Integrity of the spreadsheet

Unfortunately we've had to address these types of accusations before.  Running a site like this, it comes with the territory.  However, this time things have taken a pointed tone.  It seems that a particular reddit user has been monitoring my accounts trying to catch us doing misdeeds via this little spreadsheet.  He has done his digging for seemingly a long time and posted his attack on our credibility.  He found that we've bumped our own threads on Steam user forums via alternate accounts, said nice things about our own site, and not been so nice to a previously competing site.

However, the proof he offers up that we are the devil-incarnate and are only out for our own gain (ignoring that we've given away over 70 Keys and Tour of Duty tickets combined in the past 3 months alone) is that we purchased an item before the sheet was updated and profited 2 keys the next day.

Here's what occurred: we were gathering pricing information, particularly the botkiller weapons.  There were no prices updated at that point on the sheet.  A particular user appeared to be quickselling his botkiller medi gun at a low price of 8 keys, as opposed to the 10 to 14 keys on average (up to a buds) everyone else was asking.  We bought this item for 8 keys.  Updated all prices to the ranges we found (10-14 keys).  The next day, we re-updated the prices to their current (9-10 keys) number and sold it for 10 keys.

Look.  Only the reddit poster truly knows his motivations.  We update this site daily, spend money to keep it running and upgrade it, hold contests where we give away 90% of our items.  I trade not for profit but to keep current on what's going on, I check our contributors prices against multiple sources.  We view his accusations as illogical but wanted to let you know about them since we don't want this to be just a reddit witch-hunt.  Questions and comments welcome, positive or negative but keep it PG.

Update: We exchanged some calls and emails about this.  Going forward no one associated with this site will trade any newly released items before there is a price in the guide.  Bad form on my part, no malice intended but I understand why it was not the right thing to do.  Rare or glitch items, low craft #'s, unusuals, are exempt.

Update to the update: I will no longer be trading.  We believe it is a better policy.  My contributors will continue as discussed above but we agreed with our Steam API trade analysis software running it isn't necessary for me to trade anymore.  Lurking however, is still fair game.

Hindsight is 20/20:  This accuser stacked what he presented as "evidence" without the bulk of asking prices for the item which were much higher, cherry-picked one trade we did out of thousands he witnessed, mis-stated the timing of events, and never answered questions about his own reason for being disgruntled nor his  affiliations.  Reddit labeled my accounts as "scammer", likely retribution for pointing out the inexperience of their own redditor's defunct pricing site.  Meanwhile, I've stopped trading and we've continued giving away many dozen keys, tickets, hats, and more.  We use Steam API trade-scanning software, as well as our contributors, to provide the most accurate pricing available.

Our methodology.

On occasion there are inquiries about who the heck makes this little spreadsheet full of pretty colors.  To satisfy curiosity without giving up too much about us we created this post.  We are a handful of experienced TF2 players and traders.  We have many thousands of hours of in-game play as well as trading (if we could only get that time back and use it to save the world, alas).  We also rely on you to tell us if we err.

Our actual methodology is using as many different, credible sources of information that are available.  With the changes in trade chats recently our job is even harder so we try to check, and re-check prices on as close to a daily basis as is possible.  What is credible?  Actual trades we do, actual agreements on prices we witness, specific offers on items, specific asking prices for items.  These all give us a range of buying/selling and we try to reflect that market in the spreadsheet.

How do users know that we aren't manipulating prices?  We take the integrity of the spreadsheet and our reputation seriously.  We have many players who rely that we are giving them accurate pricing.  The best way to answer is that if you are concerned then check a price out yourself.  If you think we're off, tell us.  We have no pride on the line.  Sometimes the market changes and a price changes before we witness it.