Fee schedule

This schedule lists every fee HoofnHorn charges: the closing fee when an animal sells, the failed reserve fee a seller can incur, and the services we provide at no charge.

Last updated October 7, 2026. This is the fee schedule our terms of service refer to.

The closing fee

We charge one closing fee, and we charge it when an animal sells. The buyer pays it, it comes out of the sale price rather than on top of it, and it is capped at $2,500 per sale. The winning bid is the buyer’s total for the animal.

The rate is 5% of the winning bid. Verified breeders pay 4%. A listing’s rate is fixed when the listing goes live, and the fee in dollars is shown with your bid before you place it.

The minimum closing fee is $5 per sale.

Why the rates differ. A verified breeder’s listings publish without review, and the badge is what buyers filter for. The lower rate goes to the breeders who complete that step. Verification is free and takes about two minutes.

Sellers who registered before September 22, 2026 keep a 4% rate for twelve months from the day they registered, whether or not they are verified. After that, the rates above apply.

Example

Buyer pays
$5,000
Closing fee (4%)
-$200
Seller receives
$4,800

Welcome offers

A member who joins through an affiliate’s link or referral code receives a welcome offer: a one-time reduction in the closing fee on their first sale, or on their first purchase that meets the offer’s minimum. We show the amount, any minimum and the last day it can be used in the member’s account, and the conditions are in the welcome offer terms.

When we charge the closing fee

Bidding places a hold on the buyer’s credit card. When the auction is won, the hold becomes the closing fee. How the hold works, and what happens when a win goes unpaid, is on how bidding works.

Seller fees

Listing an animal is free. The closing fee above is paid by the buyer, out of the sale price.

The one seller fee is a flat $25 failed reserve fee. We charge it when you set a reserve, your auction receives at least one bid, and the animal does not sell, including through the offer period that follows a reserve-not-met close. We do not charge it if your auction receives no bids. Setting a reserve requires a card on file, and we charge the fee to that card.

Services we provide at no charge

  • Creating an account, browsing, watching a listing, and messaging.
  • Placing a bid. The hold on your card is not a charge, and we release it if you do not win.
  • Listing an animal.
  • Card and payment processing. We add no surcharge.
  • Board, storage, and per-day charges.
  • Any part of the purchase price. The buyer pays the seller directly, and HoofnHorn does not handle that money.

Refunds

The closing fee is charged when the auction ends and is not refundable, including where the buyer and seller do not complete the sale. HoofnHorn may refund it. We decide each case on its own facts, our decision is final, and we are under no obligation to refund.

If a sale has not gone through, report it in your conversation with the other person. If the situation is not resolved at the end of three business days, you can ask us to step in, and we will look at what happened here and at what it means for their account.

We do not hold the price of the animal, so we cannot return it or decide what either of you is owed. That is between the two of you. What a sale usually involves is in our guide, Completing your sale.

Changes to this schedule

We post any fee change here at least 14 days before it takes effect. A fee reduction can take effect right away. A rate already fixed on a live listing does not change.

If you have questions about a fee, email support@hoofnhorn.com.