Most station deliveries are uneventful: a crate leaves cold storage, a trade offer arrives, you accept it, done. Occasionally a trade does not go through. This note explains what that looks like, what you can fix yourself, and what happens to your money if we cannot deliver.
Following your order
Every order is tracked in Base camp → Orders, in four steps:
| Step | What it means |
|---|---|
| Order placed | We have received your order. |
| Payment confirmed | Your payment has been confirmed and delivery can begin. |
| Trade offer sent | Our bot has sent a Steam trade offer with the exact item, same float and seed as the listing. |
| Delivered | You accepted the trade offer and the item is in your inventory. |
If an order sits at one step for longer than you expected, the reasons below are the usual suspects.
Why a trade can fail
- An outdated trade URL. If you clicked Create new URL in Steam, the old link stops working, including the copy saved at the station.
- A private inventory. Delivery checks need to see the receiving inventory.
- Trade restrictions on your account. A trade hold, or a recent security change such as a password reset, can delay or block trading for a while.
- The offer was declined or countered. Sending a counter-offer replaces the original offer, so please accept the offer as it is or contact us.
- Steam itself. Steam’s trading services occasionally have outages or slowdowns. When the ice is cracked at Steam’s end, everyone waits.
What you can fix yourself
- Copy your current trade URL from Steam (Inventory → Trade Offers → Who can send me trade offers?) and paste it into Base camp → Trade URL.
- Set your Steam profile and inventory to Public in Steam’s Privacy Settings.
- Check that the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator is active, and remember to confirm the trade in the Steam app after accepting it.
- Then write to support with your order number, so the colony can look at the delivery.
When the station cannot deliver
If, for any reason, the store cannot deliver your item, the payment is refunded in full to the original payment method. The refund goes back the way the money came in.
How quickly a refund appears depends on your payment provider and bank, so we will not promise a specific number of days here. If it seems slow, write to us with your order number and we will check where it is.
Once accepted, the sale is final
Once you accept a trade offer, the sale is final. That is why it is worth a few seconds to compare the offer with your order before you click: the item, the float and the seed should match the listing, and your order should show Trade offer sent. If anything looks wrong, do not accept; contact us first.
Be wary of offers that only look like ours. Accept the offer that matches your order in Base camp, and nothing else.
How to reach us
Use the Contacts page or email support@penguinskins.com. Include your order number and, if relevant, your current trade URL, which is safe to share with us. Never include your password, Steam Guard codes or API key. We do not need them and will never ask for them.
