Articles on: Buying

Reserving from a breeder: applications and deposits

Reserving from a breeder: applications and deposits


Breeders reserve animals for buyers in two different situations, and they work a little differently.


  • The animals do not exist yet, for example a planned litter or a crop of young animals. The breeder offers a count group and you reserve a spot ahead of time.
  • The animals already exist and you have picked one. The breeder sends you a private deposit link for that specific animal.


In both cases a deposit counts toward your final balance rather than costing extra. (Not every count group reservation takes one; the lightest level is free.)


Reserving a spot in a count group


Reserving from a count group combines an application with, in many cases, a deposit. (Breeders set these up from the seller side; see Offer a count group to buyers: applications and reservations.)


A breeder can offer reservations at different levels of commitment, so you can express anything from light interest to a firm claim on a specific animal:


  • Interest: the lightest level. It is free and there is no deposit. You register your interest and apply, so the breeder knows you would like one when they are available. It signals you are in the running without locking either side in.
  • Priority: a stronger commitment that puts you ahead in line. You apply and place a deposit if you are accepted, and the breeder assigns you a specific animal later, when they are ready.
  • Specific match: the firmest level. You apply and place a deposit if you are accepted, and you are tied to a particular animal, by name or by what you asked for, rather than to a place in line.


The breeder chooses whether to ask this question at all. When they do, all three levels are offered together.


You reserve by submitting the breeder's application for the count group, choosing the level offered, and placing any required deposit. The breeder reviews and accepts reservations, and from there you are kept updated as animals become available. For how the application itself works, see Buyer applications: what they are and how to apply.



When the animals are already born and you have chosen one, a breeder can send you a link for that animal on its own. This is common when you found the breeder outside Creatures. The link arrives by email or by text, whichever the breeder has for you.


You do not need a Creatures account first. Open the link, sign in or create a free account as part of paying, and you land on a page for that one animal. It shows the deposit amount, the breeder's refund terms, and what happens next. You pay by card.


The link does not list the animal publicly, but it is not tied to your email address either: whoever opens it first and claims it becomes the buyer. Treat it as private and do not forward it.


When the animal is ready to go home, the breeder sends you a balance invoice with the deposit already subtracted, and you pay the difference. That invoice goes to the account you created when you claimed the link, so you get it in Creatures and by email. The breeder can send one extra copy to another email address or phone number if someone else is handling the paperwork. Ownership transfers to you once that balance is paid, and a bill of sale is created for both of you. The breeder's side of this is described in Taking deposits on babies from a litter.


The deposit


A deposit is money you put down to hold your reservation. On Creatures it is handled through the platform rather than sent to the breeder privately:


  • Where it sits: Creatures holds your deposit rather than handing it straight to the breeder. When it is released depends on the terms you are shown. For a private deposit link it is held until handoff. For a count group the breeder picks: release on payment, when you are matched to a specific animal, or at handoff. The page tells you which applies before you pay.
  • Refundability: the terms you see combine the breeder's own policy with any minimum your state requires. Where state law is stricter, it wins, and the combined result is what you are agreeing to. Read it before you pay.
  • What happens to it at the sale: when your reservation turns into an actual purchase, the deposit is applied to your final balance, so you only pay the remainder. The deposit is not an extra cost on top; it is a down payment that counts toward the total.
  • If the reservation is cancelled: depending on the terms and the stage, a deposit can be refunded to you. While it is still held, that is straightforward. Once it has been released to the breeder, a refund is still possible but is handled as a reviewed case rather than automatically.



Updated on: 07/08/2026

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