puppies.co.uk Deposit Scheme with Trustap

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Introducing deposits with Trustap

We’ve been paying close attention to all the feedback we get from our valued breeders and buyers and as a result we have partnered with Trustap to offer safe deposits.

What is Trustap?

Trustap is a financial transaction platform that provides extra safety for those who advertise online and will be able to bring both breeders and buyers peace of mind on puppies.co.uk. Trustap works by providing an intermediary account (called 'escrow') and holds the money between the breeder and the buyer until both parties are happy. Trustap also offers a completely independent review process to handle the unlikely case that a dispute may arise.

Just look for the 'place deposit' button on the litter you are interested in and get started!

Above: Example of deposit button

How it works

Trustap holds the deposit on behalf of the buyer and breeder, only releasing it after the buyer has seen the litter and visited your premises. This will result in a safer environment for everyone involved and also help our breeders sell their litters faster and safer.

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How does this benefit me?

Unfortunately there are many scams involving pets and buyers often fall victim to these scams. The puppies.co.uk deposit scheme is the next step in our quest to become the platform for only the most responsible breeders.

The scheme allows breeders to show to buyers that they are one of the most responsible breeders, and ensures that puppies.co.uk will make sure your deposits are safe (if using the Trustap scheme).

What does this cost?

For buyers, you must pay a buyer protection fee to ensure that your deposit is secured safely. This is set at 2% of the total price of the puppy.

EG. The breeder is requesting a 10% deposit on a £1,000 puppy. Your total payment will be £100 deposit + £20 buyer protection fee= £120.

For breeders, the scheme is free and you will receive 100% of the deposit.

FAQs

What happens when the breeder doesn’t accept the deposit? The transaction ends and the deposit is refunded.
What happens if one party doesn’t show up to view the litter? The buyer or seller can cancel the transaction and is refunded
What happens if the buyer and seller aren’t able to agree on a final price for the item? The buyer or seller cancels the transaction and the buyer is refunded their deposit.
Is their a process if the seller disputes a complaint? Yes. The Arbitration Process begins led by the Trustap Customer Service Team and the money is released to either the buyer or seller.
Will I get my protection fee back? No. In almost all cases the protection fee is paid to puppies.co.uk and Trustap to allow us to run the service. In some cases we may be able to offer a refund, but once it is paid you should see this as a forfeited fee for protecting your deposit.
Do breeders have to use the service? Breeders have the option to request 'no deposit'. If a breeder does not have trustap enabled but is still requesting a deposit through other means, you are able to report them to puppies.co.uk and they will receive an immediate ban. Now that the new scheme is available, we will be operating a zero tolerance policy to those breeders requesting deposits outside of the scheme.

If you need additional assistance or help, you can reach puppies.co.uk support at info@puppies.co.uk

Sellers: How to Use

Step 1: When you are uploading your new listing, you have the option to select the deposit percentage you wish to collect. This field is shown next to the price field. You are only able to enable deposits on 'for sale' listings and not for 'stud' or 'rescue'. Beware, if you select no deposit you will not be able to request deposits from your buyers in any other way or you may risk being removed from puppies.co.uk.

Above: Example of the field on the listings part of your account.

Step 2: In your 'my deposits' page you are able to view which deposits have been placed by buyers. Once a buyer places a deposit, you will have the choice whether to accept the deposit, or to cancel and return to the buyer.

Above: View of your 'my deposits' page

Step 3: Once the buyer has visited your premises to see the puppy they will agree to 'release the deposit'. At this point a 24h complaints window will open for the buyer. At the end of this window, you will be able to withdraw the deposit to your bank account. At this point you will be directed to Trustap (our partner) to enter your bank details for withdrawal.

Buyer: How to Use

Step 1: You should always message the buyer first and ensure they are happy for you to place a deposit. If you want to know what to ask, you can follow our puppy buying guide.

Step 2: Find the 'Place deposit' button on the listing, or in the messages with the seller.

Above: Example of place a deposit button

Step 3: Create the payment. You will be able to cancel the deposit in the future if you have any issues and will receive 100% of your deposit back. You will however lose your buyer protection fee.

Above: Make your payment

Step 4: After the seller has accepted your deposit, you can go back to the 'my deposits' page on your account where you are now able to release funds to the seller. You should only do this once you have visited the puppies at the breeders premises.