How do you calculate the price of the key?

[bjork (real)]

I've been playing TF2 for only half a year now and I can't call myself a professional trader here, probably don't understand economics completely, but not long time ago I dropped into it. I still don't understand much in how you find out the prices for different hats and items in the game, but what I clearly see is that the main currency keep going higher and higher.
So, the subject: where does the price of the key come from? Is it going to rise forever now? I'm not sure it gives profit to anyone but those, who buys the keys in Mann Co Store, but still it is decided to jump more and more. It just looks so spontaneous and swelling that it seems to just explode one day

[ttv.k0per1s]

backpack.tf Is what most people use to find the prices

[OLDMAN🎅]

I buy keys for 2.25 at tf2shop sell for 10 ref never buy crates buy item.

[The Naughty Dwelf]

0.11 - 1 scrap.
0.33 - 1 reclaimed
1 - 1 refined
1 key - 1 key

[sexgod69]

Keys are a tethered currency, they will always be worth 2.49 Dollars. The illusion of the price going up comes from the inflation of metal, which is not tethered.

[bjork (real)]

Originally posted by FLT OH PREAZE:

0.11 - 1 scrap.
0.33 - 1 reclaimed
1 - 1 refined
1 key - 1 key

nnno, I know that
I mean, a lot of people do not appreciate the rising of key's price, what makes metals, hats, items less valuable

then why, who and what for
how do someone decide when it's time to make the price go up and how much

[ttv.k0per1s]

Originally posted by Rape and Honey:

Originally posted by FLT OH PREAZE:

0.11 - 1 scrap.
0.33 - 1 reclaimed
1 - 1 refined
1 key - 1 key

nnno, I know that
I mean, a lot of people do not appreciate the rising of key's price, what makes metals, hats, items less valuable

then why, who and what for
how do someone decide when it's time to make the price go up and how much

Backpack.tf has price suggestions and people vote to raise the price

[MA☝Omgwtfbbqstfu™]

Price is set by the market.

Too many sales occur for rigging.

Price increases because more and more refined is created every week, dilluting its value, it doesn't mean its going to "explode" or "crash" it just is...

[bjork (real)]

Originally posted by Robot Unicorn:

Backpack.tf has price suggestions and people vote to raise the price

and
yeah
I saw that one too

Just do not understand why it is still going up, when there are opinions against it and when in common it only gets worse, when it only makes profit for >some< people

okay, economics is not my strongest point

[bjork (real)]

Originally posted by MA☝Omgwtfbbqstfu™:

Price is set by the market.

Too many sales occur for rigging.

Price increases because more and more refined is created every week, dilluting its value, it doesn't mean its going to "explode" or "crash" it just is...

Well, it seems more right and clear now
It's all about metal's deflation, then

[Serpentine]

The way I stop my head from exploding is by thinking that if keys are 10 ref, theres roughly one key out there for every ten refined. And the reason it keeps rising is because more refined is coming in than keys..

[MA☝Omgwtfbbqstfu™]

Originally posted by KSG Serpentine:

The way I stop my head from exploding is by thinking that if keys are 10 ref, theres roughly one key out there for every ten refined. And the reason it keeps rising is because more refined is coming in than keys..

And the truth is that it rises very slowly, every 2 weeks or so people get about an extra refined they didn't have before.

[The Naughty Dwelf]

Originally posted by KSG Serpentine:

The way I stop my head from exploding is by thinking that if keys are 10 ref, theres roughly one key out there for every ten refined. And the reason it keeps rising is because more refined is coming in than keys..

Wrong, The reason keys are rising is because the value of metal is falling unlike keys which have a fixed value, metal has not fixed value so when it falls more ref can fit in to a key which increases it by small amounts often.

[Serpentine]

Originally posted by MA☝Omgwtfbbqstfu™:

Originally posted by KSG Serpentine:

The way I stop my head from exploding is by thinking that if keys are 10 ref, theres roughly one key out there for every ten refined. And the reason it keeps rising is because more refined is coming in than keys..

And the truth is that it rises very slowly, every 2 weeks or so people get about an extra refined they didn't have before.

Yeah. I think most of the ref income comes from idlers and whatnot, but it's still a gradual ascent that favors people who neglect actual gameplay for leaving their accounts afk all day. Kinda disappointing.

[Serpentine]

Originally posted by FLT OH PREAZE:

Originally posted by KSG Serpentine:

The way I stop my head from exploding is by thinking that if keys are 10 ref, theres roughly one key out there for every ten refined. And the reason it keeps rising is because more refined is coming in than keys..

Wrong, The reason keys are rising is because the value of metal is falling unlike keys which have a fixed value, metal has not fixed value so when it falls more ref can fit in to a key which increases it by small amounts often.

Metal is falling because theres more of it than there was. Quantity of an item decreases its value. Like, aluminum is really cheap, about $2/ lb. But Silver or Gold, they're worth a lot more, and thats because theres less of it than there is Aluminum. And because aluminum is a flimsy metal only good for baking potatoes..

[MA☝Omgwtfbbqstfu™]

Originally posted by KSG Serpentine:

Originally posted by MA☝Omgwtfbbqstfu™:

And the truth is that it rises very slowly, every 2 weeks or so people get about an extra refined they didn't have before.

Yeah. I think most of the ref income comes from idlers and whatnot, but it's still a gradual ascent that favors people who neglect actual gameplay for leaving their accounts afk all day. Kinda disappointing.

No, its everyone, idlers are a tiny fraction of the population esp now.