Short answer: trading requires both trainers to be level 10+, friends, and within about 100 m — and friendship level sets the price. A special trade for a new Pokédex entry costs 1,000,000 Stardust at Good Friend but 40,000 at Best. Each Pokémon can be traded only once, one special trade per day, and Forever Friends unlock one remote trade per day.
Trainer school
Pokémon GO trading explained: Stardust costs, special trades and lucky luck
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. See exactly how the tag-and-wish-list process works.
- 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 like Community Day, the current season's Friendship Friday, a Max Battle Day with a trading bonus, or a ticketed event like GO Wild Area 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. Trading an old enough Pokémon can also guarantee a Lucky outright, up to a cap Niantic raised to 45. Lucky Egg and Star Piece don't affect any of this — they only boost XP and Stardust gains. Trade distance — how far apart the two Pokémon were caught — also sets your odds of a bonus Candy XL, separate from any of the above.
FAQ
Can I trade back a Pokémon I regret trading? No — one trade per Pokémon, forever. Think before you special-trade. You can still back out right up until you tap Confirm — see exactly when a trade becomes final.
How do I know a trade partner isn't scamming me? The confirm screen doesn't show everything (nicknames, gender, Vivillon pattern) — see how trade scams work and how to verify a trade before confirming, especially for a rare or high-value 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.