Black Market Boom: Pokémon Trading Cards Surge

Pokémon TCG Pocket's controversial trading system fuels a thriving black market for digital cards. Numerous eBay listings offer cards for $5-$10 each, exploiting a loophole in the game's mechanics. Sellers exchange friend codes with buyers, trading a card of equal rarity (often an "unwanted" ex Pokémon) for the desired card, effectively profiting without losing inventory.

This practice directly violates Pokémon TCG Pocket's terms of service, prohibiting the buying and selling of virtual items. However, the system's limitations allow for this exploitation. The most sought-after cards—ex Pokémon and 1-Star alternate art cards—are heavily traded on this unofficial market. Entire accounts, containing valuable Pack Hourglasses and rare cards, are also for sale, a common occurrence in online games despite the breach of service.

The trading mechanic itself sparked controversy upon its release. Beyond the existing restrictions on pack openings and Wonder Picking, the introduction of Trade Tokens further angered players. The high cost of obtaining these tokens—requiring the deletion of five cards to trade one of equal rarity—led to widespread criticism.

This black market, however, wouldn't be solely attributed to the restrictions. The simplistic trading system, requiring friendship between players before trading, is a key factor. This lack of a public trading system forces players to rely on external platforms like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay to acquire desired cards. Many players, such as Reddit user siraquakip, advocated for a built-in public trading system within the app.

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Developer Creatures Inc. has warned against real-money transactions and other forms of cheating, threatening account suspensions for violations. Ironically, the Trade Tokens mechanic, implemented to prevent such exploitation, has inadvertently fueled this black market and alienated the community.

Creatures Inc. is investigating improvements to the trading feature but has yet to provide specifics, despite complaints surfacing three weeks ago. 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 introduced. This is further supported by the inability to trade 2-Star or higher rarity cards, incentivizing players to spend significant sums on packs for a chance at obtaining them. One player reportedly spent $1,500 to complete the first set.

Did you spend money on Pokémon TCG Pocket in January 2025?

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