Okay, here's the very prompt and friendly reply from the auction site:


Hi,

Thanks a million for getting in touch, I am more than happy to help you with this.

Here at [the auction site] we are big on animal welfare and work really closely with the SPCA.
We want to make sure all the animals that are re-homed via the site are happy and healthy.

You are right, at the moment you can still auction our less furry friends on the site. I
can assure you that the seller has every right to cancel a trade if they feel the buyer
will not be a suitable pet owner. This is something we seriously encourage as the rights
of the animal to be well cared for are the most important issue.

We are currently looking into having all of the pets on [our site] re-homed through
classifieds. It is a big change though so it's not something that's able to happen over
night, I'm afraid.

I've had a look into the auction for the frogs. It's not clear if they've made a typo
with the number of frogs as it's hard to see from the photo's if there are indeed that
many frogs in there. If there are seven frogs then it is too many to be living in a wee
tank. It seems like the member is out of their depth trying to care for them so it's best
if they find a new home with someone who knows more about how to properly care for them ASAP.

I've forwarded your concerns to our Site Security team. If you would like to escalate this
complaint I'd suggest you contact the SPCA. They are in a position where they are legally
able to take action if they believe the frogs are being mistreated. Unfortunately we aren't,
so trying to facilitate finding them a new home is our main priority.

I really do appreciate your vigilance in getting in touch. It's so important to speak up for
animals that can't speak for themselves when you believe they are being mistreated.

Best of luck with your future trades and please let me know if there is anything
else I can help you with. You can flick me an email or give me a call on 0900 XXX XX.
We’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help you out. Just bear in mind
calls cost $1.99 + GST per minute.

Best wishes,XXXXX

So - they're doing what they can do, and I'll have to see if/how the seller responds to my questions before I decide whether or not to call the SPCA.