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

Pokémon TCG Pocket's controversial trading mechanic has spawned a bizarre black market on eBay. Players are buying and selling digital cards for $5-$10 each, exploiting the system's loopholes. Sellers exchange friend codes, sending cards in return for another card of equal rarity – often an unwanted "ex" Pokémon – effectively profiting without losing any stock. This directly violates Pokémon TCG Pocket's terms of service, prohibiting the buying and selling of virtual content.

Numerous eBay listings feature rare ex Pokémon and 1-Star alternate art cards, with entire accounts, including valuable cards and Pack Hourglasses, also up for sale. While account selling is common in online games, this situation highlights the flaws in Pokémon TCG Pocket's trading system.

The trading mechanic's initial release was met with controversy. Beyond the standard restrictions on pack openings and Wonder Picking to prevent excessive gameplay without spending real money, the introduction of Trade Tokens further fueled criticism. Players found the cost of obtaining these tokens prohibitively high, requiring the deletion of five cards to trade one of the same rarity.

However, this black market wouldn't be limited to the Trade Token system. The core issue lies in the trading mechanic's limitations; players can only trade with friends, forcing reliance on external platforms like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay to facilitate transactions. Many players, like Reddit user siraquakip, advocated for a more integrated in-app trading system, allowing for public listings and eliminating the need for external marketplaces.

Every Alternate Art 'Secret' Card in Pokémon TCG Pocket: Space Time Smackdown

52 Images

Developer Creatures Inc. has warned against real-money transactions and other forms of cheating, threatening account suspensions for violations. Ironically, the Trade Token system, intended to prevent such exploitation, has backfired, alienating a significant portion of the community.

Creatures Inc. is investigating improvements to the trading feature but hasn't provided specifics despite complaints dating back three weeks. Many believe the trading system's design, particularly the inability to trade 2-Star or higher rarity cards, is intended to boost revenue for Pokémon TCG Pocket, which reportedly generated half a billion dollars in less than three months before the trading feature's launch. The high cost of completing sets, with one player spending approximately $1,500 to complete the first set, further supports this theory.