Items API

Browse, search, and purchase items on the marketplace.

Base path: /api/items

List All Items

GET /api/items

Returns all items currently for sale. Results are cached for 60 seconds per game_id.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
game_id	number	No	Game ID filter. Default: 730
include_hold	boolean	No	Also include trade-locked items. Default: false. Held items are appended with hold: true and an unhold_at ISO timestamp; they are cached separately for 60 seconds. See the Holds API

Headers

Header	Description
x-api-key	API key for authentication
x-inspect-password	If provided, sensitive fields (inspect, bot_id) are included

Rate Limit

4 requests per minute per user. Response includes X-RateLimit-Limit and X-RateLimit-Remaining headers.

Cache

60 seconds per game_id

cURL

curl -X GET "https://market.vpsbot.io/api/items?game_id=730" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Node.js

const { data } = await client.get('/items', {
  params: { game_id: 730 }
});

Example Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "market_id": "abc123",
      "asset_id": "30000000001",
      "game_id": 730,
      "instanceid": "302028390",
      "classid": "310776560",
      "market_hash_name": "AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)",
      "phase": null,
      "float": 0.2531,
      "paint_index": 282,
      "paint_seed": 412,
      "rarity_color": "#D2D2D2",
      "price": 1245,
      "icon_url": "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/...",
      "stickers": [],
      "inspect": null,
      "bot_id": null,
      "instant_delivery": false,
      "average_delivery_time": 1680,
      "delivery_rate": 98.5
    }
  ]
}

Delivery — average_delivery_time, delivery_rate

Field	Type	Description
average_delivery_time	integer | null	Average delivery time, in seconds
delivery_rate	number | null	Delivery success rate, percent 0–100

Both are null when not available for an item.

The same two fields appear on GET /api/items/:asset_id and on every item body sent over the WebSocket.

Delivery speed — instant_delivery

Every catalog item carries an explicit boolean:

Value	Meaning
true	standard delivery — the Steam trade offer is usually created within seconds
false	slower fulfilment — the offer can take minutes up to ~1 hour to arrive

Nothing else about the purchase changes: the buy request, statuses and refund behaviour are identical. For instant_delivery: false items simply poll GET /api/trades (or listen on the WebSocket) until the offer appears.

The value can change over time; the change arrives over the WebSocket like any other item update.

Filtering — instant_delivery query parameter

GET /api/items accepts an optional instant_delivery=true|false filter: true returns only near-instant items, false only slower-fulfilment items, and omitting it returns the mixed catalog. The same parameter works on GET /public/prices and the deprecated GetAllItemsOnSale.

curl 'https://market.vpsbot.io/api/items?game_id=730&instant_delivery=true' \
  -H 'x-api-key: YOUR_KEY'

---

Get Item by Asset ID

GET /api/items/:asset_id

Returns a single item by its Steam asset ID.

Cached — safe to poll

Responses are served from a 60-second server-side cache that is rewritten the instant any purchase or status change touches the asset (the same computation is pushed as the market-items-changed websocket event). Rapid consecutive requests hit the cache, and a change is visible on the very next request — you never wait out the TTL for purchase-driven changes.

Path Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
asset_id	string	Yes	Steam asset ID

Headers

Header	Description
x-api-key	API key for authentication
x-inspect-password	If provided, sensitive fields are included

cURL

curl -X GET "https://market.vpsbot.io/api/items/30000000001" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Node.js

const { data } = await client.get('/items/30000000001');

Example Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "market_id": "abc123",
    "asset_id": "30000000001",
    "game_id": 730,
    "market_hash_name": "AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)",
    "phase": null,
    "float": 0.2531,
    "price": 1245,
    "icon_url": "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/...",
    "stickers": [],
    "average_delivery_time": 4,
    "delivery_rate": 100
  }
}

---

Search Items

POST /api/items/search

Search items by market hash names or market IDs. At least one search parameter is required.

Request Body

Field	Type	Required	Description
market_ids	string[]	No	Array of internal market IDs
market_hash_names	string[]	No	Array of Steam market hash names
phases	string[]	No	Filter by Doppler phases

WARNING

At least one of market_ids or market_hash_names must be provided.

Rate Limit

150 requests per minute per user.

cURL

curl -X POST "https://market.vpsbot.io/api/items/search" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "market_hash_names": [
      "AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)",
      "AWP | Asiimov (Field-Tested)"
    ]
  }'

Node.js

const { data } = await client.post('/items/search', {
  market_hash_names: [
    'AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)',
    'AWP | Asiimov (Field-Tested)'
  ]
});

Example Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "market_id": "abc123",
      "asset_id": "30000000001",
      "game_id": 730,
      "market_hash_name": "AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)",
      "phase": null,
      "float": 0.2531,
      "price": 1245,
      "icon_url": "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/...",
      "stickers": []
    }
  ]
}

---

Buy Item by Asset ID

POST /api/items/buy

Purchase a specific item by its asset ID. Deducts the price from your balance and initiates a Steam trade.

