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# Paying outside Creatures

A direct payment to a seller is outside Creatures' payment protection. Cash, a bank transfer sent to the seller, or another payment app cannot be held or refunded by Creatures.

## What an outside payment changes

- Creatures cannot hold money that was sent directly to the seller.
- Confirming delivery cannot control release of money that has already left the platform.
- The purchase page may not show the actual amount, timing, or payment state.
- Support cannot reverse or administer a payment it did not process.

An animal profile, message, or later ownership transfer on Creatures does not turn an outside payment into a protected marketplace checkout.

## Keep the sale record complete

For an animal marketplace sale, ask the seller for the listing or accepted offer and pay through its checkout. Review the price, fees, and handoff arrangement before confirming payment. Do not send card, bank, or identity details in messages.

![Animal listing with the action to begin checkout on Creatures](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/98e/05e/0ef/e7ea4.png)

A US bank payment offered inside Creatures checkout is not the same as sending money directly to a seller. The checkout records that payment and shows when it clears.

Deposits, invoices, and ongoing services have their own terms. A payment on Creatures does not always remain held until physical pickup: for example, buying an animal with boarding releases the animal seller's proceeds at checkout.

If money already moved elsewhere, keep independent proof and be accurate about it when ownership is recorded. Do not mark an outside payment as if Creatures held it.

## Recording a transfer is separate

A seller may pay a fee to record an off-platform transfer. That fee does not protect the buyer's original payment or make it recoverable through Creatures. See [Creatures Pro pricing and transfer fees](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/creatures-pro-pricing-benefits-and-managing-your-plan-jylim3/) for the seller-side details.

### Related information

- [How buying works: payments, held funds, and protection](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/how-buying-works-payments-held-funds-and-protection-dnwy7i/)
- [Receiving your animal and confirming delivery](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/receiving-your-animal-and-confirming-delivery-efojv8/)
- [The health guarantee and if your animal arrives sick](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/the-health-guarantee-and-if-your-animal-arrives-sick-1igy7ns/)