Pokémon TCG Pocket's controversial trading system fuels a thriving black market for digital cards. Numerous eBay listings offer cards for $5-$10 each, exploiting a loophole in the game's mechanics. Sellers exchange friend codes with buyers, trading cards of equal rarity—often rare "ex" Pokémon—and essentially profiting without losing any cards themselves.
This practice directly violates Pokémon TCG Pocket's terms of service, prohibiting the buying and selling of virtual items. One listing, for example, advertises a Starmie ex for $5.99, requiring the buyer to provide 500 Trade Tokens, Trade Stamina, and an unwanted "ex" Pokémon in return. The seller gains an equivalent card, enabling them to repeat the process.
Beyond individual cards, entire accounts with valuable Pack Hourglasses and rare cards are also for sale on eBay, a common occurrence in online games despite violating terms of service.
The trading mechanic itself sparked controversy upon its release. While not directly related to the current black market, the introduction of Trade Tokens—requiring players to delete five cards to trade one of the same rarity—drew significant criticism due to their high acquisition cost. This system, intended to prevent exploitation, ironically contributed to the creation of the black market.
Even without the Trade Token restriction, this black market likely would have emerged due to the game's limited trading options. The inability to publicly list cards within the app forces players to use external platforms like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay. Many players, like Reddit user siraquakip, advocated for a more integrated in-app trading system.
Every Alternate Art 'Secret' Card in Pokémon TCG Pocket: Space Time Smackdown
52 Images
Developer Creatures Inc. has warned against real-money transactions and cheating, threatening account suspensions for violations. Ironically, the Trade Token system, implemented to prevent such exploitation, has failed and alienated a significant portion of the community.
Creatures Inc. is investigating improvements to the trading feature but hasn't provided details despite complaints dating back three weeks. Many believe the trading system's limitations, particularly the inability to trade higher-rarity cards, are designed to incentivize in-app purchases. The game's estimated half-billion-dollar revenue in under three months, prior to the trading feature, fuels this speculation. One player reported spending approximately $1,500 to complete the first card set, highlighting the high cost of collection completion.
AnswerSee Results
