Path of Exile 2 introduces a revamped trade system with multiple ways to buy and sell items. The Currency Exchange allows instant trading of stackable currencies, while the new Merchant NPC Ange enables asynchronous (offline) item sales. Traditional player-to-player trading through Premium Stash Tabs and the Trade Website remains essential for high-end gear. This guide covers every trading method, from setting up your first sale to POE2 Currency pricing items effectively and avoiding common pitfalls.

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Currency Exchange: Instant Currency Trading

How to Unlock

The Currency Exchange unlocks after completing the main campaign on Normal difficulty and entering Cruel difficulty. Once unlocked, access it through NPCs in each act: Finn (Act 1), Risu (Act 2), and Alva (Act 3). In endgame, Alva in your Hideout becomes your go-to for currency exchanges.

How It Works

Select what you want on the "I Want" side and what you are offering on the "I Have" side. The system shows the current market ratio. If Exalted Orbs are trading at 3:1 for Divine Orbs, you will need three Exalted Orbs to get one Divine Orb. The trade completes instantly when your offer matches the market rate.

What You Can Trade

The Exchange covers stackable currency items across multiple categories:
Basic currencies (Chaos Orbs, Exalted Orbs, Divine Orbs)
Delirium items (Distilled Emotions, Simulacrum Splinters)
Breach items (Splinters, Breachstones, Catalysts)
Fragments (Ritual, Ultimatum, Pinnacle)
Expedition items (Artifacts, Exotic Coinage)
Essences and Greater Essences
Runes, Omens, and Soul Cores 

Gold Cost

A gold fee applies to every transaction, scaled by trade size and item rarity. More common items are cheaper to exchange than rare ones. If you cancel an order, the gold fee is not refunded.

Trading Tips

Exalted Orbs, Divine Orbs, and Chaos Orbs are the most commonly traded currencies, so you will find matches faster using them. You can also use less common currency types for more favorable rates. To transfer currency efficiently:
- Ctrl + Left-Click moves a stack
- Ctrl + Right-Click moves all stacks
- Ctrl + Left-Click on an item in your inventory sets it as the "I Have" item 

Asynchronous Trade: Sell While You Sleep

What Is Asynchronous Trade?

The Merchant NPC Ange enables asynchronous trading, allowing you to sell items automatically without needing to be online or respond to whispers. Other players can browse and purchase directly from Ange while you are offline, and the currency appears in your Earnings Tab.

How to Set It Up

Complete the relevant quest to unlock Ange as your Merchant NPC. To list items, place them in your Merchant Tab and set your desired price. This requires purchasing at least one Merchant Tab from the Microtransaction Store. However, if you have existing Premium Stash Tabs, you may convert them to Merchant Tabs.

Instant Buyout

The in-game Market Panel (accessed by pressing "/" on PC) lets buyers search for items using the "Instant Buyout Only" filter. This shows items available for immediate purchase without seller interaction.

Important Note on Merchant Tabs

Merchant Tabs and Premium Stash Tabs serve different purposes:
Premium Stash Tabs: Used to list items for traditional player-to-player trade. Items are visible on the trade site, but you must be online and respond to whispers.
Merchant Tabs: Used for asynchronous trading with Ange. Items are always listed regardless of online status, and players can purchase directly from Ange.

Converting a Premium Stash Tab to a Merchant Tab is permanent. You cannot use that tab in Path of Exile 1 for traditional trading afterward.

Traditional Trading: Player-to-Player

Setting Up Your Premium Stash Tab

To sell items through the trade website, you need a Premium Stash Tab. Right-click the tab and check "Public." You can then choose each item's own price, all items at one buyout price, or select "Do Not Index" for items you do not want to list.

Stash Tabs go on sale approximately every three weeks, so wait for discounts if you are buying new tabs.

Using the Trade Website

The official Path of Exile trade website is the primary tool for finding items to buy. Use filters to search by modifiers, stats, socket count, and more. Once you find an item, clicking "Whisper" sends an automated message to the seller.

Completing the Trade

The seller invites you to their Hideout. Once there, right-click their party icon and select Trade. Both parties place their items in the trade window, hover to verify, and accept.

Trade Chat

The in-game trade chat is still used for quick sales, especially for less expensive items. Type "WTS" followed by Ctrl + Alt + Click on the item and your price to list it.

Price Checking: The Art of Valuing Items

Price Checking Rare Items

Price checking is essential for successful trading. Start by searching the most valuable modifiers first. For boots, that means Movement Speed, Resistances, and Life or Energy Shield. Do not be overly specific with exact values—round to numbers people commonly search for.

Add modifiers one at a time to narrow results. If there are many results, you can be more specific. If there are none or very few results, your item may be either too niche or incredibly good.

Pseudo Modifiers

Pseudo modifiers calculate a stat's total across multiple modifiers. For example, searching for 60% Chaos Resistance finds items where Fire, Cold, Lightning, or hybrid mods combine to reach that total. This is incredibly useful for price-checking similar but not identical items.

Time Listed and Pricing Strategy

Note how long similar items have been listed. Items listed for days may be overpriced. Items that sold quickly were likely listed for too little.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Do not overprice items hoping for a lucky sale. Market your items competitively and undercut similar listings if you want them to move quickly.
Do not list items you are unwilling to sell. If you receive a whisper, it is considered good trade etiquette to portal out and complete the trade.
If you receive dozens of whispers instantly, you have underpriced your item. You may unlist, re-price check, and relist at the correct value.
Be patient with excellent items. Expensive items take longer to sell because the market for them is limited.

Price Fixers

Price fixers list items at artificially low prices to manipulate the market. When you whisper them, they are never available to sell, but the price stays visible and deceives other sellers into undervaluing their items. Be aware of this when price checking.

Common Trading Frustrations

Unresponsive Sellers

Many players experience frustration when messaging dozens of sellers and getting no responses. This can happen because sellers are in maps, AFK, or the item price is too low to justify stopping what they are doing. The new asynchronous trade system addresses this issue by buy POE2 Currency allowing sales without seller interaction.