steam
After the Trading Card update, I noticed an option that said "sell", and discovered the Steam Market. I was wondering, how does this work? When I clicked "Sell," it took me to a page asking me for the money I receive and the money the buyer pays.
Is the Steam Market an auctioning feature to auction Steam items? Is it a way to simply sell items?
On July 12th 2013, the Mystery cards turned into Summer Getaway Trading Cards.
Starting July 3rd, crafting a game badge earned you a "mystery card" rather than a coupon. These mystery cards are now Summer Getaway cards. So if you crafted a badge in the last week, you're already ahead of the game. During the sale, each game badge you craft will get you a Summer Getaway trading card.
The Market is still under development. More items are likely to be added later.
One way to put an item up for sale is by going to the Marketplace and clicking "Sell an item".
This will show you the eligible items for each game (and steam, overall). change the game filter by clicking on the game you want to see items for.
You choose the amount you want for it, then Steam will add a bit (as well as the game in some cases).
There are rules, however.
It is possible to make a little money off the Marketplace. I sold a few trading cards and had $2.50 to buy System Shock 2 with :)
Best Answer
Yes, it is a place to buy and sell virtual items. At this time, only some in-game items (including TF2 keys, the primary "currency" used in Steam trading) and trading cards can be bought and sold - you cannot buy/sell copies of games in your inventory.
Items are sold for a fixed price, chosen by the seller (it is not an auction). You can buy items from the market using the money in your Steam Wallet, or with paypal/credit card. When you sell an item, the money gets put in your Steam Wallet. There is no way to move that money to, say, your Paypal; it can only be used on Steam.
Valve and the company behind the game each get a percentage of the final sale price, depending on the game (generally 5% for Valve, 10% for the game's creators, minimum one cent each); the seller gets the rest (That is why there are two input boxes, one for "Buyer Pays" and one for "You Receive")
You must have Steam Guard enabled to use the Market.
You can learn more at the Steam Community Market FAQ.