Black Market Brisk as Pokémon Card Cult Skyrockets

Pokémon TCG Pocket's controversial trading system fuels a thriving black market for digital cards. Numerous eBay listings sell individual cards for $5-$10, exploiting a loophole in the game's mechanics. Sellers exchange friend codes with buyers, trading a card of equal rarity (often an "unwanted" ex Pokémon) to receive payment, effectively profiting without losing inventory.

This practice directly violates Pokémon TCG Pocket's terms of service, which prohibit the buying and selling of virtual items. However, the system's design inadvertently facilitates this activity. The restrictions on trading—only cards of the same rarity can be exchanged—allow sellers to perpetually cycle their inventory.

One listing, for example, offered a Starmie ex for $5.99, requiring buyers to possess 500 Trade Tokens, one Trade Stamina, and an unwanted ex Pokémon.

The problem extends beyond individual cards; entire accounts, containing valuable Pack Hourglasses and rare cards, are also being sold on eBay, a common occurrence in online games despite breaching terms of service.

The trading mechanic itself sparked controversy upon its release. Beyond the existing restrictions on pack openings and Wonder Picking (limited without in-app purchases), the introduction of Trade Tokens further fueled player frustration. The high cost of acquiring Trade Tokens—requiring the deletion of five cards to trade one of equal rarity—was heavily criticized.

Even without the Trade Token system, this black market likely would have emerged due to the trading mechanic's limitations. The inability to publicly list cards for trade within the app forces players to use external platforms like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay. Many players, such as Reddit user siraquakip, advocated for a more integrated, community-friendly trading system within the game itself.

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Developer Creatures Inc. has warned players against real-money transactions and other exploitative behaviors, threatening account suspensions for violations of the Terms of Use. Ironically, the Trade Token system, intended to prevent such exploitation, has instead backfired, alienating a significant portion of the player base.

Creatures Inc. is investigating improvements to the trading feature, but concrete solutions remain elusive despite complaints surfacing three weeks ago. Concerns persist that 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's launch. The inability to trade 2-Star or higher rarity cards further supports this theory, as readily accessible trading would diminish the need for players to spend significant sums on packs for a chance at obtaining rare cards. One player reported spending approximately $1,500 to complete the first set, with a third set released just last week.