TBH Steam Market: what the Trade Ship actually does

The Trade Ship is a bridge between TBH and Steam Inventory. Listing an item removes it from the usable in-game inventory until you delist and reclaim it. Buying an item is not the same as receiving it instantly: the mailbox has to sync it back into TBH.

Selling an item: the safe route

Check the badge. Only items marked tradable in the current client should be sent to the Trade Ship.
Strip applied effects if required. Current market references state that equipment with Decoration, Engraving, or Inscription applied must be returned to its base state before listing.
Send it through the ship. Drag the item from TBH Inventory to the Steam Trade Ship panel.
Open Steam Inventory. Use the Sell action on the TBH item, set the price, and complete Steam Guard/Steam confirmation if prompted.
Remember where it went. A listed item no longer appears as usable gear in TBH while it sits in Steam Market.

Steam takes fees, and the proceeds go to Steam Wallet. Treat every price as a market quote, not income you are guaranteed to receive.

Buying and reclaiming

After buying or delisting:

Wait for the Steam inventory to update.
Open TBH’s mailbox.
Wait through the mailbox refresh cooldown—current documentation reports about 10 seconds.
Refresh and claim the item.
If it is still missing after a few refreshes, restart TBH before making a duplicate purchase.

Purchased items can be used immediately but are reported to have a 7-day resale lock. The lock is not a bug and makes same-day flipping impossible.

Rules that changed recently

The Market has been unstable since launch. The developer’s June policy update moved Trade Ship use to Cube Level 10, changed which items could be traded, and warned about server synchronization. A later hotfix reopened the market with listing-slot and cooldown rules. Always check the latest in-game tooltip before writing a price guide.

The current community reference reports:

| Rule | Current report | | --- | --- | | Listing slots | 4 slots | | New listing cooldown | 8 hours per slot | | Bought-item resale lock | 7 days | | Mailbox refresh | About 10 seconds |

These are patch-sensitive. The page keeps them in a separate table so a future update can be corrected without rewriting the whole workflow.

Should you sell your gear?

Use this filter:

Keep the only usable copy for an active hero.
Test a replacement before listing the old one.
Check current prices; Legendary may sell for very little, while higher grades and useful materials can have more demand.
Remove effects only if the expected sale justifies the lost materials.
Do not buy an item expecting a guaranteed profit; fees and the 7-day lock destroy that assumption.

Sources and evidence

TBH.City Steam Market guide — current listing flow, 7-day lock, mailbox timing and market rules.
TBH 101 community guide — Trade Ship, Steam confirmation and reclaim workflow.
Developer policy update — Cube Level 10 and policy-change context.
Developer market reopening hotfix — listing slots and cooldown context.

Prices, trading eligibility and listing rules can change independently of game balance. Verify the client and Steam screen at the moment you trade.

Quick answers

How do I sell an item from TBH?

Move a tradable item to the Steam Inventory through the Trade Ship, open the item’s Sell action in Steam, set a price, and complete the required Steam confirmation.

Why is a bought item not in my TBH inventory?

Claim it through the in-game mailbox after the Steam inventory sync. Current community documentation reports a roughly 10-second mailbox refresh cooldown; wait and refresh before restarting the purchase.