Position Statement - Guidance - Bidding

Background

Getting a pet is a life-changing decision. Whether you would be a first time pet owner, or you already have pets at home, it is vital that you carefully consider whether you have the right time, resources and understanding to properly care for that pet for their entire life, before you make a purchase decision.

The Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) has seen a growth in sellers and platforms offering pets for sale to the highest bidder.

Several studies have looked into the relationship between online auctions and buying behaviour from an e-commerce perspective. These studies indicate that most online auction consumers exhibit compulsive buying behavior because they lose track of time while engaged, spend far more money than they initially intended, and end up purchasing a significant amount of items that are not necessary to them. [1]

PAAG has serious concerns about this practice being used to facilitate the sale of some pets, as we believe that it could lead to poor outcomes for both the consumer and the pet.

Key risks of pet-selling auctions

Due diligence

Horses and livestock have a long history of being sold at auction, with some of this trade also moving online. At the same time there has been an increase in content advising those looking to get a horse to beware of scams and unscrupulous sellers in these environments. [2] This advice focuses on the buyer's limited ability to ask questions and verify key information about that horse before a purchase decision is made.

The same is true of other pet species being sold at auction. The time-constrained environment, and limited ability to contact the breeder/seller, offers few opportunities for the buyer to find out about the animal beyond the information provided in the advert. This also doesn't allow sellers to find out more about the potential buyer so that they can judge whether they are the right person to take care of that pet.

Furthermore, for some pets such as young dogs, cats and rabbits, PAAG has consistently advised potential owners to visit the animal in their home environment, to see them with their mum. Online auctions do not allow the time required to ensure that this visit happens.

The lack of opportunity to conduct due diligence may result in either an increase in pets being sold to those who are less able to care for them, or an increase in consumers being scammed into buying pets who may be different from what they expected.

Time pressure

A key factor of any auction is time pressure. Several studies have demonstrated that time pressure is a crucial factor that influences impulsive buying behavior [3]. Getting a pet is already an emotional decision. Applying the additional time pressure of an auction environment may not allow the consumer to properly consider whether they are able to care for that pet for their whole life.

Recommendation

PAAG does not consider it to be suitable for pets to be offered for sale online to the highest bidder, or through any kind of online auction.

What should I do?

If you are getting a pet

• Do not use any platform which advertises pets for sale to the highest bidder.
• If someone advertising a pet for sale tries to entice you into a bidding war, we strongly advise you to walk away from that sale.
• Use PAAG's advice on how to responsibly get a pet.

If you are a pet-selling website

• We strongly advise you not to permit adverts which offer pets for sale “to the highest bidder”.

If you operate a platform offering pets for sale to the highest bidder

• Shift from auction-based pet sales to thoughtful, non-time-bound transactions.

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1. Shopping value in online auctions: Their antecedents and outcomes - Min-Young Lee, Youn-Kyung Kim, Ann Fairhurst
2. https://ashbyunderwriting.com/insight/buying-a-horse-at-auction/
3. A multidisciplinary cognitive behavioural framework of impulse buying: a systematic review of the literature - S.H. Xiao, M. Nicholson