Legal / Terms

Terms of use.

These terms are the agreement between you and Tiny Monsters Club when you use tinymonstersclub.co.za. Please read them before you create an account, buy, sell, bid or swap. By using the site you agree to them.

Last updated 30 September 2026

1. About the club

The site has different parts, and the rules differ per part:

  • The shop: we sell our own animals, feeders and gear. We are the seller.
  • The Club Market: vetted club dealers sell to club members. The dealer is the seller; we run the platform.
  • The Open Market: anyone with a storefront can sell to anyone. The storefront owner is the seller; we run the platform. Open Market sellers are not vetted by the club.
  • The Exchange: club members swap animals and gear with each other. We do not take part in these deals.
  • The Molt Block: club auctions and open auctions. The lot's seller is the seller; we run the auction.
  • The club: the Creature Log, reminders, care guides and Peter, our AI keeper.

2. Accounts

  • You must be 18 or older to hold an account, or use the club through a parent or guardian's account with their consent.
  • Give true and current information, and keep your password secret. You are responsible for what happens on your account.
  • One person, one account. You may not sell or transfer your account.
  • Tell us straight away at [email protected] if you think someone else has used your account.

3. Memberships

  • Open member (free): buy in the shop, the Open Market and open auctions, keep a Creature Log, and open a storefront.
  • Club buyer (R29 per month): also buy in the Club Market, bid in club auctions, use the Exchange, Peter and the identifier.
  • Club dealer (R99 per month): everything above, and sell in the Club Market and club auctions once your vetting is approved.
  • Memberships are billed monthly in advance through Paystack and renew until you cancel. You can cancel at any time in your account; your access continues until the end of the month you paid for. We do not refund part-months, except where the law requires it.
  • We may change membership prices. New prices apply to new subscriptions, and we will give existing members at least 30 days' notice before a change applies to them.
  • Club dealer vetting includes a phone check, an identity and face check and approval by the club. We may refuse or withdraw approval if the checks fail or the rules are broken.

4. Buying from our shop

  • Prices are in South African rand and include VAT where VAT applies. Delivery costs are shown at checkout.
  • An order is accepted when we confirm it after payment. If an item is no longer available, we will tell you and refund you in full.
  • Live animals are sent only with an overnight courier and dispatched Monday to Wednesday, so they do not wait in a depot over a weekend.
  • Photos of live animals show the species or the individual animal as described in the listing. Animals grow and change colour between molts.

5. The Club Market and the Open Market

  • When you buy in a market, your contract of sale is with the seller, not with the club. The seller is responsible for the animal or item, its description, its welfare, packing and shipping.
  • We provide the platform, collect the payment through Paystack, pass the seller their share and handle claims as described in these terms.
  • Club Market sellers are vetted. Open Market sellers are not, so check the seller's ratings and history before you buy.
  • A listing may link to the animal's Creature Log. The seller is responsible for the log being true.

6. Rules for sellers

  • Only sell animals and items you own and may legally sell. You are responsible for any permits your animals need in your province and the buyer's province, and for telling the buyer about them.
  • Do not list species that are protected, prohibited or listed under CITES without the correct permits, and do not list wild-caught animals as captive bred.
  • Describe every animal honestly: species, sex (or unsexed), life stage, size, health and whether it is captive bred. Show real photos.
  • Warn buyers about venom, urticating hairs and other handling risks.
  • Pack and ship animals humanely, with an overnight courier, and send them only when they are healthy and not in pre-molt.
  • Keep all communication and payment for a sale on the site. Taking a deal off the site to avoid fees is not allowed.
  • New sellers' first listings may be checked by an admin before they go live. We may limit the number of active listings and remove any listing that breaks these rules.

7. The Exchange

  • The Exchange is for club members to swap animals and gear. No payments go through the site for Exchange deals.
  • The club is not a party to any Exchange deal. You arrange the swap directly with the other member, at your own risk. Meet in a safe public place or use tracked shipping.
  • The seller rules in section 6 (legality, permits, honesty and welfare) also apply to Exchange posts.
  • Report any problem with the Report button. We may remove posts and suspend members from the Exchange.

