So you want to buy a hat for TF2? Don't spent $5 for a hat! Buy 2 Mann co. Keys!

Let's just say that you want to buy a War pig ($4.99) for your awesome soldier, instead you could buy 2 Mann co. Keys ($4.98)













War pigs are about 1.33 - 1.66 refined metal
Mann co. Keys are 8.33-9 refined metal (as of 11/8/14)

You would have a ton of metal leftover to buy more hats!

It is a different story for new just added hats though

And same thing with Weapons

A regular weapon ($.49 - $9.99) = 1 scrap
Mann co Key ($2.49) = 8.33-9 refined metal (as of 11/8/14)
And the weapons are uncraftable and most of the time thats bad

Good luck


SoldierGSM & Maxwell

You need always check the price before selling it!
You need know your item could be worth a lot of money/metal!

Also make sure that the item your buying has a clean history, because if it doesn't then you got scammed!












And dont be a scammer, just doesn't know the price of an item doesn't mean you can scam it off them.

SoldierGSM

I usually go buy this rule
h means the hat you are buying unpainted
p means the paint that is on the hat
m means the the price of the hat with the paint

h + p(1/2) = m

So basically it mean the price of the hat (UNPAINTED!) + The price of the paint cut in half = The price of the hat with the paint!

Example:






So the hat is painted lime
The hat is worth 3 ref without paint and the lime paint is worth 7 ref but when cut in half 3.55 ref

3 ref + 7(1/2) = ?

3 ref + 3.55 ref = 6.55 ref

The hat is worth 6.55 when used with lime paint!


Let try one more example






So the hat painted Orange (My favorite color!)
The hat is worth 2 ref without paint and paint is worth 3 ref but when cut in half it 1.55 ref

2 ref + 3(1/2) = ?

2 ref + 1.55 ref = 3.55

The hat is worth 3.55 with orange paint

THIS DOESN'T APPLY IF THE PERSON YOU ARE TRADING WITH A HAT AND A BUCKET OF PAINT!
ALSO I USE THIS METHOD AND I THINK IT'S A GOOD METHOD TO USE WHEN HATS ARE PAINTED!

Good luck!

SoldierGSM, Pocco, and Maxwell

Its not a good idea to craft unless you feel lucky to get a very good hat or you going for that #1 item
Let me show you why














With that 4 ref you could buy the hat your looking for. Most TF2 hats are 1.33 - 1.66 refined metal
but some are more than that, and that's why people do it.

















Mostly of the time you'll get a 1.66 refined hat, so it's all on chance
When TF2 didn't have trading this is what you did to get a hat.
How many hats could you craft? like hundreds of hat and there is like 10 good ones that you can craft

You could get about 2 - 3 hats with that refined metal and probably get the one you want

So I wouldn't craft unless I was going for #1


SoldierGSM & JT5217

Thanks to:

Maxwell (aka. Maxwell the Maggot)
Andrew (aka. Pocco god of skool supplies)
Josiah (aka. JT5217)

Also thank you TF2 Wiki for the hat models and VALVe for the Mann co key & War pig prices

All other pictures are from google.com

Thank you for reading

SoldierGSM
PoccoGodofSkoolSupplies
JT5217
Maxwell the Maggot