Tarkov Economy Phases: Early vs Mid vs Late Wipe Trading Guide

Understanding how the Tarkov economy evolves across a wipe cycle is the foundation of consistent profitability. Prices do not behave the same in week one as they do in week eight. Players who treat every phase identically leave enormous amounts of rubles on the table. This guide breaks down what sells, what to avoid, and how to position yourself profitably at each stage of the wipe.

Early Wipe (Week 1-2)

The gold rush period. Everyone needs everything, and supply is extremely limited because no one has a built-up stash yet.

What Sells

• Quest items (Salewa, Morphine, USB drives)
• Early hideout materials
• Any armor above Class 3
• Cheap keys with good loot

Strategy

• Sell FIR items you don't immediately need
• Focus on fast turnover, not max price
• Complete quests that unlock flea market ASAP

Why Early Wipe Prices Spike

The spike is driven entirely by supply scarcity. Every player starts with nothing, hideouts are empty, and there is no accumulated stash to draw from. Anyone who finds a scarce item has leverage. Quest items like Salewa and Morphine routinely sell for 3-5x their mid-wipe value in the first week because demand is at its absolute peak and supply is thin.

The key insight is to sell fast rather than hold for higher. Early wipe prices cool within days as more players accumulate gear and run successful raids. Moving inventory at 80% of peak price is almost always better than waiting for peak and missing the window entirely.

Mid Wipe (Week 3-8)

The economy stabilizes. Prices become more predictable and arbitrage opportunities emerge as the player base fills out its hideouts and starts accumulating rubles.

What Sells

• High-tier ammo (BP, BS, M61)
• Class 5-6 armor
• Meta weapon attachments
• Late-game hideout materials

Strategy

• Use trader arbitrage consistently
• Stock up on cheap items during dips
• Build your hideout for passive income

Mid Wipe Arbitrage Windows

This is the golden age for market players. Prices have stabilized enough to be predictable but demand for high-tier items remains strong. Trader arbitrage — buying at reset and relisting on the flea market — becomes highly profitable because the spread between trader price and flea market price widens as the average player wealth increases.

Mid wipe is also the right time to invest in hideout upgrades that generate passive income. Bitcoin Farm built with mid-wipe cheap GPUs, Scav Case cycling, and Lavatory crafting all reach profitability within the wipe window when started at this stage.

Late Wipe (Week 8+)

Everyone has money. Most items depreciate because supply is abundant and demand shifts toward end-game content.

What Sells

• Kappa container quest items
• Rare collectibles
• Labs keycards
• Ultra-rare spawns

Strategy

• Don't hoard items hoping for price recovery
• Focus on PvP over money-making
• Start saving for next wipe knowledge

Why Late Wipe Prices Crash

By late wipe, most active players have completed their key quests and built their hideouts. The demand for common items collapses while supply remains high. Hoarding mid-tier items waiting for a price recovery is almost always a losing strategy — the wipe itself is the only guaranteed "recovery" and it resets everything to zero.

The exceptions are Kappa quest items and ultra-rare spawns, which maintain value because demand from players chasing end-game goals keeps prices elevated regardless of how long the wipe has run.

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Item, trader, and map names follow the English game client. Prices change with the economy - verify in-game or with FleaBot.