Stop Listing Animals on Gumtree and Trading Post

Online marketplace platforms such as Gumtree and Trading Post enable people looking to abuse animals and dodgy breeders looking to make a quick buck. For years we've heard of these platforms being used as a source of animals for dog-fighting circles. More recently, we've seen more sinister behaviour taking advantage of platforms like these – in the NT, Adam Britton pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty offences including bestiality after sourcing "free to good home" animals.

One puppy broker, already court-banned from selling animals, advertised $150,000 worth of dogs on Gumtree and Trading Post in just two months – using fake source numbers to hide who she was.

The System Has Already Failed Once

Victorian law requires any ad for a dog or cat to display a microchip number and a valid "source number" issued through the Pet Exchange Register. It's an offence to advertise one without both. But nothing stops a seller from simply making one up, and marketplaces like Gumtree and Trading Post aren't set up to check.

That's exactly what happened when a puppy brokering operation was reported by advocacy group Oscar's Law to the local council, Animal Welfare Victoria and the RSPCA in October 2021. Despite the seller having already been banned from selling animals for three years by a court, dozens of ads for multiple puppy breeds kept running – some priced as high as $6,500 each. Nothing happened until the ABC's 7.30 raised it with the Department of Agriculture, and the ads were finally pulled. One buyer who tried to raise concerns of their own found the RSPCA had closed its investigation without an outcome, saying the seller "could not be identified."

Why the Current Rules Aren't Enough

✗	Source numbers can be faked. Ads are required to show a valid microchip and source number, but nothing stops a seller from listing invalid ones – as seen in the Flora Mala puppy brokering case.
✗	Reporting it doesn't guarantee action. Oscar's Law reported one alleged illegal operation to council, Animal Welfare Victoria and the RSPCA in October 2021 – the ads weren't taken down until a national news program got involved, months later.
✗	Anonymity protects sellers, not animals. The RSPCA has closed a cruelty investigation because a seller "could not be identified" – even after a buyer raised concerns directly.
✗	These platforms have been used to source victims of serious abuse. Animals listed as "free to good home" have ended up in the hands of people later convicted of serious cruelty offences.

Quite often animals are offered for free and for sale without required microchips and, while sellers must sign animal welfare waivers, there is nothing stopping someone from using fake names and contact details. It's time to prohibit listings that promote the buying or selling of animals from general online marketplace platforms such as Gumtree and Trading Post – and move that trade onto platforms built with animal welfare checks in place.

Email Gumtree and Trading Post Directly

This tool sends a ready-to-go email straight to Gumtree and Trading Post, calling on them to stop hosting listings that buy, sell or give away animals on their platforms.