Terms and Conditions

Last updated: 21 October 2026

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of petscout.co.za (the "Service"), run by PetScout ("PetScout", "we", "us", "our"). By creating an account or using PetScout, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the Service.

1. What PetScout is

PetScout is an online marketplace and classifieds platform for buying, selling, and requesting ("Wanted" posts) pets and related items within South Africa. Listings are currently for fish and other aquatic animals, aquatic plants and aquarium equipment; dogs and cats are coming soon.

PetScout is a venue, not a party to any transaction. We connect buyers and sellers, but we do not process payments, handle shipping, inspect livestock, or take ownership of any item listed. Any agreement to buy, sell, or exchange goods is made directly and solely between users. See Section 8 for more detail.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a legally binding contract under South African law to use PetScout. By creating an account, you confirm that you meet these requirements.

3. Your account

  • You're responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity under your account.
  • You must provide accurate information when registering and keep it up to date.
  • You may not create an account on behalf of someone else, or create multiple accounts to evade a suspension or ban.
  • You can delete your account at any time from your account settings.
  • We may suspend or terminate your account if we reasonably believe you've violated these Terms.

4. Listings and Wanted posts

  • You're solely responsible for the accuracy, legality, and content of any listing or Wanted post you create, including photos, descriptions, prices, and quantities.
  • Listings need at least one photo, and can have up to three.
  • Photos must be your own: taken by you, of the actual animal or item you're selling. Don't use photos from other websites, other sellers or stock image libraries, or anyone else's photos without their permission.
  • Don't post anything illegal. You must be legally allowed to sell what you list, including holding any permit it needs. Several aquarium fish and plants are listed alien and invasive species under NEMBA; some need a permit to sell and some can't be sold at all, so check before you list.
  • Post each animal or item once. Don't post duplicate listings, or delete and repost a listing to push it back to the top of search results.
  • Don't put phone numbers, email addresses, links or social media handles in titles or descriptions. People contact you through the contact button instead (see Section 5).
  • Wanted posts close automatically after 30 days.

Animal welfare. Sellers must follow the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962 and treat animals humanely while they're kept, sold and moved. Describe an animal's health honestly, including any illness, injury or treatment it's had. Don't keep or transport animals in conditions that cause them unnecessary suffering.

No animal fighting. Animal fighting is illegal in South Africa and has no place on PetScout. You may not use PetScout to:

  • Sell, buy, breed or rehome animals to be used for fighting, or advertise an animal by its fighting ability, bloodline or record;
  • Sell equipment or supplies used to train, condition or fight animals;
  • Promote, organise or advertise animal fights, or use a Wanted post to look for animals to fight.

We remove these listings and Wanted posts, permanently close the accounts involved, and may report them to the SPCA and the South African Police Service. Siamese fighting fish (bettas) and other species with "fighting" in their common name may be sold as pets, but not for fighting.

Pet shops and breeders. When you sell as a business, you're responsible for meeting your legal obligations to buyers, including under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008.

Prohibited listings include, without limitation, items that:

  • Are illegal to sell, trade, or possess under South African law, or need a permit the seller doesn't have, including species protected or restricted under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), listed alien and invasive species, or CITES;
  • Involve visibly diseased, mistreated, or inhumanely kept livestock;
  • Are connected to animal fighting in any way (see "No animal fighting" above);
  • Are fraudulent, counterfeit, stolen, or misrepresented;
  • Use photos or text copied from someone else, or otherwise infringe someone else's intellectual property rights;
  • Are otherwise unlawful, harmful, or violate these Terms.

We reserve the right to remove any listing or Wanted post, at our discretion, with or without notice, including in response to a report submitted through the Report button on a listing or seller profile. We do not verify or guarantee the accuracy of any listing, or the health, species identification, or legality of livestock offered by users.

5. Contact reveal

When you create an account, you choose how people contact you: by email or WhatsApp. Contact details are never printed on the page; a logged-in user has to click to reveal them:

  • On your listings, your public profile and your wanted posts, logged-in users can reveal the contact method you chose (your email address or WhatsApp number).

By creating an account, listing or posting a wanted ad, you agree to your contact details being shown to logged-in users in this way. You can change your contact method at any time in your account settings.

If you reveal someone's contact details, you may only use them to discuss that listing or wanted post. Don't add them to mailing lists, share them, or contact the person for any other purpose. We limit how many contact details each account can reveal, and keep a record of reveals to detect misuse (see our Privacy Policy).

6. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

  • Use the Service for any unlawful purpose;
  • Scrape, harvest, or bulk-collect data from the Service, including other users' contact details;
  • Attempt to circumvent rate limiting, security measures, or access controls;
  • Harass, threaten, or defraud other users;
  • Post spam, malware, or misleading content;
  • Interfere with the normal operation of the Service.

We may implement rate limiting and other technical measures to protect the Service, and may restrict access for accounts or IP addresses that abuse the platform.

7. Content you submit

You retain ownership of any content (text, photos, descriptions) you upload to PetScout. By submitting content, you grant PetScout a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to host, store, display, and reproduce that content for the purpose of operating and promoting the Service. You confirm that you own or have the rights to any content you upload, and that it doesn't infringe any third party's rights.

8. Transactions between users

  • PetScout does not process payments, handle delivery, or guarantee any transaction. All arrangements; price, payment method, delivery/collection, and livestock health guarantees, are made directly between buyer and seller.
  • We strongly recommend meeting in safe, public locations where possible, inspecting livestock before payment, and using secure payment methods.
  • Watch out for scams. Be careful paying a deposit or the full price for an animal you haven't seen. Where you can, see it in person or on a live video call first, and be wary of sellers who refuse, ask for unusual payment methods, or pressure you to decide quickly. PetScout will never ask you to pay for anything, or contact you about a payment. There's more advice on our Safety tips page.
  • PetScout is not responsible for any loss, damage, dispute, fraud, or dissatisfaction arising from a transaction between users. Any dispute must be resolved directly between the parties involved.
  • We may, at our discretion, assist by removing a listing or suspending an account involved in reported fraudulent activity, but we are under no obligation to mediate disputes.

9. Fees

PetScout is currently free to use: there are no listing fees, subscriptions or commission. We'll give notice before introducing or changing any fees for use of the Service.

10. Intellectual property

The PetScout name, logo, website design, and underlying software are owned by us or our licensors and are protected by intellectual property law. You may not copy, modify, or reproduce any part of the Service without our written permission, other than the content you're licensed to view and use as an ordinary user.

11. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. We don't guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that any listing is accurate, legal, or that any user is who they claim to be.

12. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by South African law, PetScout and its operators will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, or any loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising from your use of the Service or any transaction conducted between users, including but not limited to disputes over livestock health, delivery, or payment. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be excluded under South African law.

13. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold PetScout harmless from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from your use of the Service, your content, your listings, or your violation of these Terms or of any third party's rights.

14. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, for any reason, including violation of these Terms, without prior notice where reasonably necessary (e.g. suspected fraud or illegal listings). You may stop using the Service and delete your account at any time.

15. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We'll update the "Last updated" date above, and for material changes, we'll take reasonable steps to notify registered users. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

16. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Service will be subject to the jurisdiction of the South African courts.

17. Contact us

Send us a message through our contact page.