How to Buy Items in Escape From Tarkov

Escape from Tarkov is a gritty, hyper-realistic take on the MMO FPS genre that has taken the gaming world by storm in 2020, and is still going strong. However, if you’re a new player, there is a lot to unravel in the game, and learning all the controls and tricks can take quite a bit of time (and Googling). One of the game’s key aspects is the dynamic trading mechanic, which allows new players to slowly ramp up their gear and obtain better items as they play the game.

Here’s what you need to know about buying new items in the game.

How to Buy Items in Escape From Tarkov From Traders?

The game features several AI-controlled traders with which the players can trade items. Each trader has a specialty of items they will sell and buy from the player, and they accept only a select few currencies in their trade deals. If the player wants to buy an item from Prapor, for example, they’ll need to have some Roubles in stock.

Buying and selling items is a natural progression in the game. As the players get more valuable gear and the tasks become more challenging, traders can be a place to offload unneeded items for cash or better loot.

Follow these steps to trade with AI traders:

1. Open the “Dealers” tab in the game menu.
   
2. Select a trader you want to deal with.
   
3. Click on the “Buy” tab on the top left.
   
4. Drag the items you want to buy from the “Showcase” inventory into the center table. You can clear the entire table by clicking the bottom button.
5. Once you’ve selected all the items, the total price is displayed on the top.
6. Click the “Fill items” button to deposit an amount of money or items that cover the total price.
   
7. Click the “Deal” button just below the price to close out the deal and purchase the lot.
   

That’s it! Trading with the AI dealers is pretty simple. All you have to remember is to have space for the items you’re buying and have the currency the specific trader is willing to trade in on hand. The “Deal” button is slightly innocuous at first, and it’s a strange developer choice to make it blend in with the menu so much.

Most AI dealers will engage in bartering with the player. Bartering can be useful to remove unneeded or lower-cost items in bulk in exchange for a prized commodity. It’s also an excellent alternative when you’re short on cash and need to get some gear for the next raid.

How to Buy Item Case in Escape From Tarkov?

Item cases are notably useful items in the game. They effectively increase your maximum carrying capacity, since each item will take up relatively little space in the inventory and have a dedicated inventory space to store other items.

Item cases are scattered throughout the game and game modes, and you can either find them on the map or buy some of them directly from the AI dealers.

Here’s a list of item cases you can purchase from dealers and their price:

• The Ammo case: 4-slot case with 49 slots for loose or packed ammo. It can be purchased from the level 1 Mechanic for four blue gunpowder’s or from the level 2 Mechanic for about 170,000 Roubles.
  
• Dogtag case: a one-slot container for 100 dog tags. You can buy it from the level 2 Therapist for around 300000 Roubles.
  
• Documents case: a two-slot container for 16 slots of anything considered documents or data, such as memory drives and keys. You can find it at the level 2 Therapist and is bartered for a cat figurine, a bronze lion statue, and a horse figurine.
  
• Lucky Slav Junkbox: a 16-slot container that holds 196 slots of any type of loot, making it one of the most efficient item cases. You can purchase it from the level 2 Therapist for around a million Roubles, or by trading in 100 level 10 dog tags.
  
• Mr. Holodlinick Thermobag: this 9-slot case can fit 64 slots of provisions (food and water). You can obtain it from a level 2 Jaeger by bartering away 10 Hot Rods, five TarColas, and five herring and five squash cans.
  
• Pistols case: this four-slot case can carry nine slots of pistols and assorted magazines and ammo. It can be traded for three Meds items from the level 2 Therapist.
  
• Meds case: a nine-slot container with room for 49 slots of medical items (including non-consumable items). You can buy it from the level 3 Therapist for about 380,000 Roubles, or trade with a level 2 Therapist with seven medical blood sets, seven disposable syringes, and two vase lines.
  
• Weapon case: this 5×2 container holds 50 slots of weapons, ammo, and magazines. You can purchase it from the level 2 Mechanic for 10 Bitcoin. Alternatively, you can buy it from the level 4 Skier for ten bottles of vodka, ten bottles of moonshine, and five Snickers bars.
  
• THICC weapon case: the bigger version of the weapons case carries 90 slots while taking only ten. You can buy it from the level 4 Mechanic for 20 physical Bitcoin and 20 GP coins.
  
• Items case: one of the more basic containers, this 16-slot case can hold 64 slots of anything except some other items cases. You can obtain this case from a level 3 Therapist by trading in 20 ophthalmoscopes and 15 meds piles, or by trading in 150 level 15 or above dog tags.
  
