Two tools, two jobs
Most trading frustration in Path of Exile 2 comes from using the wrong tool. The two are not interchangeable:
| Currency Exchange | Trade site | |
|---|---|---|
| Handles | Stackable items only — currency, fragments, divination cards, fossils, resonators, omens, catalysts | Everything else — equipment, rares, jewels, uniques, non-stackables |
| How it fills | Instantly, automatically matched | You message another player and meet to trade |
| Cost | A gold fee per item bought | Free, but costs your time |
| Limit | 10 active orders at once | No hard order limit |
If it stacks, use the Exchange. If it is gear, use the Trade site. That single distinction removes most of the friction.
Using the Exchange well
- Stick to the liquid currencies. Chaos, Exalted and Divine Orbs have the highest trade volume, so orders fill fast. An obscure currency may never fill at a price you like.
- Gold pays the fee. Gold is soulbound — you cannot trade it to other players — so it is never the thing you are selling.
- Check the Market Ratio before you commit, and hold Alt while hovering it to see the available and competing offers rather than accepting the suggested rate blind.
- Remember the 10-order cap, and remember cancelling does not refund the gold fee. See the currency guide for the full gold cost table.
- Ctrl+click to move currency in and out of the window instead of dragging stacks.
Using the Trade site well
Sell what someone is actually searching for. Not “gear that looks good” — gear whose base type and modifiers match what a popular build searches for. High-tier uncut gems are worth listing; cheap ones are not.
Buy the one slot holding you back. Not five small upgrades. Every purchase spends currency you could have put into the slot that actually matters.
Price from comparisons. Find the same base type with similar modifiers and take the middle of the listed range, then price below it — an overpriced item never sells, and an unsold item is worth nothing. If nothing similar is listed, your item is either unique or unwanted; both are reasons to price low.
Trades that cost more than they are worth
- Listing cheap items. Below a certain value the listing and messaging cost more time than running one more map. Set a floor and vendor anything under it.
- Negotiating. A buyer haggling over an already fair price is not a buyer. Let them go.
- Holding out. An item at a fair price that has not sold is not going up in value. Drop the price.
Safe trading habits
Trade in town, never in a dangerous area. Confirm both the item and the currency in the trade window before you accept, and complete in one step rather than splitting it. Most trade scams depend on you being rushed or on a last-second swap, so slow down at the accept button.