8. The Molt Block (auctions)

  • Every bid is a binding offer to buy at that price. You cannot withdraw a bid, except where an admin allows it for a clear mistake.
  • With a maximum bid, the site bids for you in steps, only as much as needed to keep you in the lead, up to your maximum. Your maximum is never shown to others.
  • A bid in the last 2 minutes extends the auction by 2 minutes.
  • Club auctions may have a hidden reserve price. If bidding does not reach the reserve, the seller does not have to sell.
  • The winner must pay within 48 hours. If you do not pay in time, the sale is cancelled, you receive a strike, and the seller may offer the lot to the next highest bidder. After 3 strikes you can no longer bid.
  • Sellers may not bid on their own lots or ask others to do so.

9. Live animals and welfare

Animal welfare comes first. We may refuse, cancel or remove any sale, listing, auction or swap that puts an animal's welfare at risk, and we may report cruelty or illegal trade to the authorities.

10. Payments, fees and payouts

  • Payments are processed by Paystack. We do not store your card details.
  • Sellers pay a commission on each sale, which includes the payment processing fee: 7.5% in the Club Market, 5% in the Open Market, 7.5% for club auctions and 5% for open auctions. The Exchange has no commission.
  • The commission is taken automatically when the buyer pays. The seller's share is paid to the seller's bank account through Paystack after the payout period (7 days), so that live-arrival claims can be handled first.
  • We may change fees. We will show the current fees on this page and give sellers at least 30 days' notice of an increase.
  • Sellers are responsible for their own tax on their sales.

11. Returns, claims and refunds

  • Live arrival: if a live animal arrives dead or seriously ill, open a claim in your order within 24 hours of delivery, with clear photos or a video of the unopened parcel and the animal. The club reviews every claim. If the claim is accepted, you are refunded through Paystack.
  • Other items: your rights under the Consumer Protection Act and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act apply to items you buy from a business. If an item is faulty or not as described, contact the seller through your order first.
  • Because live animals are living, perishable goods, they cannot be returned simply because you changed your mind, unless the law requires it.
  • Disputes between buyers and sellers are first handled in the order messages. If you cannot agree, the club will decide the claim fairly based on the evidence.

12. Your content

You keep ownership of the photos, logs, listings and messages you add. You give us permission to store and show them on the site as needed to run the service (for example, a public listing or a public specimen card). Do not upload content that you do not have the right to use.

13. Community rules

  • Be respectful. No harassment, hate speech, threats or spam.
  • No fake listings, fake bids, fake ratings or multiple accounts.
  • No scraping, attacks on the site or attempts to get around security or fees.
  • Use the Report button when something is wrong.

14. Peter and the species identifier

Peter and the photo identifier use artificial intelligence. Their answers are suggestions, not veterinary advice or a guaranteed species identification. Check important decisions with an experienced keeper or an exotic-animal vet. For a bite, sting or venom exposure, get medical help immediately.

15. Liability

  • We work hard to keep the site accurate and available, but we cannot promise it will always be error-free or online.
  • For sales in the markets, auctions and the Exchange, the club is not the seller and is not responsible for the other member's actions, except for our own duties under these terms.
  • Keeping exotic animals carries risks, including venomous bites and stings. You are responsible for keeping and handling your animals safely.
  • To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss. Nothing in these terms limits your rights under the Consumer Protection Act or other law that cannot be excluded.

16. Suspension and closing accounts

You may close your account at any time. We may suspend or close an account, remove content or withhold a payout while we investigate, if these terms are broken, if there is fraud, or to protect animals or other members. We will tell you why, unless the law or an investigation prevents it.

17. Law and disputes

These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa. If you have a complaint, contact us first so we can try to solve it. If we cannot, you may approach the relevant ombud or a South African court.

18. Contact

Business
Tiny Monsters Club

Read this together with our Privacy policy.