Steam trade bans and trade probation, explained
Steam can restrict an account's ability to trade. The state is visible through the Steam Web API as the account's "economy ban" value.
The three states
The Web API reports an economy ban of none, probation or banned. "None" means no restriction is recorded.
- None: no trade restriction.
- Probation: the account has been restricted and is being watched.
- Banned: the account cannot trade.
Why accounts get restricted
Valve does not publish its full criteria. Restrictions are generally associated with fraud, such as payment chargebacks, and with abuse of the trading system. Treat a restriction as a strong warning sign, not as proof of a specific offence.
How to use it when vetting someone
A banned account simply cannot complete a trade, so an offer from one should make you ask why they are contacting you. Probation is a reason for extra caution. TradeProof caps the trust score of any trade-banned account at 15.
Trade holds are a different thing
Separate from bans, Steam can place items on a trade hold depending on account security settings, such as whether Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator is active. Valve changes these rules, so check Steam's current support pages before relying on specifics.
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