Pet Buying Safety Tips
Why these tips matter
When you buy a pet on Pets Bazar, you pay the seller directly. Pets Bazar does not handle payment for pet listings, so there is no refund or payment protection from us if a deal goes wrong. Almost every problem we hear about could have been avoided by one rule: see the animal before you pay.
Before you pay anything
Most pet scams in Pakistan follow the same pattern. The price is attractive, the seller is in another city, and money is needed up front.
- Never pay an advance or a booking amount to a seller you have not met
- Be wary of a price far below what similar animals sell for in your city
- Treat requests for extra courier, transport, cage, insurance or vaccination fees after you have paid as a warning sign
- Do not let a seller rush you with stories of other buyers waiting
- Keep the conversation in Pets Bazar chat until you have met, so there is a record of what was agreed
Meeting the seller
Buying locally is the safest way to buy a pet, because you can visit the seller where the animal is kept.
- Meet in daylight, at the seller's home, farm or shop, rather than in a car park or on the roadside
- Take a friend or family member with you
- Tell someone where you are going
- Pay only when you are collecting the animal, and count cash before you hand it over
Checking the animal
Take your time with the animal itself. A genuine seller will not mind.
- Look for clear eyes, a clean nose and ears, a healthy coat or feathers and normal breathing
- Watch the animal move, eat and react to people
- Ask to see the vaccination card and any vet records; the vaccination field on an ad is what the seller states, not something Pets Bazar has checked
- For puppies and kittens, ask to see the mother if possible
- For goats, cows and buffalos, check weight, teeth and, for dairy animals, milk yield in person, and ask for vaccination records
- If you can, arrange a check-up with a vet; the vet clinics directory on Pets Bazar can help you find one nearby
If the seller is in another city
Remote purchases carry the most risk. If you cannot travel, ask someone you trust in the seller's city to visit and see the animal for you before any money is sent. Ask for a live video call showing the animal, not only photos, which can be copied from other ads. If a seller refuses every way of confirming the animal is real, walk away.
Signs you should trust, and their limits
A Verified badge on a seller's profile is added by the Pets Bazar team and is a helpful signal, but it is not a guarantee about a particular animal or deal. Reviews on shops and clinics show how other buyers have been treated. Neither replaces seeing the animal yourself.
Safety tips for sellers
Sellers are targeted too. Be careful with buyers who offer to pay more than your asking price, send a screenshot of a payment instead of a real payment, or ask you to pay a fee to receive their money. Confirm money has reached your account before the animal leaves your hands, and meet buyers in a place you are comfortable with.
Buying from pet shops
Products from approved pet shops can be ordered on Pets Bazar with Cash-on-Delivery, where the shop has turned it on. You pay the courier in cash when the order arrives, so you do not need to send money in advance. Check the parcel when it arrives.
Report anything suspicious
If an ad or a user looks wrong, use the Report this listing link on the ad while signed in. You can report spam, suspected fraud, inappropriate content, animal welfare concerns and duplicate ads. Our team reviews every report and can remove ads and ban accounts. Ads that promote animal fighting are removed. You can also email support@pets-bazar.com, and if you have lost money, report it to the police as well.