• THICC items case: the larger version of the Items case holds 196 slots at the cost of only 15. You can purchase it from the level 4 Therapist by trading in 15 of each defibrillator, LEDX, Ibuprofen, and toothpaste. Alternatively, you can trade in 50 bottles of moonshine, 35 bottles of vodka, and 30 bottles of whiskey.
  
• Grenade case: you can use a grenade case to carry 64 grenade slots. This case takes up nine inventory slots and can be bought from the level 3 Jaeger for 15 SurvL lighters, 15 matches, and eight repellents.
  
• Ammo case: this container can only hold 49 slots of loose or boxed ammo. You can buy it from the level 1 Mechanic by trading away five blue gunpowder bottles and two green ones.
  
• Money case: the larger version of a wallet, the case can hold 49 slots of currency and coins. You can purchase it from the level 4 Therapist for five golden chains, two Roler watches, and two golden skull rings.
  
• SICC case: this small case holds valuable items such as keys, currency, coins, or dog tags. It takes up only two slots while providing 25 additional ones inside it and can be easily moved around. You can buy it from the level 3 Jaeger by trading in 12 paracords, 15 duct tapes, 15 insulating tapes, and 15 packs of nails.
  
• Keytool: as one of the smallest containers, it can hold 16 keys in a single inventory slot. You can buy it from the level 2 Therapist by giving away ten bottles of hydrogen peroxide and saline solution each, as well as ten packs of chlorine.
  
  

Buying item cases from AI traders follow the same steps as buying any other item from them. Once you pull the item from the “Showcase” inventory, pressing the “Fill items” button will immediately transfer the required items to your side of the stock.

How to Get Insured Items Back in Escape From Tarkov?

If you’ve insured some of your items and die in the raid, you will get the items back within a set amount of time, depending on who you insured the items with. If you used Therapist, you can wait between 12 and 24 hours, while Prapor can take between 24 and 36 hours.

If an enemy has looted a portion (or all) of your items from your body, you won’t get the looted items back, but if an AI Scav killed and looted you, there’s a high chance the insurance will retrieve everything.

Once the insurer has picked up the items they were able to salvage from the raid, you have six days to retrieve them from Therapist, and four days to pick them up from Prapor.

Therapist is about 1.75 times more expensive than Prapor, but has a shorter recovery time and more leniency to picking up retrieved items.

How to Rotate Items in Inventory in Escape From Tarkov?

The inventory in Escape from Tarkov is based on a slot model in which items need to be arranged to fit within a grid. However, some (or indeed most) of the items don’t take up perfectly squared pieces of inventory.

To solve this minor game of Tetris while sorting out the inventory space, you can rotate an item by dragging it with the mouse and pressing “R.” For example, a 2×1-slots item (like a magazine) will switch to a 1×2 item, allowing for more efficient inventory storage.

How to Sell Items in Escape From Tarkov?

The game features a dynamic marketplace where you can either trade with the AI dealers for set prices, or you can engage on the open flea market with other players to get valuable gear or get rid of junk.

Selling the items with AI dealers follows the same steps as buying them. All you have to do is select the “Sell” button on the top left when you’ve selected a dealer.

If you want to sell an item on the flea market, follow these steps:

1. Click on the “Trading” menu.
   
2. Open the “Flea Market” tab.
   
3. Right-click on the item in your inventory, then press “Filter by item” to get a list of current offers on the market. This can help you gauge the price of the item.
4. Click on “Add offer” on the top right.
   
5. Click on the item.
   
6. Press on one of the three plus signs on the right to enter your asking price in currency or other items. You can repeat this process with other boxes to ask for different items and currencies.
   
7. Click “Place offer.”
   
8. When someone purchases your item, you’ll receive the items you asked for in the offer and a notification that a trade took place.

Additional FAQ

Why Can’t I Buy Items in Escape From Tarkov?

If you’ve followed the steps outlined above and can’t get a deal to go through, check whether you have enough money to pay for the items. Make sure you’ve pressed the “Fill items” button for barter trades and use the “Deal” button when you’re done making changes to the trade deal. If everything looks alright, but you still can’t complete the trade, restart the game and try again.

What Items Can You Get in Escape From Tarkov?

Escape from Tarkov is one of the most realistic FPS games on the market, and the loot is reminiscent of modern items found in the region. For a complete list of available loot, follow this link.

Buy Your Way Out of Tarkov

Buying new items is a cornerstone of playing Escape from Tarkov efficiently. New gear can get you more successful raids and can improve how much you can carry around safely. The dynamic economy allows players to benefit from smart trades and market knowledge, and the best can make quite a profit solely from trading.

What is on your buy list in Escape from Tarkov? Let us know in the comments section below.