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 exploiting the system by exchanging friend codes and cards, circumventing the game's rules against buying and selling virtual items. Listings commonly feature rare cards like Starmie ex, with prices ranging from $5 to $10 per card.

The loophole lies in the trading mechanics. Sellers often require buyers to possess a specific number of Trade Tokens and an "unwanted Pokémon ex" of equal rarity. This allows sellers to essentially profit without losing valuable cards, as they simply replace the traded card and repeat the process. This directly violates Pokémon TCG Pocket's terms of service.

Numerous eBay listings showcase ex Pokémon and 1-Star alternate art cards, the rarest tradable cards. Entire accounts, including valuable cards and Pack Hourglasses, are also for sale, a common occurrence in online games despite violating terms of service.

The trading mechanic itself has been controversial since its release. Criticisms include the restrictive Trade Tokens system, requiring the deletion of five cards to trade one of equal rarity, and the lack of a built-in public trading system within the app. This forces players to use external platforms like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay to facilitate trades, contrary to the desires of some players for a more integrated community trading experience.

Creatures Inc. has warned players against real-money transactions and cheating, threatening account suspensions. Ironically, the Trade Tokens system, intended to prevent exploitation, has instead inadvertently fueled the black market. While the developer is investigating improvements to the trading feature, concrete solutions remain elusive despite ongoing complaints.

Concerns exist that the trading system's limitations, such as the inability to trade 2-Star cards or higher, are designed to encourage players to spend more money on packs to obtain rare cards. The high cost of completing sets, with one player spending approximately $1,500 to complete the first set, further supports this theory. The game's estimated half-billion-dollar revenue in under three months, before the trading feature, also fuels speculation about its revenue-generating potential.