Steam Trade Offers

Valve recently started a new trading system they are calling trade offers. The idea behind it is to trade items with friends even when you aren't at your computer. Unfortunately, there is a bad side to this as well.

1. The Basics
Steam Trade Offers is just that: a way to set up an offer and trade items. You pick what you want to trade out of your inventory and pick out what you want from a friend's inventory. If they accept, the trade is done automatically. If not, your friend can make another offer or simply refuse.

2. The Good
The nice part about trade offers is you can make an offer and it might happen without you having to do anything. This means you don't have to worry about the trade timing out or any other Steam related hassles with live trading. There is also no chance of a quickswitch as long as you are paying attention to what items are being offered on both sides.
This does set up a bit of bad, though.

3. The Bad
Ignorance in how the trade offer works has led to people getting sharked. The sharker takes advantage of their target not knowing how it works to get (sometimes very valuable) items for next to nothing.

There are also people offering steam wallet funds for items through this system. As of yet, there is no way to transfer wallet funds directly. Unless they give you a Steam wallet code in it's entirety, they are probably trying to scam you. Do not go through with this kind of trade unless you are sure you can trust who you are trading with.

Sharks also try the "fake offer" method, where you put up your valuables for some of their lowest value items. They say they will change the offer before accepting it, but take it as you set it up. It is considered a scam if there is evidence of a money agreement, such as a chat log, reddit post, etc.

Valve does have a statement in the FAQs on trade offers that states "All trades are final", seen here.

4. Things to Remember
When making a trade offer, you decide what you want to give and what you want to take from your friend. Any offer you give can be accepted as is, so an empty offer for an item can be taken.
Any notes that are added to the offer were written by the person who set it up. Valve will not add notes to any trade offer.
Check quality and history on anything you have doubts about.

I think that about does it. Feel free to add anything I missed or correct any mistakes.

Update 1: Fixed a few mistakes
Update 2: Added Steam wallet trades
Update 3: Added "fake offers"

That is not a scam.

And yet it is.

Definition of scam straight out of the M-W dictionary: a dishonest way to make money by deceiving people.

I'd say telling people to put up an offer of their stuff for nothing is, if nothing else, dishonest. Stupid on the victim's part, sure, but dishonest on the scammers part.

If my example isn't a scam, what is?

It would be defined as Sharking.

Scam to SR's definition is not upholding the trade agreement. With the Steam trade offers that's not a possibility.

The Good
Less odds of a quickswitch.

If you put up and expensive item, the only way to quick switch it is if they hate your offer.

Updated. Let me know if anything else needs to be changed.

Updated again.

-There are also people offering steam wallet funds for items through this system. As of yet, there is no way to transfer wallet funds directly. Unless they give you a Steam wallet code in it's entirety, they are probably trying to scam you. Do not go through with this kind of trade unless you are sure you can trust who you are trading with.

Apparently people have found another way to scam via trade offers (though you'd have to be a complete idiot to fall for it).

http://www.reddit.com/r/tf2/comments/1mnef9/new_scam_with_steam_trade/

Updated. Though I think that makes it more of a shark the way it is worded... right?

And as far as having to be an idiot to fall for it... Have you seen the report section lately?

If the chat is there with the evidence (on the reddit issue), that would result in a scammer tag.