> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://countertrade.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://countertrade.gitbook.io/docs/help/faq.md).

# FAQ

Short answers to the questions readers ask most — what's real, what can't be withdrawn, which wallet pays out, whether results can be disputed, and how a league season treats your rating, your seat, a

Short answers to questions that span more than one page. Everything else is answered on the page that owns it — start from [Troubleshooting](/docs/help/troubleshooting.md) if something is going wrong, or the [Glossary](/docs/help/glossary.md) if a word is unfamiliar.

## Is CounterTrade real trading?

No. Trading inside a battle is simulated, priced against live market data — nothing you buy or sell reaches a real exchange or touches your own funds. What is real is the entry fee you deposit on-chain to join, and any prize you claim afterwards. See [Paper trading and real money](/docs/start-here/paper-trading-and-real-money.md).

## Can I withdraw my paper balance or profit?

No. The paper balance is simulated money that exists only inside one battle, and it cannot be withdrawn, transferred, or converted however well you trade. It exists to score the competition. What you can receive is a real on-chain prize for finishing in a paying place, claimed separately after the battle finalizes. See [Paper trading and real money](/docs/start-here/paper-trading-and-real-money.md).

## What do I need a wallet for?

Joining and claiming are on-chain, so both need a wallet: your entry fee moves into escrow when you join, and payouts return to that same wallet. Trading itself needs no wallet confirmation and costs no gas. A Google account can browse, spectate, and chat; the first time you join something, it asks you to link a wallet, with one signature and no gas. See [Account and wallet](/docs/account-and-profile/account-and-wallet.md).

## Which wallet receives my prize or refund?

The one you joined with, and no other. In a room you joined yourself, CounterTrade usually sends them to that wallet; if one hasn't arrived, you claim it, and only the joining wallet can claim what's attached to it. A league season sends its prizes to the wallet you joined it with automatically. If a different wallet is connected when you try, the button reads **Wallet mismatch**. Keep access to the wallet you play from — nobody can move a payout to a different address for you. See [Claims and refunds](/docs/funds-and-settlement/claims-and-refunds.md).

## Does CounterTrade take a fee?

Yes — a platform fee, taken once from each battle's pooled entry fees when it finalizes, so winners share the rest. It is 10% in standard battles and 0% in Open Arena battles. Trading itself is free in every battle you can create: the maker/taker fee is set per battle and is zero there. Referral rewards come out of the platform fee, not on top of it. See [Entry fees and escrow](/docs/funds-and-settlement/entry-fees-and-escrow.md).

## Can I keep trading after a position is liquidated?

Yes. A position liquidation force-closes one position — you lose the margin backing it, but your account stays active and you keep trading with the paper balance you have left. That is a different event from full account liquidation, which ends your trading in that battle entirely. See [Position liquidation](/docs/trading/liquidation.md).

## Is there a dispute process if I disagree with a result?

No. There is no dispute flow. Final standings are validated and turned into an on-chain settlement; once a battle finalizes, prizes become claimable and the result stands. If a prize or refund won't claim, that is a transaction problem rather than a disputed result — see [Transaction troubleshooting](/docs/funds-and-settlement/transaction-troubleshooting.md).

## Is a league season the same as my rating?

No. League battles don't change your global rating, and your rating plays no part in a season. A season standing ranks you on season points inside one season and ends with it; your rating is a long-running skill score across ranked battles, banded into tiers. Winning a season does not raise your rating, and a high rating does not seed you into one. See [Leagues and seasons](/docs/leagues-and-seasons/leagues-and-seasons.md#a-season-standing-is-not-your-rating).

## Do I have to check in for every season battle?

Usually not. When you join a season, you sign automatic seating, and the season places you in each battle you qualify for. You check in only if a **Check in** button appears — on the Overview, in **My competitions**, or on the battle's room page. Press it before the deadline it shows, or your seat stays empty. A check-in is one signature and costs no gas. See [Your battles in a season](/docs/leagues-and-seasons/season-battles.md).

## Can I leave a season after I join?

No. Your place is recorded on chain, so there is no withdrawal, even while registration is still open. A paid season's entry fee is not refunded if you don't play; a deposit comes back on the season's return date whether you play or not. If the season is cancelled, the vault returns entries and deposits by itself — in full if no prize has been paid yet. See [Entering a season](/docs/leagues-and-seasons/entering-a-season.md#you-cannot-leave-a-season).

## Does topping the standings make me the champion?

Not by itself. The champion is whoever wins the season's final, not whoever leads the points table. Points earn you a seat and a seed, but the stages after the qualifiers start everyone from zero, and your place in the final is your season result. Your standing stays on your record as a separate fact. See [Playoffs and finals](/docs/leagues-and-seasons/playoffs-and-finals.md#who-becomes-champion).

## How do I contact CounterTrade, and what data do you keep?

Write to `admin@countertrade.app` with your wallet in short form or your trader name, the room or season link, what happened, and when, with your time zone. We answer within 24 hours. A settled result still stands — there is no dispute process — but every message is read and real bugs are fixed. What the product stores, which cookies it sets, and what is public on-chain are listed in [Contact and your data](/docs/help/contact-and-data.md).