Pokémon GO trading cost is paid in Stardust by both Trainers and depends mainly on the type of Pokémon being traded, whether it is already registered in each Pokédex and the Friendship level between the two players. Ordinary registered Pokémon are cheap, while an unregistered Shiny or Legendary can cost an enormous amount at low Friendship.
Current Pokémon GO trading cost chart
| Trade type | Good Friend | Great Friend | Ultra Friend | Best / Forever Friend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered regular Pokémon | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Unregistered regular Pokémon | 20,000 | 16,000 | 1,600 | 800 |
| Registered Shiny, Legendary or similar Special Trade | 20,000 | 16,000 | 1,600 | 800 |
| Unregistered Shiny, Legendary or similar Special Trade | 1,000,000 | 800,000 | 80,000 | 40,000 |
Pokémon GO trading cost can be temporarily reduced by event bonuses, so the confirmation screen is always the final price to trust.
What counts as a Special Trade?
Special Trades include Pokémon not registered in a Trainer’s Pokédex, Legendary Pokémon, Shiny Pokémon, Ultra Beasts and several special forms or features.
Pokémon GO trading cost rises sharply for these trades because they use the Friendship discount table rather than the flat 100 Stardust price for an ordinary registered Pokémon.
The game also limits how many Special Trades can normally be completed per day, although events sometimes increase that limit.
Both Trainers pay Stardust
The displayed Pokémon GO trading cost applies to both sides of the trade.
You cannot offer to pay another Trainer’s Stardust or transfer the cost between accounts. If either person cannot afford the price shown on the confirmation screen, the trade cannot be completed.
That matters most for a 1,000,000-Stardust Good Friend trade, where both players need the full amount.
Why Friendship saves so much Stardust
Pokémon GO trading cost falls dramatically as Friendship increases.
A new Shiny or Legendary drops from 1,000,000 Stardust at Good Friend to 40,000 at Best Friend or Forever Friends. That makes waiting for a higher Friendship level one of the biggest resource savings in the game.
Great and Ultra Friend also reduce the cost, but Best Friend is usually the target for expensive collection trades.
Does Forever Friends reduce the price again?
Forever Friends keeps the large trade discount associated with Best Friends rather than creating a new lower Stardust tier.
The major extra benefit is Remote Trade access.
Pokémon GO trading cost for a Forever Friend is therefore still extremely favorable, but the new milestone matters more for distance and repeat Remote Trade progression than for another price cut.
Standard trades are intentionally cheap
If both Trainers already have an ordinary Pokémon registered and the trade does not fall into a Special Trade category, the normal price is just 100 Stardust. Friendship does not need to be maxed for that simple exchange.
This makes bulk distance trades, Candy trades and ordinary collection swaps affordable even for newer friends, while the steep costs are concentrated on rare or new entries.
Why two similar trades can show different prices
Registration is checked for the exact Pokémon or form involved.
A Trainer may already own the species but still lack a particular Shiny, regional form, costume or other special entry. That can make the Pokémon GO trading cost much higher than expected.
Always read the confirmation screen before pressing Trade rather than assuming a familiar species means it is registered in the relevant way.
Event bonuses can change the numbers
Trading events sometimes halve Stardust costs, increase Special Trade limits or add other bonuses.
Those temporary changes are excellent opportunities for expensive collection trades.
Pokémon GO trading cost guides should therefore use the standard table as the baseline and treat any event discount as a temporary bonus rather than a permanent new rule.
Cheapest way to plan a big trade
Build Friendship first, confirm both Trainers have enough Stardust and wait for a trade event if the Pokémon is particularly expensive.
For ordinary registered Pokémon, there is little reason to delay because the standard Pokémon GO trading cost is only 100 Stardust.
For a rare unregistered Shiny or Legendary, patience can save hundreds of thousands of Stardust. Best or Forever Friends is the sensible place to make those trades unless an event creates an even better window.
Official site: Pokémon GO
