Pokémon TCG Pocket Trading Has Spurred a Strange Black Market for High Rarity Cards

Pokémon TCG Pocket's in-game trading system fuels a thriving black market for digital cards on platforms like eBay. Sellers are circumventing the game's rules by exchanging friend codes and cards, charging prices ranging from $5 to $10 per card. A typical listing might require buyers to possess 500 Trade Tokens, Trade Stamina, and an "unwanted Pokémon ex" to acquire a desired card.

This practice, a clear violation of Pokémon TCG Pocket's terms of service, presents a peculiar loophole. Sellers essentially lose nothing; they exchange a card of equal rarity, maintaining their inventory while profiting. The high demand for rare cards, like ex Pokémon and 1-Star alternate art cards, drives this market. Entire accounts, containing valuable resources like Pack Hourglasses and rare cards, are also being sold, a common occurrence in online games despite violating terms of service.

The trading mechanic itself sparked controversy upon its release. Besides the restrictions on pack openings, Wonder Picking, and trading frequency without in-app purchases, the introduction of Trade Tokens further fueled player discontent. The high cost of acquiring these tokens—requiring the deletion of five cards to trade one of the same rarity—has been heavily criticized.

Even without the restrictive mechanics, a black market likely would have emerged due to the game's current friend-only trading system. Players, such as Reddit user siraquakip, desired a more accessible community trading system within the app itself, instead of relying on external platforms like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay.

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Developer Creatures Inc. has warned against real-money transactions and other exploitative practices, threatening account suspensions for violations. Ironically, the Trade Token system, intended to prevent such exploitation, has backfired, alienating a significant portion of the player base. While Creatures Inc. is investigating improvements to the trading feature, concrete solutions remain elusive despite complaints dating back three weeks.

Many believe the trading system is designed to boost revenue for Pokémon TCG Pocket, which reportedly generated half a billion dollars in under three months before the trading feature launched. The inability to trade higher-rarity cards (2-Star and above) further supports this theory; readily trading for missing cards would diminish the need for costly in-app purchases. One player reportedly spent $1,500 to complete the first set, highlighting the game's monetization strategy.

Did you spend money on Pokémon TCG Pocket in January 2025?

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