Rare Pokémon TCG Pocket Cards Fuel Black Market Trading Frenzy

The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has unexpectedly sparked a controversial black market fueled by its trading mechanic. Players are actively buying and selling digital cards online, with numerous listings popping up on platforms like eBay, where cards are being sold for $5 to $10 each. This trading frenzy is facilitated by the game's new feature, which allows players to exchange friend codes and trade cards directly within the game.

A notable example is a $5.99 listing for a Starmie ex card, where the seller requests that buyers have 500 Trade Tokens, one Trade Stamina, and an "unwanted Pokémon ex" to swap for the desired card. This practice not only violates the Pokémon TCG Pocket terms of service, which explicitly prohibit the buying or selling of virtual content, but also reveals a peculiar twist. The seller essentially loses nothing in these transactions, as they gain another ex Pokémon card through the trade, which they can then resell.

The trading system in Pokémon TCG Pocket has been contentious since its introduction last week. Players are required to use Trade Tokens, which are costly to obtain, often necessitating the deletion of five cards from their collection to trade one of the same rarity. Despite these restrictions, the emergence of a black market was inevitable, even without any limitations on trading.

The current trading mechanic lacks a public trading platform within the app, forcing players to rely on external sites like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay to find the cards they need. This has led to calls from the community, including players like siraquakip on Reddit, for a more integrated and safer way to connect and trade within the game.

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Creatures Inc., the developer behind Pokémon TCG Pocket, has issued warnings against buying and selling cards with real money, promising to take action against violators. Ironically, the Trade Tokens mechanic, intended to prevent exploitation, has not only failed but has also alienated many players. The company is currently investigating ways to improve the trading feature, though no specific plans have been disclosed despite ongoing complaints.

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 higher rarity cards (2 Star and above) further supports this claim, as it forces players to spend significant amounts on packs to complete sets. One player reportedly spent around $1,500 just to complete the first set, highlighting the high costs involved in the game's current structure.