# How to Compare CS2 Variant Liquidity

> `GET /v1/liquidity/items` scores supported Doppler, Gamma Doppler, and Case Hardened variants independently from their base item, with a liquidity bucket and estimated sale time for each.

A base item's sale activity can hide large differences between phases or tiers. Variant-aware screening should use the nested variant result rather than copying the parent's classification.

## Variant liquidity data

The endpoint returns one of eight absolute buckets: `unknown`, `extremely_illiquid`, `very_illiquid`, `illiquid`, `moderate`, `liquid`, `very_liquid`, or `extremely_liquid`.

Each result also includes `estimated_sale_time`, ranging from `under 1 hour` through `2+ months`, with `unknown` when evidence is insufficient. The estimate is the 80th-percentile sale time for a competitively priced listing.

Liquidity is recomputed daily from sale volume and traded value on BUFF, Steam, and CSFloat over rolling 30- and 90-day windows, weighted toward recent activity. It is absolute and deterministic, not a relative percentile rank.

## Comparing phases and tiers

Locate the base item by exact `market_hash_name`, then traverse its `variants` map. Variant maps are keyed by display labels such as `Phase 1`, `Ruby`, or `Tier 1`. Within each variant, `name` is the full identity and `version` is the stable code.

Compare both `liquidity` and `estimated_sale_time`. Two variants can share a bucket but have different sale-time bands, while `unknown` should remain a separate insufficient-evidence state. Keep the snapshot's `run_date` with the comparison.

## Applicable endpoint

| Endpoint | Returns | Plans |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `GET /v1/liquidity/items` | Daily item and variant liquidity snapshot | Scale, Enterprise |

## Interpretation limits

- The sale-time estimate assumes competitive pricing. A phase listed far above comparable asks can take longer.
- The classification does not price an individual item's exact float, stickers, or paint seed.
- An `unknown` variant should not pass a maximum-sale-time filter unless the application defines an explicit uncertainty policy.
- Liquidity updates daily, so store `run_date` when comparing results across time.

Use [variant price data](/resources/how-to-get-gamma-doppler-price-data) beside liquidity when the comparison also needs acquisition cost.