How to Find Rare Items on the Steam Marketplace Using Steam Inventory Helper (SIH): A Detailed Guide
It’s common to come across news online about rare variations of certain items in Counter-Strike 2. These are often linked to unusual patterns or rare float values, but the question arises: how can you find such rare items? In this guide, we’ll provide a detailed answer to this question and offer a full step-by-step instruction on how to do it using the Steam Inventory Helper extension. SIH will turn endless browsing through marketplace pages and time-consuming game sessions into results with just a couple of clicks.
Selecting a Skin and Identifying Rare Versions
For this example, we’ll use a popular weapon from the new Arsenal operation. The limited item Desert Eagle | Heat Treated caused a lot of buzz from day one due to its resemblance to the famous Case Hardened collection. Everyone immediately recalled the sale of a similar AK-47 for a six-figure sum, hoping to get their hands on a similar “blue” version of the Desert Eagle. While nobody expects to become a millionaire from spending 25 stars, collectors’ interest in rare patterns remains strong.
A quick online search revealed that this pistol has three levels of rarity, and we also found the pattern numbers associated with them:
- Gold Gem: Pattern numbers: 37, 74, 87, 103, 124, 144, 182, 325
- Blue Gem: Pattern numbers: 69, 148, 308, 490, 567, 704
- Purple Gem: Pattern numbers: 29, 133, 156, 172, 293, 599, 944
When looking at the Steam marketplace, the skins listed there seem no different at first glance. However, with SIH enabled, we can easily switch between wear qualities and compare prices across different markets. While detailed information about the item is available on external markets, Steam does not, by default, provide all the necessary data about an item without opening it in-game.
Using Advanced Search in SIH
Steam’s marketplace doesn’t have built-in advanced search tools, but thanks to SIH, this becomes possible. To start searching, scroll down to the “Listings” section of the page. With SIH enabled, you’ll gain access to advanced functions such as filters and special search methods—exactly what we need.
For example, let’s search for a Desert Eagle | Heat Treated with the new Purple Gem pattern. First, click on the “Get Skin Data” button if this option isn’t enabled by default. This will allow SIH to gather all the information about each listed item on the page. Since the uniqueness of the item is tied to its pattern value, we look for the pattern numbers displayed next to the item’s icon. Then, we can use the filters tab to sort items by ascending or descending order and start manually searching for the right one.
While this certainly simplifies the process, it’s still not the most optimal solution. That’s where the “Search by Paint Seed and Float” button comes in. After clicking it, a window will open where you can enter specific values and significantly narrow down your search. In this case, we’ll input the previously found pattern numbers into the “Enter the pattern value” field and close the window.
SIH will highlight the items with the desired pattern, and you can start purchasing right away. Convenient, right? A quick heads-up: don’t be alarmed by highly inflated prices on these items—after all, we’re looking for “exclusives,” and unique items always come with a higher price tag. However, sometimes sellers don’t realize they’re holding a “rare” item and list it at the regular price. We recommend monitoring such listings and snapping them up for resale.
Finding Items with Stickers or Charms
Continuing the theme, here’s a small tip for finding items with specific stickers or charms. To display such items, simply use the search by keywords. Pay particular attention to the second type of items (charms), as charms can be removed and sold separately. If the seller hasn’t factored in the charm’s value when pricing the item, you’re in for a profit.
Similarly, you can search for items with rare stickers and find markets where people are willing to pay extra for applied stickers. This is one of the most common ways to make money on the Steam marketplace—and you can’t do it without Steam Inventory Helper.
