Steam keeps traded items under trade protection for up to 7 days, and the sender can reverse the trade during that time. That is why a payment reaches your balance only once it is final.
What happens during protection
- The customer accepts the trade: the payment moves to Trade protection and your site gets a webhook. The payment shows the date protection ends.
- Protection ends without a reversal: the payment becomes Paid and the amount is credited to your balance.
- Steam reverses the trade instead: the payment becomes Reversed and your site is told.
Crediting your own user
You decide when your customer gets their value on your site. Many projects credit at once for users with a history and wait for Paid on new accounts or large amounts. Whatever you choose, handle a reversal by taking the value back on your side.
Release early
On a payment in trade protection, Release early in the dashboard (or the release call in the API) moves it to Released early and sends your site a webhook right away, so a plugin or your code can complete the order now.
Releasing early does not credit your balance sooner. The balance is still credited when the trade is final. If Steam reverses the trade later, whatever you already gave the customer is your loss.
A reversal after the credit
If a credited payment is reversed, a Payment returned entry takes the amount back from your balance, see Your balance and transaction history.