Rehoming Fees Must Be Transparent and Justified
A rehoming fee is intended to recover costs incurred while preparing a pet for adoption, such as vaccinations, neutering, or microchipping. Always specify the fee amount in dollars ($) in your listing. On craigslist, pets cannot be traded, as they are not considered commodities for buying, selling, or trading.Per Craigslist guidelines:
"A small adoption fee may cover expenses like vaccinations, neutering, and microchipping. Please clearly state the fee amount in your post."Note that listing a fee does not guarantee you’ll recover all expenses. Your community may flag your ad if they believe the fee is too high, unjustified, or appears to disguise a pet sale (e.g., if the fee is not clearly listed).craigslist prohibits pet sales, animal parts, and stud services, but allows rehoming with a small adoption fee. Posts violating these rules may be flagged, as outlined here:
"Prohibited on craigslist: pet sales (rehoming with small adoption fee is acceptable), animal parts, stud service. Please flag postings that do not follow these guidelines."
Clearly State Fees in the Ad
Always include the specific rehoming fee in both the title and body of the ad. Phrases like "rehoming fee applies" are insufficient and may result in flagging due to suspicion of a disguised sale.
Free Pets Require Clear Language and Screening Details
If rehoming a pet for free, include the word "Free" in both the title and body. Specify the steps you’ll take to ensure the pet goes to a good home (e.g., home visits, reference checks, or adoption questionnaires). This demonstrates responsible rehoming and reduces flagging risks.
Age Requirements for Puppies and Kittens
Puppies and kittens must be at least 8 weeks old at the time of rehoming. Stating "will be 8 weeks on [date]" is not permitted, as it may suggest intent to bypass craigslist rules or state laws (e.g., California’s pet sale age restrictions). Verify local laws, as some regions may have stricter requirements.
Post Pet Adoption Ads in the Correct Section
Pet adoption/rehoming ads belong in the "Community" section under "Pets." Posting in other sections (e.g., "For Sale" or "Services") is miscategorized and may lead to flagging or removal.
Pet Services Go in the Services Section
Ads for pet-related services (e.g., pet sitting, grooming, training) must be posted in the "Services" section under "Pet Services." Posting these elsewhere may result in miscategorization and flagging.
No Animal Parts, Blood, Fluids, or Breeding Services
craigslist prohibits ads for animal parts, blood, fluids, or breeding/stud services for any household pets, including dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, rodents, amphibians, or fish. Such ads will be flagged and removed.
No Pet Sales Allowed
Selling household pets (e.g., dogs, cats, primates, birds, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, fish) is strictly prohibited on craigslist. Only rehoming with reasonable, justified fees or free adoptions are allowed.
Rescues and Shelters Must Follow the Same Rules
Rescue organizations and shelters must adhere to all craigslist pet policies, including transparent fees and proper categorization. Over-posting or repetitive ads may lead to flagging for spamming. Limit posts to avoid overwhelming the platform and ensure fair use.
- Further Information on "small fee"
craigslist permits a “small” rehoming fee for pets, but the term “small” is vague and often debated extensively in forums here. What’s clear is that readers have firm expectations about these fees, regardless of the pet’s vetting history or where it was done. They generally accept small fees that reflect recent veterinary care necessary for rehoming, such as vaccinations or spaying/neutering/chipping.
Claiming a fee to recover costs from past treatments, like “$1,700 for Sparky’s hip surgery last February,” is unlikely to be well-received, even if not explicitly prohibited by Craigslist’s guidelines. Readers are quick to spot inflated or unjustified fees and may flag such ads. You may also not charge for vetting to the pet's mother. The fee is to only cover the pet being rehomed.
Advising posters on specific fee amounts, like saying $50 or $500 is acceptable, risks crossing into subjective territory where only craigslist flaggers can decide an ad’s fate. However, it’s reasonable to share insights about what readers typically find acceptable based on experience with pet rehoming ads.
craigslist is not a platform for necessarily recouping all expenses spent on a pet. On this site, pets, whether a mixed breed or a pedigreed French Bulldog, have no monetary value. The platform was designed for giving pets away, not selling or trading them, with the allowance of a modest fee to cover vetting costs. When craigslist specifies a “small fee,” it does not mean recovering every expense incurred. Readers understand this and expect transparency and fairness in rehoming ads.
Disclaimer
These helpful guidelines are my own. These are not endorsed or created by craigslist. Just like all help in flag forum 3, this is my interpretation of the rules, and my opinion on what works for pet ads. None of the help you receive in flag help forum 3 guarantees your community will accept your ad.
