Recently it seems that some basic trading principles have been forgotten, so here are some trading tips to avoid getting scammed.

1) If you don't know them, don't trust them. Predators like to convince you to trust them. Don't give your valuables to someone and hope that they deliver. Nothing about trading involves 'hope'.

2) Amount of +reps on someone's profile means absolutely nothing. This is a big one that people fall for all of the time. Don't look to them as reputation. A million of them is as good as none of them. If you're unsure about someone, see #1.

3) Don't go first. Murphy's law: if there's a chance they can run off with your valuable without paying you, they will. See #1.

4) Do some research. Maybe they're on the prowl and have been reported in our Scammer Report section. Maybe they're marked on steamrep http://steamrep.com/profiles/76561198065412545 already. You should do your checks beforehand and ask around. Officers and members are always willing to help you assess a person.

5) Anyone that rushes you is not worth trading. Forget about them and move on.

6) Deals too good to be true typically are. You're not getting Call of Duty Ghosts for your cheap sale trade games. No, your $39.99 store priced game is not $39.99 after its $7.49 sale. You can compare here http://steamsales.rhekua.com/ or on your favorite pricing site.

7)Don't accept cd-keys from randoms. This one is a little different. Sometimes you can get a working key (they'll even go first!), but it was purchased fraudulently and revokes later. You must trust the source of the payment, and if you don't think the person is trustworthy then neither is their payment or their games.

8)Don't accept games from randoms. Even tradeables can revoke. They may be scammed goods or from fraud payment to Valve. That's why people contact Valve support to get their items returned. It's less of a problem, but keep tip #4 in mind even in these cases.

The more trading experience you get, the more easily you can categorize the above on your own and decide who's who. The above can and has been broken successfully, because there are always exceptions (even if rare). If you can't spot them immediately, follow the guidelines though. Better safe than sorry.

Reputable traders are easy to spot. Simple deals, with +reps from people you know. If they're trading game keys, you'll know where they're from and what they're worth already (Bundle, AMD/NVIDIA, Game sale from authorized reseller) and they won't have any problems with showing receipts and using a reputable middleman.

Feel free to add anymore tips. Trade smart and safe.