap.gg” appears in your Steam name. On top of that, a variable 0–20% availability fee applies to overstocked or slow-moving items, and the marketplace charges roughly 5% commission on sales. In our tests, effective total spreads ran between 9% and 18% depending on the items involved.
Can I cash out Rust skins for real money on Swap.gg?
Partially. The instant-sell feature converts skins to balance withdrawable in crypto (BTC, ETH, USDT) once you pass the $20 minimum; our test quote came in at about 79% of market value. Fiat withdrawal routes exist but require KYC identity verification. If PayPal cash is your main goal, compare quotes against a dedicated cashout platform before selling here.
Last updated: August 2026 · Reviewed per our testing methodology. We re-review every platform every 90 days.