Best Places to Buy a Puppy Online [Ultimate 2025 Guide]

Are you ready to expand your family and purchase a new puppy? It’s a great idea to introduce your children to a pet, but you want to be sure you find a dog with the right temperament and energy levels for your lifestyle. For potential pet owners that have a specific breed in mind, you may need to buy a puppy online.

The good news is that there are dozens of reputable pet classified websites that operate in the United States. The bad news? There are some bad actors out there that will scam you, taking your money and leaving you disappointed and heartbroken.

The key to having a good experience buying a dog online is to find a trustworthy online puppy store. We’ll break down the best sites in the country later, but first we’ll talk about pet classified sites in general.

What Is a Pet Classified Site?

A pet classified site is an online platform where you can post listings related to all things pets. Usually there is a singular purpose — either you want to buy, sell or adopt animals. These sites serve as a marketplace for a variety of pet-related transactions including pet services, accessories and even supplies.

What to Look for When You Want to Buy a Puppy Online

When you’re scouring the internet for a puppy, the best puppy marketplaces will be transparent and reputable. Steer clear from puppy mills or scammers by going through a checklist:

1. Reputable Breeders or Adoption Agencies

• Always research the breeder or shelter — reviews, testimonials and references.
• Check if they are registered with recognized kennel clubs or animal welfare organizations.
• Avoid puppy mills — any place that sells lots and lots of puppies without proper care — because they prioritize profit over animal welfare.

2. Health Clearances and Vet Records

• Reputable breeders will always provide health clearances for the puppies and their parents.
• All dogs should also have up-to-date vaccinations and a recent health check by a USDA-certified veterinarian.

3. Transparency and Communication

• Communication is key and if the online puppy marketplace is willing to answer all your questions, then that’s a good sign.
• Being transparent is important so they should also welcome virtual or in-person visits.

4. Contracts and Guarantees

• A written contract is gold because it will outline the terms of sale, return policies, health guarantees and any other important details.
• Make sure there’s a return policy should the puppy turn out to have significant health problems or you cannot take care of it.

5. Red Flags to Watch Out For

• If a puppy marketplace offers prices that are too good to be true, steer clear.
• High-quality breeders invest in the health and care of their dogs, which means they sell them at the appropriate price.
• Watch out for dogs with no background information or if the seller is reluctant to provide any or little information.
• If the seller is rushing the sale, start looking elsewhere immediately.

6. Payment Methods

• Always watch out for the payment method that the online puppy marketplace (or breeder) uses.
• Using a secure payment method will offer you buyer protection.
• Never wire money or use payment methods that can’t be traced, disputed or reversed.

7. Scam Awareness

• Always research the website to see if it’s legitimate.
• Look for signs of a scam — poor grammar, lack of contact information, a physical address that doesn’t make sense, etc.
• Verify the authenticity of the seller, too.
• Request current photos and videos of the puppy with something unique in the background like a newspaper or object to avoid scammers that use stock images or videos.

8. Post-Purchase Support

• A reputable online puppy marketplace will offer ongoing support, even after you buy or adopt.
• With pristine customer service as a priority, they will answer questions and offer assistance when you need it.

Why Buy a Puppy Online?

There are many other reasons why buying online is a great way to get a puppy. Let’s go through those reasons below.

• Convenience: Never leave the comfort of your home and browse a wide selection of breeds and sellers.
• Access to Specific Breeds: These online marketplaces can have all sorts of breeds or the specific one you want that may not be available in your area.
• Comprehensive Information: You can view all the detailed information on the puppy — including health records, images and sometimes even videos.
• Broader Search: You can access a whole host of breeders and shelters located across the country.
• Potential for Reviews: You also have access to reviews and testimonials about breeders before purchasing, making things more transparent.
• Flexible Communication: Communication is key and these sites can provide great communication with sellers.

10 Popular Online Puppy Marketplaces

There are many online puppy marketplaces you can find on the internet. Some of them are fantastic and some of them may not meet your standards because they’re full of scammers or puppy mills. Here are 10 of the most highly-regarded puppy marketplaces in the United States.

1. PuppySpot

Founded nearly 20 years ago, PuppySpot is an online platform that connects breeders to those that want to buy puppies. you can choose from many profiles located around the entire country.

The company is committed to animal welfare and screens all its breeders before putting them on its platform. Furthermore, the process of obtaining a puppy — where they go through a thorough health screening is quite easy with PuppySpot.

Drawbacks: There could perhaps be very particular breeds that they do not sell, but otherwise they are the leading online pet adoption website in the US.

 

2. Pawrade

Founded in 2020 in Charleston, SC, Pawrade is an online puppy finder which allows you to choose from hundreds of profiles located throughout the United States. They have a wide selection of dogs — and you can optimize your search with what you specifically need and want.

