Questions families ask
The short answers. Every number here is the one the site actually uses.
- Where does my money sit between paying and pickup?
- Your payment goes through Stripe and is held in the breeder’s Stripe account, where it can’t be paid out to their bank until your puppy is home. It’s released 3 days after you confirm pickup, or 7 days after the breeder marks the puppy as gone home if you never confirm. Report a problem before then and the payment stays put while our team looks into it. getabreeder never holds your money. You can see the countdown on the sale page the whole time.
- What about the deposit, and can I get it back?
- The breeder sets the deposit, between 5% and 50% of the price, and most land around 20%. Refund terms are not ours to promise: each listing carries one of three written policies, from non-refundable through refundable until pickup, and the one that applies is shown and agreed before you pay a cent.
- What happens if something goes wrong?
- Either side can open a dispute, and we respond within 48 hours. Both parties see the same case file and the same evidence rather than arguing through us, and either side can appeal a resolution for 7 days after it is issued.
- Can I talk to the breeder before I commit to anything?
- Yes, and you should. Message the breeder from any listing and keep the conversation going in your inbox: questions, photos, videos, planning a visit to meet the litter. No deposit is needed to start talking. Keep the conversation and the payments on getabreeder: that is what our payment hold and dispute process cover, so phone numbers and emails are shared once a puppy is paid in full. How a placement works
- What does it cost to buy here?
- The puppy's price plus a one-time service fee of $50 to $250, depending on the price. It's shown on every puppy's page before you ask anything, split between the deposit and the balance, and there's nothing else added at checkout. If you and the breeder agree to cancel, you're refunded what you paid for the puppy. The service fee isn't refundable.
- How do you check breeders?
- A breeder can sign up in a minute, but nobody can publish a litter until our trust and safety team has reviewed their identity and kennel registration by hand. That is enforced by the site, not a policy we hope people follow. From there, two further tiers add health testing and a facility review, each with published criteria. See every criterion
