Trading is where friendship levels pay off in Stardust — the difference between a 1,000,000-dust trade and a 40,000-dust one is just friendship. Here are the actual rules.
The basics
- You must be Friends, both Trainer level 10+, and within ~100 m of each other (events occasionally stretch this; some raise it to 40 km).
- Exception: Forever Friends (the tier above Best Friends) unlock Remote Trades at any distance — you earn one per 90 friendship points with that friend, and can complete one remote trade per day account-wide. Remote trades never count as special trades.
- Each Pokémon can only ever be traded once.
The Stardust table (why friendship is money)
Both trainers pay the same cost:
| Trade type | Good | Great | Ultra | Best/Forever |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Special — already in your Pokédex | 20,000 | 16,000 | 1,600 | 800 |
| Special — new Pokédex entry | 1,000,000 | 800,000 | 80,000 | 40,000 |
Climbing from Good to Best Friends cuts a new-entry special trade from a million dust to 40,000 — a 96 % discount for 90 days of gifting.
What counts as a "special trade"
Shiny, Legendary, Ultra Beasts, Meltan/Melmetal, Purified, Gigantamax forms, special-background/costume Pokémon, and anything not yet in your Pokédex. Limit: one special trade per trainer per day (events sometimes allow more).
Not tradeable at all: Mythicals like Mew (Meltan/Melmetal are the exception), Shadow Pokémon, already-traded Pokémon, your current Buddy, favourites, and gym defenders.
IVs re-roll — and lucky trades break the floor
Traded Pokémon re-roll all IVs within a floor set by your friendship (roughly 1/2/3 at Good/Great/Ultra, 5 at Best — community-documented, so treat as approximate). A Lucky trade guarantees a 12/12/12 floor and halves Stardust power-up costs. Received Pokémon are level-capped at your Trainer level +2, with CP scaled down if needed.
FAQ
Can I trade back a Pokémon I regret trading? No — one trade per Pokémon, forever. Think before you special-trade.
Who pays the Stardust? Both of you, the same amount each.
How do I find trade partners abroad? You mostly can't trade remotely (except Forever Friends) — but for gifts, postcards and Vivillon, distance is no obstacle: grab codes by country.