The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has sparked a peculiar black market where players are engaging in the buying and selling of digital cards online, facilitated by the game's controversial trading mechanic. Listings for these cards have flooded eBay, with prices ranging from $5 to $10 per card. This trading is made possible through the game's new feature, where sellers request buyers to exchange friend codes and then send the desired card over.
For instance, a $5.99 listing for a Starmie ex card requires buyers to have 500 Trade Tokens, one Trade Stamina, and an "unwanted Pokémon ex" to trade for the card they want. This practice, while a clear violation of the Pokémon TCG Pocket terms of service, which prohibits "buying or selling virtual contents or data on the service," presents a unique situation. The seller essentially loses nothing in the transaction, as they receive another ex Pokémon card in exchange, which they can then resell. The trading system only allows cards of the same rarity to be exchanged, enabling this cycle of trading and selling.
eBay is rife with listings for ex Pokémon and 1 Star, alternate art cards, the rarest available for trading, each with varying price tags. Additionally, entire accounts are being sold, offering Pack Hourglasses and rare cards, a practice not uncommon in online games despite being against the service's rules.
The trading feature in Pokémon TCG Pocket has been controversial since its release last week. It's part of a broader mechanic that limits players from opening packs, using Wonder Picking, or trading excessively without spending real money. The introduction of Trade Tokens, which require players to delete five cards from their collection to trade one of the same rarity, has been particularly criticized for its high cost.
However, the emergence of this black market would likely have occurred even without these restrictions. The only connection to player complaints is the basic nature of the trading mechanic, which requires players to be friends to trade, lacking a public trading system within the app. This has led players to use external platforms like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay to find the cards they need. Some, like siraquakip on Reddit, have expressed a desire for a safer way for the community to connect and trade.
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Creatures Inc., the developer, has warned players against buying and selling cards with real money and other forms of cheating. They stated before the trading feature's launch that violations of the Terms of Use could lead to warnings, account suspensions, or other actions. Ironically, the Trade Tokens mechanic, intended to prevent such exploitation, has failed to curb these eBay transactions and has instead alienated much of the community.
Creatures Inc. is "actively investigating ways to improve" the trading feature, though no specific plans have been announced despite complaints starting three weeks ago. Many fans believe the trading system is designed to boost revenue for Pokémon TCG Pocket, which reportedly earned half a billion dollars in less than three months before trading was introduced. The inability to trade cards of 2 Star rarity or higher further supports this theory, as it forces players to spend money on packs for a chance at rare cards. One player reportedly spent $1,500 to complete the first set, with the third set arriving last week.
