Pokémon TCG Pocket's in-game trading system fuels a thriving black market for digital cards on platforms like eBay. Players are openly buying and selling cards for prices ranging from $5 to $10, circumventing the game's terms of service which prohibit such transactions.

The trading mechanic allows sellers to exchange cards of equal rarity, essentially profiting without losing valuable assets. A seller might exchange a Starmie ex for an "unwanted Pokémon ex" from a buyer, then immediately resell the acquired ex card. This exploits a loophole in the system, leaving the seller with a continuous supply of rare cards to sell.

Numerous eBay listings showcase this activity, offering rare ex Pokémon and 1-Star alternate art cards. Entire accounts, containing valuable Pack Hourglasses and rare cards, are also for sale—a common occurrence in online games, regardless of terms of service violations.

The trading system itself has been controversial since its launch. Beyond the existing limitations on pack openings and Wonder Picking, the introduction of Trade Tokens further fueled player frustration. The high cost of acquiring these tokens—requiring the deletion of five cards to trade one of the same rarity—has been heavily criticized.

Even without the Trade Token system, this black market likely would have emerged due to the trading mechanic's limitations. The inability to trade publicly within the app forces players to use external platforms like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay to facilitate trades. Many players, like Reddit user siraquakip, advocated for a more integrated, in-app trading system to foster community interaction.

The developer, Creatures Inc., has warned players against real-money transactions and other forms of cheating, threatening account suspensions for violations. Ironically, the Trade Token system, intended to prevent exploitation, has instead inadvertently created this black market and alienated a significant portion of the player base.

Creatures Inc. is investigating improvements to the trading feature but hasn't provided concrete details despite ongoing complaints. Speculation suggests that the trading system's restrictions are designed to boost revenue for Pokémon TCG Pocket, a game that reportedly generated half a billion dollars in under three months before the trading feature was introduced. The inability to trade higher-rarity cards (2-Star and above) further supports this theory, as readily available trading would significantly reduce the need for players to spend large sums of money on packs. One player reported spending approximately $1,500 to complete the first set alone.

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