Trade-locked items

Items under a Steam trade hold cannot be bought with this endpoint — the purchase is refused with code: "item_on_trade_hold" (see Refused Purchase). Buy them via the Holds API instead.

Request Body

Field	Type	Required	Description
asset_id	string	Yes	Steam asset ID to purchase
game_id	number	Yes	Game ID (e.g., 730)
trade_url	string	Yes	Your Steam trade offer URL
price	number	Yes	Expected price (must match current price)
custom_id	string | null	No	Your custom reference ID for this trade

cURL

curl -X POST "https://market.vpsbot.io/api/items/buy" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "asset_id": "30000000001",
    "game_id": 730,
    "trade_url": "https://steamcommunity.com/tradeoffer/new/?partner=XXXXX&token=YYYYY",
    "price": 1245,
    "custom_id": "order-001"
  }'

Node.js

const { data } = await client.post('/items/buy', {
  asset_id: '30000000001',
  game_id: 730,
  trade_url: 'https://steamcommunity.com/tradeoffer/new/?partner=XXXXX&token=YYYYY',
  price: 1245,
  custom_id: 'order-001'
});

if (!data.success) {
  // A refused purchase answers HTTP 200: branch on data.code
  console.log(`Purchase refused: ${data.code} (${data.error})`);
}

Example Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "trade_id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "steam_trade_id": "5234567890",  // may be null at first — see note below
    "custom_id": "order-001",
    "trade_url": "https://steamcommunity.com/tradeoffer/new/?partner=XXXXX&token=YYYYY",
    "asset_id": "30000000001",
    "market_hash_name": "AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)",
    "phase": null,
    "price": 1245,
    "status": "processing",
    "summary": "InProgress",
    "steam_trade_status": "Active"
  }
}

steam_trade_id can be null

The Steam offer is created asynchronously. steam_trade_id may be null in the buy response (and, for some fulfilment paths, stay null in GET /api/trades even after delivery). Track the purchase by trade_id / custom_id and rely on status (processing → accepted → completed), not on the offer id.

Refused Purchase

If the purchase cannot go through, it is refused and your balance is not charged: an amount already debited is refunded before the response is sent. The response is HTTP 200 with success: false, a machine-readable code and a human-readable error:

{
  "success": false,
  "code": "trade_partner_banned",
  "error": "Your Steam account has a trade ban and cannot receive trade offers"
}

code	error	Meaning
item_not_found	Item not found or already sold	The item is no longer for sale. On buy-by-name: no item matches the name and phase within max_price
item_unavailable	Item is no longer available	The item was still listed, but the seller can no longer deliver it. Your balance is not charged. Pick another listing
item_on_trade_hold	Item is on trade hold	The item is under a Steam trade hold. Buy it via the Holds API
price_changed	Price mismatch: listing price does not match the offered price	The listing price differs from the price you sent, or it changed while the purchase was being placed. Fetch the current price and retry
insufficient_balance	Insufficient balance to buy the item	Your available balance is below the item price
duplicate_custom_id	A trade with this custom_id already exists	A purchase with this custom_id already exists. Look it up in GET /api/trades, or send a new custom_id
item_reserved	Item is being purchased by another buyer; please retry	Another buyer is purchasing this item right now. Retry shortly
invalid_trade_url	The trade URL cannot receive trade offers	Your trade_url cannot receive trade offers: it is malformed or out of date (regenerate it in Steam), or the account cannot trade right now. Check the URL
trade_partner_banned	Your Steam account has a trade ban and cannot receive trade offers	The Steam account behind your trade_url has a trade ban and cannot receive trade offers. Retrying fails the same way until the ban is lifted
trade_banned	The bot for this trade has a Steam trade ban	The bot holding this item has a Steam trade ban and cannot deliver it. Retrying this item fails the same way while the ban lasts

Check success and code, not the HTTP status

A refused purchase still answers HTTP 200. Always check success, and when it is false, branch on code rather than on the error text. HTTP 4xx / 5xx keep their usual meaning: an invalid request answers 400 with code: "validation_failed", a server failure answers 500 with code: "internal_error". See Response Format.

Hold purchases have their own codes: see Refused Hold Purchase.

---

Buy Item by Name

POST /api/items/buy-by-name

Purchase the cheapest available item matching the given market hash name. Useful when you don't care about a specific listing.

Trade-locked items

Items under a Steam trade hold are refused with code: "item_on_trade_hold" — they can only be bought via the Holds API.

