Requesting transport for an animal

Need an animal moved? Creatures connects you with approved, verified transporters who haul for a living. This article covers the standalone way to hire transport: finding a transporter, getting a price, and following the haul to your door. (If your animal is coming from a Creatures sale, transport can be arranged as part of that purchase instead. See Getting paid when transport is involved.)

When you are buying an eligible animal in the continental US, you do not have to set this up separately: checkout shows a Creatures Transport option (the same Dedicated Haul and Shared Load choices described below, priced by the animal's category), even when the seller does not offer their own delivery, so Creatures coordinates an approved transporter as part of the purchase.

A note up front: transport on Creatures is continental US only. Both your pickup and your delivery must be in the lower 48 states or DC. Alaska, Hawaii, and outside the US are not supported.

Step 1: find a transporter

Browse approved transporters on the transport marketplace at /marketplace/transport (the directory at /transport works too).

• Filter by species: narrow to transporters who haul the kind of animal you are moving. This matters, because a transporter can only be hired for species they have listed.
• Filter by distance: narrow to transporters near you. Creatures estimates your location and sorts the closest first; the better-rated and more experienced transporters surface near the top.
• Open a profile: each transporter has a public profile showing their service, service area, vehicle types, species, rating, and reviews, so you can judge fit before reaching out.

Step 2: get a price (and what the quote tool actually does)

There are two different things on Creatures that both say "quote," and it helps to know which is which.

• The quote calculator (/transport/quote) is an estimate only. You enter a species, a pickup, and a delivery, and it returns ballpark prices for two service levels so you can gauge cost before you commit:
• Dedicated Haul: direct transport with no other animals sharing the trip. Faster and more reliable, and usually the higher estimate.
• Shared Load: your animal may share the trailer with others. More affordable, and usually the lower estimate.
• What it means for you: this tool is a pricing preview. It creates nothing, sends nothing to a transporter, and starts no request. It is purely there to set your expectations. It will also tell you right away if a location is outside the continental US.
• The real request is the "Request a Quote" button on a transporter's profile. That is the action that actually contacts a transporter and starts a job. The calculator is for browsing; the button on a profile is how you hire.

Step 3: send a request from the transporter's profile

On an approved transporter's profile, choose Request a Quote and fill in the haul:

• Species: the kind of animal being moved. It has to be a species this transporter hauls, or the request is declined.
• Number of animals: how many you are moving (at least one).
• Origin and destination: the exact pickup and delivery locations. Creatures uses these to measure the road distance for the haul.
• Notes: anything the transporter should know (timing, handling, access at either end).

Submit, and the transporter is notified. Your request now exists and you can track it. One guardrail: you cannot request your own transport service.

Step 4: the request lifecycle, start to finish

Your request moves through a clear set of stages. Knowing them tells you whose move it is at any moment:

1. Requested. Your request is in and the transporter has been notified. They review the route and details.
2. Quoted. The transporter sets a price and sends it back (often with notes). At this point you decide.
3. Accepted and paid. You accept the quote and pay through Creatures. This is when money enters the picture. You can apply your Creatures Credit and Wallet balance toward the total at checkout, and pay the remainder by card or bank.
4. Assigned. Once your payment is in, the job is officially assigned to the transporter and your funds are held.
5. In transit. The transporter has picked the animal up and is on the road. The tracking page updates.
6. Delivered. The transporter has dropped the animal off and marks it delivered.
7. Completed. You confirm the animal arrived. Confirming is what releases the held payment to the transporter. Only confirm once the animal is actually with you and as expected, because confirming is the green light for payment.

If a transporter declines, or you decline their quote, the request is simply cancelled and you can request another transporter.

What it costs

When you accept a quote, your total is the quoted transport price plus the buyer fee:

• Buyer fee (always charged): Creatures adds a 5% buyer service fee on top of the quoted price. It is itemized at checkout so you see it before you pay.
• The implication on discounts: if you apply a promo code, the discount comes off the transport price only, never off the buyer fee. The buyer fee is not discountable.
• The transporter's side (for context): the transporter pays a 5% seller fee out of their quote, and that fee is waived if they carry a Creatures Pro subscription. This does not add anything to your total; it only affects what the transporter nets. See Seller fees and the Creatures Pro subscription.
• Held until delivery: your payment is held by Creatures, not paid straight to the transporter. It is released only when you confirm delivery, which is what protects you on the haul.

Following the haul: the tracking page

Every request has a public tracking page at /transport/track/ plus the request's ID. It shows a status timeline that fills in as the haul progresses: Request Created, Quote Provided, Transporter Assigned, In Transit, Delivered, and Completed (or Cancelled if it falls through). Because the page is public and shareable, you can send the link to anyone who wants to follow along, no sign-in needed.

When the haul is done and you have confirmed delivery, leaving a review helps the next person choose a good transporter. See Leaving a review. To understand the transporter's side of all this, see Becoming a transporter on Creatures.

Need help arranging transport?

You are always welcome to coordinate directly with your seller or transporter through Creatures Messages. If you would like a hand, the Creatures team can help connect you with trusted transport providers: call or text (434) 218-2178, or email support@creatures.com.

Related information

• Becoming a transporter on Creatures

Updated on: 23/06/2026