Special Edition Pokémon Cards Spawn Shadowy Black Market

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, Trade Stamina, and an "unwanted Pokémon ex" for the exchange. Because only cards of the same rarity can be traded, sellers essentially gain an equivalent card in return, allowing them to repeatedly sell the same rare cards. This directly violates Pokémon TCG Pocket's terms of service.

Numerous listings for high-value ex Pokémon and 1-Star alternate art cards appear on eBay, along with entire accounts containing valuable in-game assets like Pack Hourglasses. While account selling is common in online games, this practice still breaches the game's terms of service.

The trading mechanic itself sparked controversy upon its release. Criticisms centered around the restrictive Trade Tokens system, requiring players to discard five cards to trade one of the same rarity, and the inability to trade publicly within the app. This necessitates the use of external platforms like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay, to facilitate trades. The lack of a public trading system within the game is a key complaint.

Creatures Inc. has warned players against real-money transactions and other forms of cheating, threatening account suspensions for violations. Ironically, the Trade Tokens system, intended to prevent exploitation, has inadvertently fueled the black market and alienated the community. While the developer is investigating improvements to the trading feature, concrete solutions remain elusive despite weeks of player complaints.

Concerns exist that the trading system is designed to boost revenue for Pokémon TCG Pocket, a game that reportedly generated half a billion dollars in revenue in under three months before the trading feature launched. The inability to trade higher-rarity cards (2-Star and above) further supports this theory, as it forces players to spend significant sums on packs for a chance to obtain those cards. One player reportedly spent $1,500 to complete a single set. The situation highlights the unintended consequences of a poorly implemented trading system in a lucrative mobile game.