Terms of Use

What Hooves does

Hooves is operated by Estaron LLC (“Hooves”, “we”, “us” or “our”). Hooves provides a marketplace for animals, equipment and services, including tools sellers can use to run their own auctions and tenders. You can browse published listings without an account; an account is required to post, save listings or send messages. Posting is currently free. Hooves does not handle payments, take possession of animals or equipment, arrange transport or bookings, act as an auctioneer or as an agent for buyers or sellers, or become a party to a sale, trade, hire or service agreement. The Community Guidelines form part of these terms, and the Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information.

Your account and posts

You must be 16 or older to post listings or send messages. Keep your account information accurate and your sign-in secure. Use membership invitations rather than sharing an account. Post only what you are entitled to offer and clearly identify wanted listings. Describe animals honestly using the breed or mix, age, sex, health, quantity and husbandry details you know. For equipment, describe condition and any hire terms; for services, describe the work, service area and price or quote terms. State location, availability, price or trade terms clearly. Use photos and other content you have the right to share, and avoid publishing someone else’s private information without permission. Update or close a listing when it is no longer available.

Your content

You keep ownership of what you post. You allow Hooves to store, copy, resize and display it, including in search results and link previews, to operate the service and show your listing or profile, and to feature published listings and approved photos when promoting Hooves. Content posted for a farm or business stays available to that profile after you leave it. This permission ends for personal content when you delete it or your account, except copies we must keep as described in the Privacy Policy or that were already published in promotions.

Farms, businesses and sellers in trade

Only post or reply for a farm or business if you are authorised to represent it. Current members can manage its listings and read and reply to its enquiries; owners control its profile and membership. A Farm, Business or Personal profile does not establish whether a seller is legally in trade. Declare whether you are in trade when publishing a sale, trade, hire or service offer. Buyers see your declaration; Hooves does not verify it. If you are in trade, make that clear in your listings and meet your consumer-law obligations regardless of the profile you use. A business profile, external link or moderation approval does not verify registration, qualifications, insurance or the offer.

Animal welfare and lawful transfers

Buyers and sellers are responsible for suitable care, safe transport and handover, and for meeting any applicable identification, traceability, movement, biosecurity and animal welfare requirements, such as NAIT tagging, registration and movement recording for cattle and deer. Respect a seller’s stated intended-use preference, including whether meat use is acceptable. Do not use Hooves for unlawful, deceptive or cruel activity.

Deals are between users

Check the listing, the other person and the terms before committing. Agree directly on payment or trade, collection or delivery, and any records needed. For hire or services, agree dates, scope, rates, deposits, and return or completion conditions before proceeding. Hooves does not verify every listing or guarantee an animal, equipment, service, user, price or outcome. These terms do not exclude rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded, including rights that may apply when a seller is in trade.

Auctions and bidding

Hooves is a marketplace, not an auctioneer. Sellers list their own animals or equipment and can sell one animal, group of animals or equipment lot by auction or tender using the tools Hooves provides. Hooves does not sell on anyone’s behalf, act as an agent for the seller or the buyer, take a fee or commission on the sale, or become a party to it. Every bid or offer is made to the seller, and any contract of sale is formed directly between the buyer and the seller.

In an auction, a bid is an offer to buy from the seller at that amount, and it cannot be withdrawn. When the auction ends, the highest bid at or above any reserve wins. The winning bidder and the seller must then complete the sale at that price. An automatic bid rises only as much as needed to keep you in the lead or meet any reserve, up to the maximum you set. Only you and our moderators can see that maximum. Unless the seller chose a fixed end time, a bid in the final two minutes that raises the current bid keeps bidding open until two minutes after that bid. A seller may withdraw an auction, giving bidders a reason.

In a tender, each bidder makes one offer to the seller. They may change or withdraw it until the tender closes. Other bidders never see an offer, but our moderators can. When the tender closes, the seller sees every offer with each bidder’s public name. The seller then has seven days to accept one offer or decline all offers. The seller does not have to choose the highest offer. Once the seller accepts an offer, the bidder and the seller must complete the sale at that price.

Sellers and members of the selling farm or business must not bid on their own auctions or ask others to bid for them. Sellers who are in trade must meet their obligations under the Fair Trading Act 1986 and the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 when they sell by auction or tender, as for any other sale. We may void bids or offers, cancel auctions or tenders, or restrict bidding to deal with mistakes, misleading activity or non-payment.

Limits on our responsibility

Hooves is currently free to use. To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for loss arising from listings, messages or dealings between users, from content posted by others, or from the service being interrupted or unavailable, and we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss. Otherwise, our total liability to you for any claim relating to Hooves is limited to NZ$100. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited, including under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986 where they apply, or for our own fraud or wilful misconduct.

Moderation and availability

We may remove content, pause listings or restrict accounts to protect users, animals or the service, including for misleading or unlawful activity. If a moderator stops your account, your listings are hidden and you cannot post, publish, message or bid until it is restored; a ban also ends your access to your account. We tell you the reason in Hooves and by email, and you can appeal by emailing support@hooves.co.nz. Photo and listing review does not guarantee accuracy, health or safety. Use the listing or conversation report controls, or email support@hooves.co.nz, to raise a concern. Blocking a buyer limits further contact through Hooves; it does not remove copies of earlier messages. We may change or stop features as the service develops.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as Hooves changes. The effective date will change when we do, and we will take appropriate steps to notify users of material changes. If you do not agree, you can stop using Hooves and delete your account.

Contact and governing law

Email support@hooves.co.nz with questions or concerns. New Zealand law applies to these terms, subject to any mandatory rights that apply to you.