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# Offer a litter or group to buyers: applications and reservations

A litter or group tracked by number can have a public buyer page before every animal has an individual profile. Publish it from the group's Settings, review each application yourself, and open deposits only when your policy, amount, and verification are ready.

## Publish the buyer page

Open the group's **Settings** tab and find **Public profile**.

1. Turn on **Visible to buyers**.
2. Set **Public step** to **Applications open**.
3. Select **Save changes**.
4. Open the public page and check the title, species, breed, count, availability, timing, and main action.

![Public profile settings with Applications open selected](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/068/757/fee/becd1.png?width=1760)

The readiness panel explains anything that blocks publication. The group must be active, track animals by number, have a supported species, belong to a publishable breeder profile, and have a title, species, and expected or current count.

Add a **Deposit policy** before asking accepted buyers to pay. Select **Edit** above the tabs to add a **Location note**, shown to buyers as the pickup location. A connected Stripe payout account is not required to collect a deposit; it is needed to withdraw money from your Creatures wallet.

![Public litter profile with Apply action and availability](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/133/cf9/118/3e414.png?width=1760)

## Understand the buyer's application

The buyer explains the home and care they can offer, then shares preferences for the future match.

Under **Reservation interest**, the buyer chooses:

- **Interest** to express interest without a deposit.
- **Priority** to ask for a place in the matching line, with a deposit required after acceptance when reservations open.
- **Specific match** to request a particular animal by name or attribute, with a deposit required after acceptance when reservations open.

![Interest, Priority, and Specific match choices](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/5f1/173/fa0/72102.png?width=1760)

Submitting or accepting an application does not collect a reservation deposit or guarantee a specific animal. If you set an optional **Application fee**, the buyer pays that screening fee separately before you can accept them. It is not credited toward the deposit or final sale.

## Review applications

Open the group's **Applications** tab. The summary separates pending, accepted, held, waitlisted, and rejected applications. Use **Export answers CSV** only when you need a copy outside Creatures.

Read the answers, add a private **Review note** when useful, then choose **Accept application**, **Move to waitlist**, or **Reject**. Add a clear **Reason to share if rejecting** when the buyer should receive an explanation. The final decision remains yours.

![Application review note and decision actions](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/375/5fd/2b6/359a0.png?width=1760)

## Open deposits

An accepted buyer can pay only when all of these are true:

- The buyer chose **Priority** or **Specific match**.
- The group's **Public step** is **Reservations open**.
- An active deposit policy and a deposit amount above zero are set.
- The seller has completed [phone verification](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/verifying-your-phone-number-1n2mfmy/) and [identity verification](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/verifying-your-identity-1e3xy1a/).
- Card payments are available on Creatures.

The buyer sees the amount and policy before paying. A confirmed deposit moves the reservation forward and is handled through the seller's [Creatures wallet](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/your-creatures-wallet-balance-holds-and-getting-paid-1fpjuhg/) according to the selected release timing. [Payout setup](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/connecting-your-payout-account-85mhws/) lets the seller withdraw wallet funds; it is not the permission to collect the deposit.

When individual animals are known, use **Promote to individual profiles** and choose the correct **Buyer match**. For the buyer's view of applying and paying, see [Reserving from a breeder](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/reserving-from-a-breeder-applications-and-deposits-3yu25d/).

### Related information

- [Track animals without individual profiles](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/track-animals-by-count-with-count-groups-nbado5/)
- [Reserving from a breeder: applications and deposits](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/reserving-from-a-breeder-applications-and-deposits-3yu25d/)
- [Your Creatures wallet](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/your-creatures-wallet-balance-holds-and-getting-paid-1fpjuhg/)