Help & FAQs

How is Creatures different from other animal marketplaces and other auction sites?

While there are other online marketplaces and auction platforms out there to buy and sell animals and related services, Creatures is the only full-service, digital platform dedicated to helping animal people like us do business better. 

Animal Sales Allowed and Encouraged

Most major online marketplaces like Facebook, Etsy, eBay, Amazon, etc. prohibit animal sales. Creatures was built to change that. We not only allow animal listings, we also support and encourage them with the tools and protection you need.

Unlike other platforms and general marketplaces, Creatures is designed to handle:

• Live animal listings with health, pedigree and breeding info
• Buyer screening tools like Applications
• Auctions with protection and verified bids
• Secure payment methods that protect both sides
• Health guarantee on every animal
  

Safe, Secure and Transparent
Our platform keeps your personal information protected while enabling safe and efficient communication through:

• Convenient built-in messaging
• Verified identities
• Secure payment processing

Verification Levels

At Creatures, we care a lot about protecting our community from fraud and scams. That is why we’ve built a multi-step verification process for buyers and sellers.

All users:

• Must verify their email address during the account registration process. 
• SMS Phone verification is required before making a purchase or placing a bid.
• Credit card pre-authorization (5% hold) for all auction bids to ensure buyer intent and prevent false activity or fraud. 

For Sellers:

To list animals for sale, sellers must complete:

• SMS phone verification, along with a government ID and selfie verification. 
• An additional Know Your Customer (KYC) verification process required by Stripe before they are able to withdraw funds from Creatures the first time.

All personal data is encrypted, handled by our payment partner Stripe (PCI- & SOC 2-compliant), and it is never stored on our servers.

How to Add Animals and Organizations

Once you sign up and begin your personal profile, you can start adding animals right away or create an organization first. 

What’s an Organization?

An organization is any animal-related entity that has its own name. Organizations can include:

• Farms, ranches or breeding programs
• Animal rescues
• Zoos
• Animal transporters
• Veterinary practices

The sky’s the limit! Individual users of the platform can create and manage multiple different organizations from the same user account. You can also add other users as owners or team members to help manage your organization page.

The organization page content will automatically publish to the breeder directory, helping potential buyers find you more easily.

You can find the “Add organization” button below your profile picture. If you’re on a mobile device, you may need to click “Show more info” to find it.

On desktop, you can also find the Add organization button as one of the Shortcuts in the upper left corner of your screen.

Why add Animals?

Creating individual profiles for each of your animals is at the core of the Creatures platform. Animal profiles provide an easy way to keep all your photos, videos, health, and breeding records in one place. They also make it easy for your fans to follow along!

Here’s how to add animals on desktop and mobile.

Desktop options:

• Click the Add animal button in the upper left section of the Creatures home page.
• Click the Add animal button from the Animals tab on your personal profile page
• Click the Add animal button from the Animals tab on your organization profile page

Mobile options:

• Click your profile icon in the upper right menu, then select My Animals and finally click the Add animal button
• From your profile page, click “Show more info” and scroll down until you see the Add animal button
• From your organization page, select the Animals tab and click Add animal

How to Claim and Edit a Directory Listing

The Creatures directory offers a free online presence for animal businesses of all types. Our goal is for every business in the directory to be “claimed” and managed by its rightful owner to help combat online scams and fraud.

To claim an existing directory page for your business, simply click the green “Claim this breeder profile” button on the page to begin the process. If we already have an email address or phone number listed for the business, you’ll be offered the chance to easily verify ownership that way. If not, your claim will be reviewed and approved as quickly as possible by our team.

Once your organization claim is processed, you’ll be able to update the publicly displayed directory information whenever you want. You can also add additional species and breeds to be sure that potential buyers are able to find you in their searches.

What are Applications?

Sellers on Creatures have the option to require potential buyers to submit an application for review and approval before the buyer can:

• Be allowed to purchase a fixed price listing
• Place a bid on an auction

This feature helps provide peace of mind for sellers who may want an additional screening step for potential buyers. 

Use custom or pre-built forms:

Sellers can: 

• Create or set up their own application forms
• Use ready-made template provided by Creatures

Where to Access Applications: 

Buyers and sellers can manage their applications from their Applications page, which is accessible via the main user menu–click on your profile picture icon on the top right corner of the site. 

How bidding works

To place a bid on Creatures, you must:

• Register for a free account
• Verify your phone number

Bid Verification

All bids are backed by a 5% credit card hold to ensure commitment of potential buyers. 

• A temporary hold is placed on your car when you place a bid.
• If you don’t win, the hold is automatically released when the auction ends/closes.

Bidding Details

• A bid box displays the minimum required bid amount.
• Sniping protection extends the auction clock by two minutes each time a bid is placed in the auction’s final moments, giving everyone a fair chance to place their maximum bids.
• The auction isn’t over until two full minutes have elapsed since the highest bid was placed.

Before bidding, we encourage all potential buyers to:

• Read the full animal listing 
• Review all comments and seller’s response
• Ask any remaining questions on the comment section or the Contact Seller button

It is important that bidders carry out their due diligence to understand all the animal’s details and insights offered by members of the community.

How do payments work?

We’ve created CreatureShield, a secure payment system which allows you to send and receive money safely while buying and selling on Creatures.

Buyers can pay using a variety of modern methods including credit card and direct bank transfer with no additional fees.

Sellers receive payouts directly to the connected bank account of their choice.

Health Guarantee

All sellers on the Creatures platform are required to provide a three-day health guarantee (72 hours) for any animal they sell.

