The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has encountered a surprising issue with the emergence of a black market for its digital cards. Players have been using the game's new trading mechanic to buy and sell cards on platforms like eBay, despite this practice being against the game's terms of service. Listings for cards such as Starmie ex are priced between $5 and $10, with sellers asking buyers to exchange friend codes and trade an unwanted Pokémon ex card along with 500 Trade Tokens and one Trade Stamina.

This trading system, while a clear violation of the rules, allows sellers to trade without losing any stock. Buyers trade an unwanted card for a desired one, and sellers can continue to resell the received card due to the game's restriction that only cards of the same rarity can be traded. This has led to a cycle of trading and reselling, fueling the black market.

The trading feature, introduced last week, has been controversial from the start. Players are required to spend real money to open packs, use Wonder Picking, and now, to trade due to the introduction of Trade Tokens. These tokens are costly to obtain, requiring players to delete five cards from their collection to trade just one card of the same rarity. Despite these restrictions, a black market would likely have emerged regardless, as the trading system's basic design lacks a public trading platform within the game, forcing players to use external sites like Reddit, Discord, and now eBay.

The developer, Creatures Inc., had warned against buying and selling cards with real money, stating that violators could face account suspension or other penalties. Ironically, the Trade Tokens were implemented to prevent such exploitation, but they have failed to do so and have instead alienated many players. Creatures Inc. is currently exploring ways to improve the trading feature, though no specific plans have been announced.

Some players believe the trading system is designed to boost revenue for Pokémon TCG Pocket, which reportedly earned half a billion dollars in under three months before the trading feature was added. The inability to trade cards of 2 Star rarity or higher suggests an intent to keep players spending money on packs for a chance at rare cards. For instance, one player spent around $1,500 to complete the first set, and the third set was released just last week.

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