The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has stirred controversy with its trading mechanic, leading to a black market for digital cards on platforms like eBay. Players are now buying and selling these cards for real money, with listings ranging from $5 to $10 per card. This practice, facilitated by the game's new trading feature, involves players exchanging friend codes and using the in-game trading system to transfer cards. 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" to trade for the desired card.
This trading system blatantly violates the Pokémon TCG Pocket terms of service, which explicitly prohibit "buying or selling virtual contents or data on the service." However, the sellers are not losing any assets in these transactions. Buyers trade an unwanted card for the one they want, and sellers retain the same rarity of card, enabling them to continue selling without losing stock. Listings for ex Pokémon and 1 Star, alternate art cards, the rarest tradable cards, are prevalent on eBay, along with entire accounts containing Pack Hourglasses and other rare cards.
The trading feature, introduced last week, has been criticized for its restrictive nature. Players need Trade Tokens, which are costly to obtain, requiring them to delete five cards from their collection to trade one of the same rarity. Despite these restrictions, the black market would likely have emerged even without them, as the mechanic is limited to trading only between friends, lacking a public trading system within the app. Players like siraquakip on Reddit have expressed a desire for a safer, more community-oriented trading method, suggesting public trade listings within the app to reduce reliance on external platforms like Reddit, Discord, and eBay.
Creatures Inc., the developer, has warned against buying and selling cards with real money and other forms of cheating, threatening account suspensions and other actions for violations. Ironically, the Trade Tokens system was implemented to prevent such exploitation, yet it has not only failed to do so but has also alienated the community. The developer is currently investigating ways to improve the trading feature, though no specific plans have been announced despite ongoing complaints since the feature's unveiling three weeks ago.
Critics argue that the trading system is designed to boost revenue for Pokémon TCG Pocket, which reportedly earned half a billion dollars in less than three months before trading was introduced. The inability to trade cards of 2 Star rarity or higher further supports this claim, as it encourages players to spend more money on packs in hopes of completing their collections. One player reportedly spent $1,500 to complete the first set, with the third set arriving last week.
Every Alternate Art 'Secret' Card in Pokémon TCG Pocket: Space Time Smackdown
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