What the Guarantee Covers

This guarantee ensures that the animal is:

• Free from contagious or infectious diseases
• Not showing obvious or visible signs of illness
• Not suffering from undisclosed injuries (excluding any that occur during transportation)
• Free from undisclosed genetic defects or conditions that could impact its health or quality of life

What if There’s a Problem?

If a licensed veterinarian identifies any of these issues within 72 hours of the animal’s delivery, the buyer should:

• Notify the seller immediately
• Provide written documentation from the veterinarian confirming the issue

How Resolution Works

The buyer and seller are encouraged to work out a solution directly. This may include a partial refund, covering treatment costs, or arranging for the return of the animal.

To support this process, purchase funds are held by Creatures until both parties confirm that the issue has been resolved.

In a Typical Sale

In most transactions, no issues are reported. When 72 hours have passed without any concerns, Creatures will automatically release the funds to the seller.

Our Role

This guarantee is provided by the seller. Creatures acts solely as a neutral facilitator, holding funds temporarily to ensure both parties have a fair opportunity to address any unexpected concerns.

Benefits for Buyers

• Peace of mind: You have 72 hours to confirm the animal is healthy and as described
• Built-in protection: If the vet identifies a problem, you’re not left on your own
• Funds held securely: Your payment isn’t released until the guarantee window passes
• Encourages responsible sellers: Sellers who stand behind their animals rise to the top
• Clear path to resolution: If there’s a concern, there’s a system in place to work it out

Benefits for Sellers

• Showcase your integrity: The guarantee signals confidence in your animals and practices
• Faster trust with buyers: Transparency and protection remove hesitation and purchase delays
• No upfront disruption: Funds are only held for 72 hours, not weeks
• Dispute avoidance: Prevents misunderstandings and sets shared expectations
• Platform-backed process: You don’t have to handle disputes alone or on uncertain terms

What is the post-sale process?

Once a fixed-price purchase is made or an auction ends successfully, here’s how the post-sale process works:

1. Buyer Checkout

The buyer is guided to a secure checkout page to pay via Credit card or ACH (bank transfer) payment.

2. Transportation Coordination

After payment is confirmed, the buyer and seller connect via the Creatures messaging system to finalize the transportation or pick up arrangements.

3. Shipping and Delivery Confirmation

• Seller marks the animal as ‘shipped’ or ‘picked-up’ from their Activity Page.
• Buyer marks the animal as ‘received’ once it arrives safely.

4. Three Day Health Guarantee

• Animal is observed by buyer and checked by veterinarian if buyer chooses. In most cases, there will be no concerns or need for further communication.
• If veterinarian reports an undisclosed condition covered under the health guarantee, buyer notifies the seller to identify a solution.

5. Payout to Seller

Three days (72 hours) after the animal is delivered and no health guarantee claims have been made, funds are transferred to the seller’s own connected account.

6. Verified Ratings and Reviews

Both parties are encouraged to leave reviews associated with every transaction. To promote honest feedback:

• Reviews are hidden until both parties submit, or until 14-day review passes.
• This builds honest and long-term trust and prevents biased feedback.

How selling works

Seller Verification Process

To ensure that every listing on Creatures represents real people, real animals and real services, all sellers must complete two layers of identity verification:

• Phone verification 
• And a third-party ID verification 

Before a seller can withdraw funds from Creatures to a seller’s bank account, they must also complete an additional security step:

•  Stripe Know Your Customer Verification This ensures protection of our community from fraud and scams and meets legal requirements for payment processors.

How our fees work

Creating a Creatures account is completely FREE for both buyers and sellers. There are no charges to join, manage your animals or post listings. We only charge for every successful transaction– so we only earn when you do. Our pricing is always transparent, with no hidden or surprise fees. 

• Sellers pay a 5% service fee to Creatures on top of the final sale price. 

Alternatively, sellers can choose an annual subscription which includes unlimited sales (fixed price and auctions) with no fees. This annual subscription plan can be paid monthly at $49.95/month or once upfront for $499.00 (a $100 discount.) There are no other seller fees on Creatures.

• Buyers pay a 5% service fee to Creatures on top of the final sale price. 

No processing charges on ANY payment method. It’s 2025, and we understand that most people use credit cards and don’t want to be charged extra for that. 

Need to use an alternative payment method and complete a transaction off Creatures? 

You may lose the seller’s health guarantee, but we can facilitate the transfer of an animal from one user/organization to another for a $25 fee. Simply get in touch through our chat support so that we can initiate the process. 

What are Auction Events?

Auction Events provide a fun and effective way for a group of breeders to organize and run a sale together. The primary advantage is that each participating seller can market to their own existing communities and followers, bringing a larger volume of potential buyers for the whole group. 

Why Join an Auction Event?

• Strength in numbers: Each seller promotes the event to their own followers, which increases visibility for everyone involved.
• Larger Buyer Pools: More exposure means more bids, and potentially higher final prices. 
• Community Building: Events create buzz and bring like-minded animal keepers for a shared experience.

Boosting Visibility with Referrals

Sellers and organizers can invite influencers, industry sales reps and others to promote the event. They can earn 5% of a listing’s final sale price when their efforts are responsible for bringing a new buyer to the platform. 

Delivery & Logistics

Our team is available to help coordinate logistics for any purchase through Creatures. As part of your purchase, we’re happy to assist and connect you with trusted animal transportation providers if suitable options are available on the platform yet. 

Contact us anytime through the chat button in your lower right corner.

Call or text us at ‪(434) 218-2178‬.

Email us at support@creatures.com

Referral & Influencer Rewards

Creatures rewards users who help grow the community:

• Share referral links and/ or promote listings
• Earn 1% of the final sale price to the user who first introduces the buyer to our Creatures community.