Reviews & Community Guidelines

Last updated: 5 October 2026

At a glance

• Pawfriends is operated by HYGGO PTY LTD (ABN 26 680 569 653), trading as Pawfriends in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
• Today, all products on Pawfriends are sold by HYGGO PTY LTD (ABN 26 680 569 653), trading as Pawfriends; in future some listings may be sold by independent sellers named on the listing.
• We do not publish fake, paid or incentivised reviews, and we do not edit reviews to change their meaning.
• We do not remove or hide reviews just because they are negative.
• Help with reviews, orders, returns, privacy, intellectual property and seller enquiries: [email protected].
• Emails are usually answered within one business day.

About reviews on Pawfriends. We are introducing product and seller reviews, and product questions and answers, on Pawfriends. These guidelines explain the rules that apply to that content as each feature becomes available, so buyers and sellers know what to expect from the start.

Pawfriends is operated by HYGGO PTY LTD (ABN 26 680 569 653), trading as Pawfriends, based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. If you need help with reviews, orders, returns, privacy, intellectual property or seller enquiries, contact [email protected] and use a clear subject line so we can route your message quickly. Emails are usually answered within one business day.

Reviews help shoppers make better decisions and help good sellers stand out. For reviews to be useful, they must be genuine. These guidelines apply to everyone who posts on Pawfriends and to all reviews, ratings, questions, answers, photos and messages made available through these features.

Today, all products on Pawfriends are sold by HYGGO PTY LTD (ABN 26 680 569 653), trading as Pawfriends. The stores on Pawfriends each group the range of one of our supply partners. Your order is sent directly to you by that supply partner, but the contract of sale is with HYGGO PTY LTD (ABN 26 680 569 653), trading as Pawfriends. We run the website and checkout, take payment, and handle customer service, delivery problems, returns and refunds. In future, some listings may be sold by independent sellers. If that happens, the seller will be named on the listing and will be the seller of record for that item.

What is our commitment on reviews?

• We want reviews on Pawfriends to reflect real experiences with real purchases.
• We do not publish fake, paid or incentivised reviews.
• We do not edit reviews to change their meaning.
• We do not remove or hide reviews just because they are negative.
• We remove or restrict content only where it breaks these guidelines, our policies or the law, and we apply the same rules to positive and negative content.
• We follow ACCC guidance on online reviews. Fake reviews, selective removal of genuine reviews, or other misleading review practices may breach Australian Consumer Law.

Who can leave a review?

Product and seller reviews can only be left by buyers who purchased the item through Pawfriends. This helps make sure reviews come from real customers and relate to an actual order.

Where review features are available, we may show that a review comes from a verified purchase on Pawfriends. A verified purchase label means the order was placed through Pawfriends; it does not mean we agree with the reviewer's opinion or guarantee that every statement in the review is correct.

What makes a helpful review?

• Describe your own experience with the product and the seller.
• Be specific about quality, fit, size, colour, materials, ease of use, whether the item matches the photos and description, and your delivery experience.
• Include your own photos if they help other shoppers understand the product.
• Be honest and fair, even if you are unhappy. Genuine criticism is welcome.
• Focus on facts and first-hand experience rather than rumours or assumptions.

What content is not allowed for everyone?

• Fake reviews - reviews that do not reflect a genuine experience, including reviews of products you have not bought or used.
• Reviews with a conflict of interest - reviews by a seller, its staff, family, friends, business partners or competitors where that relationship could affect honesty.
• Offensive content - abuse, threats, harassment, bullying, hate speech, discrimination, obscene content or sexually explicit content.
• Personal information - names, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, tracking numbers or other personal or order details belonging to someone else.
• Irrelevant content - spam, advertising, repeated content, unrelated commentary, political campaigning or links to other websites or services.
• Unlawful content - defamatory statements, content that infringes someone else's intellectual property rights, or content that encourages illegal activity.
• Using reviews to pressure - threatening a negative review to obtain a refund, discount, replacement, free item or other benefit. If you have a problem with an order, use our Buyer Protection process instead.
• Content about matters we cannot properly assess through the review system - for example allegations of criminal conduct, safety defect claims without supporting details, or statements presented as fact when they are only speculation.

What is not allowed for sellers?

• Writing or buying reviews - posting reviews of your own products or a competitor's products, or paying anyone, including a review service, to post reviews.
• Incentivised reviews - offering refunds, discounts, free products, gifts, cashback or any other benefit in exchange for a review, a positive review, or a change to a review.
• Review gating - only asking happy customers to leave reviews, or steering unhappy customers away from reviewing.
• Pressuring buyers - asking buyers to remove or change a negative review, or making a refund, replacement or other resolution conditional on that.
• Review manipulation - merging reviews from unrelated products, reposting reviews from other platforms, or otherwise presenting reviews in a misleading way.
• Contacting buyers outside permitted channels for review purposes - including repeated follow-ups, harassment, or messages that try to move the conversation or sale outside Pawfriends.

Sellers may send one neutral request for feedback through Pawfriends after an order is delivered, provided it is sent consistently to buyers, does not offer any incentive, and does not suggest what the review should say.

Can sellers respond to reviews?

Sellers may publicly reply to reviews where that feature is available. Replies must be polite, relevant and factual. They must not include buyers' personal information or pressure buyers to change or remove a review. A helpful reply explains what the seller has done or will do to address the issue.

What rules apply to questions, answers and messages?

The same standards apply to product questions and answers and to messages between buyers and sellers. These features are for genuine product and order-related communication only.

Messages must not be used to:

• arrange payment or sales outside Pawfriends;
• send spam or promotional content unrelated to the order or product;
• harass, threaten or intimidate anyone; or
• collect personal information that is not needed for the transaction.

How do we moderate and display reviews?

We may use automated tools and manual review to detect spam, abuse, fake reviews and other content that may breach these guidelines. Content may be delayed, filtered, rejected or removed if we reasonably believe it breaks these guidelines, our policies or the law.

When review features are live, we may choose how reviews are displayed, including sorting by date, rating, helpfulness or whether the purchase was verified. Display order does not mean we endorse a review.

How do I report a review or other content?

1. Use the report option next to the content where available, or email [email protected].
2. Include a link to the content, a screenshot if possible, and why you believe it breaks these guidelines.
3. If the report relates to intellectual property, privacy or safety, say that clearly in the subject line so we can route it quickly.

We will review the report and remove content if it breaks our guidelines or the law. Reporting content does not guarantee it will be removed.

What happens if these guidelines are broken?

We may remove content, remove ratings from a listing, limit visibility, restrict the ability to post reviews or messages, and suspend or close accounts. Sellers who manipulate reviews may also have listings removed and their accounts suspended under the Seller Terms.

Where appropriate, we may preserve records, cooperate with law enforcement or regulators, and report serious or repeated misconduct to relevant authorities, including the ACCC.

How do these guidelines relate to your other policies?

These guidelines should be read together with our Terms of Service, Buyer Protection, Returns Policy, Privacy Policy and Contact Us page.

If you need help with an order rather than a review, please see Help Centre, Shipping Policy and Payments.

Need help or want to contact the seller?

HYGGO PTY LTD (ABN 26 680 569 653), trading as Pawfriends is the operator of Pawfriends and, today, the seller for all products listed on Pawfriends. If the site ever stops trading, HYGGO PTY LTD (ABN 26 680 569 653), trading as Pawfriends remains responsible for orders already placed, refunds and claims.

For customer service, orders, returns, privacy, intellectual property, review issues or seller enquiries, contact [email protected].