Researched and last reviewed September 2026 · Written by the GiftMeCrypto research desk
One of the worst conversions available. Expect 60%–75% of face value, if you find a buyer in the right currency at all. Steam credit is excellent to receive and poor to resell, and the honest recommendation is to use it or pass it to someone who will.
- Realistic rate
- 60%–75% of face value
- Core problem
- Currency lock shrinks the buyer pool
- Already redeemed?
- No resale value at all
- KYC
- Mandatory on legitimate venues
- Better option
- Use it, or gift it to a gamer
Why it is so hard
The currency lock
A Steam wallet holds exactly one currency, determined by the account's store country. A wallet code is issued in one currency. They must match. That single rule means a EUR code is worthless to a buyer with a USD wallet, and the buyer pool for any given code is a fraction of Steam's user base rather than all of it.
Compare that with an Amazon card, which is usable by anyone with an account on that marketplace, or a prepaid Visa, which is usable at almost any merchant. The narrower the pool, the wider the discount — and Steam's pool is narrow by design. The mechanics are covered on our Steam purchase guide.
The funds are a one-way door
Steam wallet funds cannot be withdrawn, refunded or transferred. A buyer is not acquiring value they can move — they are acquiring store credit they must spend on Steam. That is worth less than face value to almost everyone, even before fraud risk is considered.
Chargeback exposure
Steam codes are a common target for purchase with stolen payment methods. Valve revokes codes traced to fraudulent purchases, and can remove funds from a redeeming account. A buyer factors in the probability of that happening weeks after the trade.
What you will be offered
| Situation | Typical offer | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| USD code, large denomination, trade history | 70%–75% | Best realistic case |
| EUR or GBP code, large denomination | 65%–72% | Smaller buyer pool |
| Minor-currency code | 50%–65% | May not sell at all |
| Small denomination, any currency | 50%–65% | Verification effort not worth it to buyers |
| Already redeemed | Nothing | No mechanism exists |
Swipe sideways →
Put that next to the alternative: a Steam code bought with crypto costs face value minus a rebate on the platforms we cover. So a code is worth roughly 99% when bought and roughly 68% when sold. That 30-point spread is the market telling you which direction this product is designed to flow.
Better alternatives
- Use it yourself Steam sells software, soundtracks, DLC and, in some regions, hardware — not only games. Seasonal sales are frequent enough that credit rarely expires unused.
- Give it to someone who games An unwanted Steam code is a genuinely good gift for the right person, and it transfers at 100% of value rather than 68%. Check their wallet currency first, per our Steam guide.
- Trade it for another gift card informally Among people you actually know. Someone with an Amazon card who games, and you who does not, is a clean swap at par with no counterparty risk.
- Only then consider a P2P sale If the code is in a currency nobody you know can use, 68% of something beats 100% of nothing. Use escrow, never leave the platform, and read the seller-side scams on our selling guide.
Steam is the clearest example of an asymmetry that runs through this whole niche: the products that are best to buy with crypto are frequently the worst to sell for it. Face value in, two-thirds of face value out. The gap is not a marketplace taking advantage — it is the currency lock and the non-withdrawable wallet doing exactly what Valve designed them to do.
Which points at the practical conclusion. Steam credit is a superb thing to receive and a poor thing to liquidate. If you have a code you cannot use, the highest-value move is almost always to find a person who can, not a market.