Pokémon Card Black Market Soars Amid Rare Cards Surge

Pokémon TCG Pocket's controversial trading system fuels a thriving black market for digital cards. eBay is flooded with listings selling these cards for $5-$10 each, exploiting a loophole in the game's mechanics.

Sellers circumvent the game's rules by exchanging friend codes and cards, often demanding specific lower-rarity cards in exchange for rarer ones (like an "unwanted Pokémon ex" for a Starmie ex). This cleverly avoids any real loss for the seller, as they can simply re-sell the acquired card of equal rarity. This practice directly violates Pokémon TCG Pocket's terms of service, which prohibit the buying and selling of virtual items.

The situation is further complicated by the game's Trade Token system, introduced alongside the trading feature. Players criticized the high cost of acquiring these tokens, requiring the deletion of five cards to trade one of the same rarity. This, combined with the inability to trade publicly within the app, has driven players to external platforms like eBay, Reddit, and Discord to facilitate trades.

Numerous listings for highly sought-after cards, including ex Pokémon and 1-Star alternate art cards, are readily available on eBay. Entire accounts, containing valuable Pack Hourglasses and rare cards, are also being sold.

While the online trading isn't directly related to initial complaints about the trading system, the restrictive nature of the in-game mechanic, requiring friendship before trading, has fueled the black market's growth. Players have expressed a desire for a more streamlined, public trading system within the app itself.

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Creatures Inc. has warned players against real-money transactions and cheating, threatening account suspensions. Ironically, the Trade Token system, designed to prevent such exploitation, has instead inadvertently fueled it and alienated a significant portion of the player base. The company is investigating improvements to the trading feature but hasn't provided specifics, despite complaints surfacing three weeks ago.

Concerns persist that the trading system's limitations, such as the inability to trade 2-Star cards or higher, are intentionally designed to encourage in-app purchases. The game's estimated half-billion-dollar revenue in under three months, before the trading feature's release, further supports this theory. One player reported spending approximately $1,500 to complete a single set.