High Rarity Pokémon TCG Pocket Cards Fuel Strange Black Market Trading

The release of the trading mechanic in *Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket* has sparked a wave of controversy, giving rise to an unexpected black market for digital cards. Despite being strictly against the game’s Terms of Service, players are actively listing and selling cards on platforms like eBay, with individual cards fetching prices between $5 and $10.

These listings typically involve exchanging friend codes followed by an in-game card transfer. For example, one seller offering a Starmie ex for $5.99 requires buyers to have 500 Trade Tokens, at least one Trade Stamina, and—most notably—an unwanted ex Pokémon to trade in return for the desired card.

This system creates a loophole where sellers lose nothing in the transaction. Since only cards of equal rarity can be traded, they receive another ex Pokémon in return, which they can then resell again and again—effectively monetizing the same digital item multiple times over.

Such activity clearly violates the game’s policies, which prohibit buying or selling virtual content outside the official platform. Yet, this hasn’t stopped the marketplace from growing, with entire accounts being sold just for their stock of rare cards like alternate art variants and 1 Star ex Pokémon.

Trading Sparks Backlash

The trading feature stirred debate even before it was used for real-world transactions. One major issue is the requirement for Trade Tokens, which players must accumulate by deleting five cards of the same rarity before making a trade. Many criticized this as unnecessarily punitive and a pay-to-play workaround in disguise.

Additionally, the current system lacks any form of public trading interface within the app. Players must already be friends with someone to initiate a trade, forcing users to seek out trading partners via external platforms like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay.

Some fans, like Reddit user siraquakip, had hoped for “a pretty safe way for the community to connect more.” Instead, they’re navigating a fragmented ecosystem that pushes them toward unofficial channels just to complete trades.

Developer Response and Future Plans

Creatures Inc., the developer behind *Pokémon TCG Pocket*, has issued warnings about the use of real-world money for digital assets. They’ve made it clear that violations of the Terms of Use may result in account suspensions or permanent bans.

Despite these warnings and ongoing criticism, the company's attempt to curb exploitation through the Trade Token system appears to have backfired. Rather than preventing unfair practices, it has alienated many players while failing to stop the emergence of a thriving black market.

Creatures Inc. claims to be “actively investigating ways to improve” the trading feature but has yet to announce concrete updates, even as complaints have persisted for over three weeks since the feature’s launch.

Is Trading Just About Revenue?

Fans speculate that the limited nature of trading—such as not allowing trades for 2 Star or higher rarity cards—is designed to encourage spending. If players could freely trade high-value cards, there would be less incentive to spend large sums trying to collect them through randomized packs.

One player reportedly spent around $1,500 to complete the first set of cards, and the third set launched just last week. With such high costs involved and no official trading solution in place, it's no surprise that players are turning to eBay to shortcut the grind.