Request Body

Field	Type	Required	Description
market_hash_name	string	Yes	Steam market hash name
game_id	number	Yes	Game ID (e.g., 730)
phase	string | null	No	Doppler phase filter
trade_url	string	Yes	Your Steam trade offer URL
max_price	number	Yes	Maximum price you're willing to pay
custom_id	string | null	No	Your custom reference ID

cURL

curl -X POST "https://market.vpsbot.io/api/items/buy-by-name" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "market_hash_name": "AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)",
    "game_id": 730,
    "phase": null,
    "trade_url": "https://steamcommunity.com/tradeoffer/new/?partner=XXXXX&token=YYYYY",
    "max_price": 1500,
    "custom_id": "order-002"
  }'

Node.js

const { data } = await client.post('/items/buy-by-name', {
  market_hash_name: 'AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)',
  game_id: 730,
  phase: null,
  trade_url: 'https://steamcommunity.com/tradeoffer/new/?partner=XXXXX&token=YYYYY',
  max_price: 1500,
  custom_id: 'order-002'
});

if (!data.success) {
  // A refused purchase answers HTTP 200: branch on data.code
  console.log(`Purchase refused: ${data.code} (${data.error})`);
}

Example Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "trade_id": "b2c3d4e5-f6a7-8901-bcde-f12345678901",
    "steam_trade_id": "5234567891",
    "custom_id": "order-002",
    "trade_url": "https://steamcommunity.com/tradeoffer/new/?partner=XXXXX&token=YYYYY",
    "asset_id": "30000000001",
    "market_hash_name": "AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)",
    "phase": null,
    "price": 1245,
    "status": "processing",
    "summary": "InProgress",
    "steam_trade_status": "Active"
  }
}

Refused Purchase

Same as POST /api/items/buy: a refused purchase answers HTTP 200 with success: false, a machine-readable code and a human-readable error, with the same codes. When no item matches the name and phase within max_price, the code is item_not_found. Your balance is not charged.

---

Recently Sold Items

GET /api/items/recently-sold

Returns asset IDs of items sold in the last 10 seconds. Useful for filtering out unavailable items from your local cache.

Cache

10 seconds

cURL

curl -X GET "https://market.vpsbot.io/api/items/recently-sold" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Node.js

const { data } = await client.get('/items/recently-sold');

Example Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    "30000000001",
    "30000000042",
    "30000000099"
  ]
}

---

Check Availability

POST /api/items/check-availability

Check if an item can be purchased before attempting to buy.

Request Body

Field	Type	Required	Description
asset_id	string	No	Steam asset ID
market_id	string	No	Internal market ID

cURL

curl -X POST "https://market.vpsbot.io/api/items/check-availability" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"asset_id": "30000000001"}'

Node.js

const { data } = await client.post('/items/check-availability', {
  asset_id: '30000000001'
});

Example Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "can_buy": true,
    "bot_id": "76561198...",
    "reason": null
  }
}

Every response carries can_hold_buy. For an item under a Steam trade hold that is hold-sellable, can_buy is false but can_hold_buy is true, together with the hold listing price and the unlock timestamp — buy it via the Holds API:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "can_buy": false,
    "can_hold_buy": true,
    "bot_id": "76561199...",
    "reason": "trade_hold",
    "hold_price": 2800,
    "unhold_at": "2026-08-19T07:00:00Z"
  }
}

A trade-locked item without a hold price range set by its seller reports can_hold_buy: false. Regular (unlocked, listed) items report can_buy: true, can_hold_buy: false.

Held items in Get Item by Asset ID

GET /api/items/:asset_id also resolves hold-sellable trade-locked items: instead of a 404 it returns the item with hold: true, unhold_at, and price set to the hold listing price.

---

Get Item Availability

GET /api/items/:asset_id/availability

Check whether a specific item is available and not banned.

Path Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
asset_id	string	Yes	Steam asset ID

cURL

curl -X GET "https://market.vpsbot.io/api/items/30000000001/availability" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Node.js

const { data } = await client.get('/items/30000000001/availability');

Example Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "asset_id": "30000000001",
    "available": true,
    "banned": false,
    "reason": null
  }
}

---

Item Object Schema

Field	Type	Description
market_id	string | null	Internal market listing ID
asset_id	string	Steam asset ID
game_id	number	Game ID (730, 570, 252490, 440)
instanceid	string	Steam instance ID
classid	string	Steam class ID
market_hash_name	string	Steam market hash name
phase	string | null	Doppler phase (e.g., "Phase 1")
float	number | null	Float value (wear)
paint_index	number | null	Paint index
paint_seed	number | null	Paint seed
rarity_color	string | null	Hex color code for rarity
price	number | null	Price (1$ = 1000)
icon_url	string	Steam CDN icon URL
stickers	object	Sticker data
inspect	string | null	Inspect link (requires x-inspect-password)
bot_id	string	Bot Steam ID (requires x-inspect-password)
source_id	string | null	Fulfilment source: local, an instant-delivery market, or a provider key (requires x-inspect-password)
hold	boolean	Optional. true when the item is under a Steam trade hold (only returned with include_hold=true)
unhold_at	string	Optional. ISO timestamp of when the trade hold ends (held items only)

Buy Response Fields

The buy response includes status fields for tracking the trade lifecycle:

Field	Type	Description
trade_id	string	Internal trade identifier (UUID)
steam_trade_id	string | null	Steam trade offer ID
status	string	IMT status (processing on creation)
summary	string	Business-level status (InProgress on creation)
steam_trade_status	string | null	Steam trade status string (e.g. Active)

TIP

For full status reference (all possible status, summary, and steam_trade_status values), see the Trades API.