> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://api.csboard.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Buy CS2 Skins Automatically from Your CSBoard Balance
> Place automated orders against your CSBoard balance, protect against price moves, and guarantee idempotent delivery using POST /v1/orders.
Buying through the CSBoard API lets you acquire CS2 skins programmatically — straight from your balance, with atomic overcharge protection and built-in idempotency. Before your first order goes through, you need to complete a short one-time setup. Follow the steps below in order.
A standard read key can **never** spend money. Trading is deliberately opt-in — a leaked or compromised read key cannot place orders or drain your balance until you explicitly enable it.
## Setup
Go to your [API profile](https://csboard.com/profile?tab=api) and flip the **buying** toggle for the key you want to use. Until you do this, every call to `POST /v1/orders` returns `403 trading_not_enabled`.
Orders are delivered directly to Steam, so you must have a linked Steam account and a valid trade URL set in your profile. Without one, the API returns `400 steam_account_required`.
Purchases are debited from your existing CSBoard balance. Top up on the site — there is no card or crypto payment path through the API itself.
Query `GET /v1/listings` to find items and collect their `id` fields. Every `id` in the response is a stable reference you pass directly to the orders endpoint.
```bash theme={null}
curl "https://csboard.com/v1/listings?search=AK-47%20Redline&wear=Minimal%20Wear&sort=price_asc&limit=5" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer csb_pub_..."
```
POST the listing IDs to `/v1/orders`. Include `max_price_usd` and an `Idempotency-Key` — both are explained in detail below.
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://csboard.com/v1/orders \
-H "Authorization: Bearer csb_pub_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: 6f9c2b10-1a2b-4c3d-8e4f-5a6b7c8d9e0f" \
-d '{"item_ids":["itm_8841201"],"max_price_usd":20.00}'
```
***
## Overcharge protection
You are always charged the **live price at execution**, not the price you saw when you browsed listings. Markets move — a listing you fetched 30 seconds ago may have been relisted at a higher price by the time your order lands.
Use `max_price_usd` as a total ceiling. The debit is atomic: if the live total at execution exceeds your ceiling, the entire order is rejected with `400 price_moved` — nothing is charged and no items are transferred.
Always read `price_usd` from `GET /v1/listings` immediately before placing an order — that value is authoritative and equals the exact charge. The `/v1/prices` endpoint returns an indicative grouped snapshot that can lag the live per-item price.
If the price moved and you receive a `400`, the response body includes `current_total_usd` so you can decide whether to re-submit with a higher ceiling or abort:
```json theme={null}
{
"code": "price_moved",
"message": "Live total 31.20 exceeds max_price_usd 30.00.",
"current_total_usd": 31.20
}
```
***
## Idempotency
Network failures happen. Without idempotency, a retry after a timeout could buy the same item twice. Prevent that by sending a unique `Idempotency-Key` header with every order request.
* If the server receives two requests with the same key, it replays the original order result — the purchase is never executed a second time.
* You can also pass `idempotency_key` in the request body instead of the header; both have the same effect.
* Use a UUID v4 generated per order attempt, not per retry.
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://csboard.com/v1/orders \
-H "Authorization: Bearer csb_pub_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: 6f9c2b10-1a2b-4c3d-8e4f-5a6b7c8d9e0f" \
-d '{
"item_ids": ["itm_8841201", "itm_8841340"],
"max_price_usd": 30.00
}'
```
***
## Example response
A successful order returns `200` with the order details and your remaining balance:
```json theme={null}
{
"order_id": "ord_01J9Z3K8Q2",
"status": "processing",
"items": [
{
"item_id": "itm_8841201",
"charged_usd": 14.37,
"delivery": "hold"
},
{
"item_id": "itm_8841340",
"charged_usd": 12.10,
"delivery": "instant"
}
],
"total_charged_usd": 26.47,
"balance_after_usd": 73.53,
"created_at": "2026-06-29T17:12:04Z"
}
```
***
## Delivery
Each item in the order response includes a `delivery` field:
* **`instant`** — the item is tradable now and will be sent to your Steam trade URL immediately.
* **`hold`** — the item is under a Steam trade hold. Check the listing's `tradable_at` field (ISO 8601 timestamp) to see when it becomes tradable.
***
## Error reference
| Code | HTTP Status | Meaning |
| ------------------------ | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `price_moved` | 400 | Live price exceeded `max_price_usd` — response includes `current_total_usd` |
| `insufficient_balance` | 402 | Your CSBoard balance is below the order total |
| `steam_account_required` | 400 | No Steam account or trade URL linked to your profile |
| `trading_not_enabled` | 403 | The API key does not have buying enabled |
***
## Next steps
* [Automate buying with bots and price monitors](/guides/automation)
* [Query live listings and prices](/guides/market-data)
* [API Reference — POST /v1/orders](/api-reference/post-orders)
* [API Reference — GET /v1/listings](/api-reference/get-listings)