Gumtree Australia Support Knowledgebase - Pets
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Pets



How to buy a pet safely?

We work closely with the RSPCA and other animal welfare organisations to continually improve our Pets Policies and trading guidelines. Before buying a pet it's important to stay safe and follow a few key principles:

1. Know the right price

 If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Low or high pricing is a key indicator of a scam. 
 
2. Know the seller. 
 
Ask for proof of breeder registration or examples of other animals they have successfully connected with safe homes in the past. For further peace of mind, users can now rate their interaction with users and check a rating of a seller before trading.
 
3. Know the animal.
 
Descriptions should include the history of the animal and its parents as well as details of the breed. Do a Google image match search on the advert imagery to ensure the animal is real. Ask to see the animal via virtual video prior to meeting face to face.

4. Be safe and hygienic.
 
Remember to practice good biosecurity when purchasing animals. Inspect animals for signs of disease before transporting them. Biosecurity regulations apply when moving some animals in Queensland, check if you need a permit or waybill at https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/biosecurity

5. Know the home.

When buying or adopting a pet you should meet in person and view the living conditions of the pet. The purpose of the Gumtree Pets section is to help the community find good, safe, caring homes for pets. For personal ease and safety, always ensure you take someone with you.

6. Understand the payment process.

Never send money to anyone you don’t know by bank transfer or a payment service that is not PayPal through Gumtree messages. We only recommend Gumtree’s PayPal integration or cash in person. Only pay once you're certain you've connected with a real person and the right pet. You can connect your Gumtree account to PayPal to provide a digital payment or pay in cash when you meet the seller with a friend or third party to support safe trading.

To report a suspicious ad or user, please contact our customer support team here. Any ads or users reported to our customer support team as suspected scammers will be investigated and the appropriate action taken, and we strongly encourage the Gumtree community to help us keep the site friendly and safe. To find out more about scammers during COVID-19, please visit or contact ScamWatch here. For more information, please visit the Gumtree Pets Guidelines.

Gumtree is a classifieds website and ads aren't reviewed before they go live on the site. Gumtree doesn't offer any sort of buyer protection / payment programs. Any emails you receive that talk about such systems are scams, even if they may have the Gumtree logo. If you receive any emails promoting these services, please report it to us. If ever in doubt simply contact us and we'll be happy to help.  

To better protect animal welfare and support responsible trading under our Gumtree Pets Code of Practice, Gumtree has a mandatory insertion fee across all pets and animal listings on our platform. As a significant and deliberate shift away from Gumtree's 'free for all users' model, the insertion fee helps filter out irresponsible buyers and sellers, while ensuring that serious and considered trades can still be carried out.