Pokémon TCG Pocket's controversial trading mechanic has spawned a bizarre black market on eBay. Players are buying and selling digital cards for $5 to $10 each, exploiting a loophole in the system. Sellers exchange friend codes with buyers, sending cards in return for another card of the same rarity. This seemingly violates the game's terms of service, prohibiting the buying and selling of virtual content, yet sellers gain nothing but another rare card to sell again. A listing for a Starmie ex, for example, requires buyers to provide 500 Trade Tokens, Trade Stamina, and an unwanted Pokémon ex in exchange.
Numerous eBay listings feature rare ex Pokémon and 1-Star alternate art cards, along with entire accounts containing valuable in-game items like Pack Hourglasses. This practice, while a breach of service, mirrors similar situations in other online games.
The trading mechanic itself has faced criticism since its release. Beyond the existing restrictions on pack openings and Wonder Picking, the introduction of Trade Tokens—requiring the deletion of five cards to trade one of equal rarity—has angered players. The high cost of obtaining these tokens has further fueled discontent.
Even without the Trade Token system, this black market likely would have emerged due to the trading mechanic's limitations. Players cannot trade publicly within the app, forcing them to use external platforms like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay. Many players, like Reddit user siraquakip, had hoped for a safer, in-app community trading system.
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Developer Creatures Inc. has warned against real-money transactions and cheating, threatening account suspensions. Ironically, the Trade Token system, intended to prevent such exploitation, has instead backfired, alienating the community. 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 trading was even implemented. The inability to trade higher-rarity cards (2-Star and above) further supports this theory, as readily available trading would reduce the need for players to spend large sums on packs for a chance at obtaining rare cards. One player reportedly spent $1,500 to complete the first set, highlighting the significant financial investment required.
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