You’d be surprised to see just how much people will pay for skins … one look at the CSGO and TF2 marketplace is enough to confuse the hell out of any sane person.
Have a look at this: https://www.pcgamer.com/csgo-dragon-lore-awp-skin-sells-for-more-than-61000/
$61,000 for a skin. That money could get you a two semesters at an Ivy League university. They could even get you a decent enough car. Hell, there are aircraft that you can buy for that kind of money.
I remember a CSGO player getting a verified offer of $125,000 for his skin inventory. He rejected the offer, and later on, got an offer for $300,000.