Getting a VAC ban is one of the worst things that can happen to a CS2 player, especially if they have valuable skins on their account. Naturally, one of the first questions that comes up is whether it’s still possible to trade items after receiving a VAC ban. Unfortunately, the short answer is no—once banned, your inventory gets locked, and you lose access to trading your items. Let’s dive into why this happens and what it means for your skins.
Join Our CS2 Pro Course
Is It Possible to Trade CS2 Items With a VAC Ban?
If you receive a VAC ban in CS2, it’s not just your ability to play the game that gets restricted—your trading options are permanently affected too. A VAC ban triggers an inventory lock, which means you won’t be able to trade, sell, or send items from that account, effectively trapping your skins.
The reason behind this trade restriction is simple: to prevent banned players from transferring valuable items to another account. Without these restrictions, players caught using cheats could bypass the punishment by simply moving their skins to a new account and starting fresh. So, even if you didn’t plan to trade your skins often, the moment a VAC ban hits, your inventory is frozen permanently.
Unfortunately, the same rule applies to cashing out your skins. Once a VAC ban is in place, your items are locked, and you won’t be able to sell them on the Steam community market or any third-party marketplaces. Be cautious of any third-party platforms claiming to offer ways to cash out locked items—they’re likely scams designed to exploit players desperate to retrieve their items.
However, not every ban completely locks your inventory. If you have a competitive cooldown instead of a VAC ban, you’re still able to trade and sell items as usual. A competitive cooldown only affects your ability to play certain game modes, so your inventory remains fully accessible, and you can still use the Steam market and third-party trading sites.
If you believe the VAC ban is a mistake and you didn’t break any rules, there is a chance it could be overturned. While the ban is active, trading remains locked, but once the false ban is removed, your trading abilities will return to normal. In this case, patience is key, as you’ll need to wait for the issue to be reviewed and resolved by Steam support.
[RELEVANT: CS2 Skins Trading Guide]
Learn CS2 The Right Way
Conclusion
If your Steam account gets hit with a VAC ban, it doesn’t just block you from playing CS2—it locks your entire inventory as well, preventing you from trading or selling any skins. Sadly, the only exception is if the ban was a mistake, in which case your trading access will be restored once it’s lifted.
