Pokémon Trade Night — Our Trading Rules

The Pokémon Trade Night Rules are simple — get cards into the hands of people who actually want them. South London collectors gathering around a table at Squeezed!, flipping through binders, doing deals, shaking hands. That’s the spirit of it, and that spirit doesn’t change.

But as the nights have grown — more traders, more binders, more valuable cards on the table — it made sense to put a proper set of rules in writing. Not because people have been behaving badly. Quite the opposite. We want to keep it that way. These rules exist to protect every trader in the room, from the person bringing a battered collection of commons to the collector with a sleeve full of 1st Edition holos.

Here’s a breakdown of the rules, and the thinking behind each one.

The Pokémon Trade Night Rules

These Trade Night Rules apply at every Pokie Swap Squad event.

1. Handle cards with care

This one is fundamental. Every card on the table belongs to someone, and they’ve looked after it. No bending, no flicking, no placing cards face-down on bare surfaces. If you damage someone else’s card — even accidentally — that’s on you. Treat other people’s collections the way you’d want yours treated.

2. Agree before you touch

Browsing someone’s binder is one thing — that’s what they’re there for. But picking up a card, pulling it out of a sleeve, or handling anything that isn’t yours without asking first isn’t on. Both parties need to verbally agree to a trade before any cards change hands. It sounds obvious, but it avoids a lot of awkwardness.

3. No pressure trading

Every single trade at a Pokie Swap Squad night is completely voluntary. No one should ever feel pushed, rushed, or guilt-tripped into doing a deal. If someone says no — whether they’re a first-timer who’s not sure about values yet or an experienced collector who just changed their mind — that’s the end of it. No questions, no hard feelings, move on.

The Pokémon community is a good one. The Trade Night Rules are here to keep it that way.

4. Trades only — no cash sales

This is a trade night, not a car boot sale. There is no buying or selling with cash. Every exchange is card-for-card, agreed between both traders. If you want to buy or sell cards, there are plenty of other places to do that — eBay, local Facebook groups, card shows. On Pokémon Trade Night, we swap.

5. Keep your binder with you at all times

It sounds like common sense, but in a busy room it’s easy to get distracted. Don’t leave your binder on a table or chair while you nip to the bar or chat across the room. Keep it in your hands or on your person. You are solely responsible for your own collection — we can’t be held responsible for anything that goes missing if it’s been left unattended.

6. Found cards go straight to an organiser

If you find a card on a table or on the floor — especially a valuable one — it has almost certainly been dropped or left behind by mistake. Don’t pocket it. Don’t put it in your binder. Hand it directly to one of the Pokie Swap Squad organisers straight away so we can reunite it with its owner. A lost Charizard is a bad night for someone. Do the right thing.

7. All trades are final — no backsies

Once a trade is agreed and the handshake is done, it’s done. When the night ends, there are no take-backs, no revisits, and no backsies. Think carefully before you commit. If you’re not sure about a trade — the value, the condition, whether you actually want to part with that card — take your time. No one should be rushing you. But once it’s agreed, that’s final.

This rule exists to protect everyone equally. A deal is a deal — that’s the foundation of the Trade Night Rules.

Trade Night Rules are now in effect

From this point forward, these Trade Night Rules apply at every Pokémon Trade Night or Live Game Night. They’ll be displayed on a printed poster at the venue on the night, so everyone in the room knows what’s expected.

We’re not here to police anyone — we’re here to trade cards. But having clear rules in place means everyone can enjoy the night knowing they’re protected, whether they’ve been coming since the beginning or it’s their first time walking through the door.

If you have any questions about the rules or anything else about Pokémon Trade Night, get in touch at [email protected].

See you at Squeezed Balham

Pokémon Trade Nights