Drawbacks: They primarily only sell puppies. Sometimes breeder information may not be available or be missing. They sometimes exclude breed information.

3. American Kennel Club

The American Kennel Club is the official registry of purebred dogs in the United States. On its website, you will be able to find a lot of educational resources, as well as a dedicated list of purebred dogs you can buy. The American Kennel Club is a one-stop shop for everything dog related — help from pet experts, FAQs, breed information, listing your dogs to sell and more.

Drawbacks: The American Kennel Club only offers information on purebred dogs. Sometimes, breeder information may not be as reliable.

4. Puppies.com

Puppies.com was founded in 2003 as an online puppy marketplace. You can find puppies of all breeds throughout the United States. The site also has a breed matchmaker that can link up the owner and their lifestyle with the right breed of dog. Puppies.com usually has breeder information on puppies and not other dog ages.

Drawbacks: The Better Business Bureau’s Puppies.com page is riddled with complaints that range from not having enough breeder information to suspending accounts that report scammers, as well as not checking the health information of puppies when they are about to be sold.

5. Camlist

Camlist is a revolutionary puppy-only marketplace in the United States. It’s been called one-of-a-kind and groundbreaking. In fact, it may be the only online puppy marketplace that has a special feature — a pet video cam — as a way to buy your dog.

The company is proud to have this pet video option because, as they say, you can see the puppy and its natural habitat on video (along with pictures and information) as opposed to just pictures and information.

Drawbacks: They usually only have the option of buying from a breeder, not a shelter or a rescue organization.

6. Good Dog

Good Dog is an online puppy marketplace in the United States that touts itself as being humane in every single way. You can buy pets in several ways: from a breeder or from a shelter or a rescue organization. Furthermore, they have a breeder code of ethics that all breeders have to follow. The marketplace also has a list of reputable shelters and rescue organizations you can search for dogs.

Drawbacks: Good Dog sometimes does not list the fine print. It can lack transparency when it comes to buying or selling the listed pets.

7. PuppyFinder

PuppyFinder is an all inclusive online puppy marketplace. You have the opportunity to browse many puppy profiles where you can buy from breeders, as well as from rescue organizations or shelters.

If you are a breeder, you can also list your puppies on the site. It has an educational resources page where you can learn all about each breed, so you can make the right decision when purchasing a puppy. Moreover, the website is quite easy to navigate and the process is seamless, with a directory that has many other dog-related websites you can visit.

Drawbacks: PuppyFinder only limits itself to mainly puppies. They also have been known to include less-than-reputable breeders on the site.

8. Premier Pups

Premier Pups is an online puppy marketplace that specializes in certain dog breeds. Usually, Premier Pups has small dogs in their rolodex. They also have resources so you can learn about the potential breeds that you may want to get.

When it comes to customer service, based on reviews, it is top-notch. Furthermore, 99% of their puppies are OFA certified, as well as OFA tested.

Drawbacks: The reviews at the Better Business Bureau are mostly positive, but Premier Pups may not have a wide selection of puppy breeds because they only specialize in a select few.

9. Happytail Puppies

Happy Tail Puppies is an online puppy marketplace that is a family owned company.

It mainly focuses on puppies — particularly the smaller breeds. One of the best parts about Happy Tail Puppies is they have an amazing resource for those who can’t pay in full: a puppy financing program. They have a myriad of educational resources, as well.

Drawbacks: Some reviews on the Better Business Bureau’s website states their puppies are not as healthy as they claim when they arrive with the buying pet owner. Happy Tail Puppies may also lack a follow-up customer service robustness.

10. PetFinder

Part of the Purina community, PetFinder is an online pet marketplace that lets you browse through many profiles of pets in your area (or even throughout the country).

Purina’s PetFinder specifically deals primarily with shelters and rescue organizations. Why? Because their aim is to have potential pet owners adopt a dog or cat in need from a shelter instead of going through a breeder or only getting a puppy.

Drawbacks: The vetting system on PetFinder may lack a robust background check with its shelters and rescue organizations. The adoption fees are also a tad more expensive than other places in the local area.

Why You Should Use CitizenShipper When You Buy a Puppy Online

These online puppy marketplaces offer so many benefits that make your life easier when choosing a puppy.

• Offer educational resources.
• Make sure you get detailed information about everything you want to know about the potential dog (or even cat) you want to buy.
• You can also choose from buying from a breeder or even a shelter or a rescue organization.

Of course, if you buy a pet from an out-of-state breeder or shelter/rescue organization, you have to find a way to get it home. You can take the DIY approach and drive out to the breeder, bringing the pup back yourself.

Or, you can hire a professional pet transporter through CitizenShipper’s marketplace. Our drivers are puppy-lovers who will treat your pet with loving care throughout the journey. Many have years of experience moving young dogs across the country. It’s the safest, most humane way to get a puppy from point A to point B.