For trade-ups I started using a simple rule: before I sacrifice anything, I check how the market treats that skin outside my own preferences. At some point it became clear that my visual taste doesn’t always match what players collectively value. So now I use https://dmarket.com/ingame-items/item-list/csgo-skins as my middle checkpoint. It helps me look at prices, float boundaries, and how certain collections move. Sometimes I realize a skin is better to keep because its pattern or rarity bumps the value. Other times I see it's not particularly special and becomes a good candidate for a contract. Having that page to cross-check before making a decision saves me from impulsive trade-ups. It’s not a magic formula, but it definitely keeps me from regretting things later.