Rare Pokémon TCG Pocket Cards Fuel Black Market Trading Frenzy

The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has stirred up a storm with its new trading mechanic, inadvertently spawning a controversial black market where players are buying and selling digital cards online. Listings for these cards, ranging from $5 to $10, have proliferated on eBay, facilitated by the game's trading system. Sellers ask buyers to exchange friend codes and then trade a card, often under the guise of a regular trade, but with a monetary transaction attached.

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" card to trade for the desired one. This setup, while breaching the game's terms of service against buying or selling virtual content, leaves the seller at no loss since they can resell the received card due to the rarity-based trading restriction.

The black market has extended to selling entire accounts, which include rare cards and Pack Hourglasses. This practice, though common in online gaming, clearly violates the service's rules. The trading feature, introduced last week, has been met with criticism not only for fostering this black market but also for its restrictive mechanics.

Players are required to spend real money to avoid limitations on opening packs, using Wonder Picking, and now, trading. The introduction of Trade Tokens, which necessitate deleting five cards to trade one of the same rarity, has been particularly contentious. Despite these restrictions, the black market's emergence suggests that even without them, trading would still lead to such external transactions.

The community's dissatisfaction stems not just from these restrictions but also from the lack of a public trading system within the app. Players like siraquakip on Reddit have expressed a desire for a safer, more community-oriented way to trade cards, without relying on external platforms like eBay, Reddit, and Discord.

Every Alternate Art 'Secret' Card in Pokémon TCG Pocket: Space Time Smackdown

52 Images

Creatures Inc., the developer behind Pokémon TCG Pocket, has warned players against engaging in such transactions, threatening account suspension or other actions for violations of the Terms of Use. Ironically, the Trade Tokens mechanic, intended to prevent exploitation, has failed and instead alienated much of the player base.

While Creatures Inc. is actively investigating ways to enhance the trading feature, no specific plans have been shared despite ongoing complaints since the feature's unveiling three weeks ago. Some fans speculate that the trading system is designed to boost revenue, given the game's impressive earnings of half a billion dollars in less than three months. The inability to trade higher rarity cards further supports this theory, as it forces players to spend more money for a chance at completing sets, with one player spending around $1,500 to complete the first set alone.