Many players find themselves wondering how to trade in Pokemon GO or why they can’t swap Pokemon with their friends. There are a few rules to keep in mind when trading Pokemon, which I’ll go over in this guide.
If you’re wondering why you should trade the Pokemon you’ve worked so hard to catch, then you should know that it makes evolving certain Pokemon much easier.
It also rewards Candy and a few other perks which I’ll cover as well.
Trading Requirements
Before you can trade with your friends, you must meet a few different requirements. These requirements range from your Trainer Level to the amount of Stardust you have.
Don’t worry, though, none of the requirements are particularly hard to satisfy.
Trainer Levels
Before you can trade with anyone, you need to be at least Trainer Level 10. This goes for both players involved in the trade. If one of you is not Level 10, you will need to level up.
The good news is that it only takes a couple of hours to get Level 10, and this is assuming you’re starting from Level 1. This time can even be cut in half using Lucky Eggs and tools like Incense to help catch more Pokemon.
Friendship Levels
You need to be at least friendship Level 1 with the Player you want to trade with. To increase your friendship level with someone, you need to send each other gifts every day. The longer you do this, the better friends you will become.
Friendship Levels also give a discount on the amount of Stardust you will have to pay in order to initiate the trade.
| Friendship Level | Time Required | Trade Discount (Stardust) |
| Good Friends | 1 Day | 0% |
| Great Friends | 7 Days | 20% |
| Ultra Friends | 30 Days | 92% |
| Best Friends | 90 Days | 96% |
Stardust
Every trade will also require a certain amount of Stardust. Both Trainers will have to pay this Stardust to initiate the trade, and the cost will depend on a few factors.
- Whether you have the Pokemon already
- Friendship Level
- Whether the Pokemon is Shiny
- Whether the Pokemon is a Legendary
If you want to trade a Legendary or a Shiny Pokemon, it’s going to be very expensive, but that’s where the Friendship Discounts come into play.
Without Discounts, these are the current costs for trading Pokemon:
| Pokemon Type | Caught Before | Never Caught |
| Regular | 100 | 20,000 |
| Shiny | 20,000 | 1,000,000 |
| Legendary | 20,000 | 1,000,000 |
Distance
You must be within 100 km of the Player you want to trade within Pokemon GO. There are no exceptions to this rule, and no way to get around it.
There is a little bit of good news here, though. You will receive Candy from every trade, and the further away the Pokemon was caught, the more candy you will receive (up to 3).
So if you happen to trade a Pokemon that was caught across the Country, you can receive a free three Candy!
How to Trade in Pokemon GO despite Trade Restrictions
There is only one major restriction when it comes to Trading, but it is very important to know.
Every Pokemon can only be traded one time.
This is because Pokemon roll for a new CP every time they are traded, and Niantic do not want players gaming the system for strong Pokemon.
If you trade a Pokemon to a friend, they will not be able to trade it back to you, or to anyone else.
How to Trade in Pokemon GO
- Be Friendship Level 1 with the Player you want to trade with
- Be within 100km of the Player you want to trade with
- Go to your Trainer Profile and open up your Friends Tab
- Select the Trainer you want to trade with.
- Choose the Pokemon you want to trade
- Confirm the Trade and pay the Stardust required
How Do Trade Evolutions Work in Pokemon GO?
Fans of the original series may recall that some Pokemon can only be evolved via trading them to someone else. Pokemon GO has a similar mechanic, but not exactly the same one.
If you trade a Pokemon that can evolve via trading, their evolution cost will be dropped down to zero Candies for the receiving Player. Just remember, there are no trade-backs in Pokemon GO.
If you do not wish to trade your Pokemon, then you can evolve them like any other Pokemon. However, the cost will be 100 or 200 Candies, depending on which Generation the Pokemon is from.
Every Pokemon GO Trade Evolution
- Kadabra evolves into Alakazam
- Machoke evolves into Machamp
- Graveler evolves into Golem
- Haunter evolves into Gengar
- Boldore evolves into Gigalith
- Gurrdurr evolves into Conkeldurr
- Karrablast evolves into Escavalier
- Shelmet evolves into Accelgor
- Phantump evolves into Trevenant
- Pumpkaboo evolves into Gourgeist
Maxing evolutions and waiting for shinies apart, if you really know how to trade in Pokemon GO, you’ll have a crazy inventory to win almost any battle.
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