How to spot a scam or smuggled Shiba Inu

When a legitimate, locally-bred Shiba starts around $2,888 all-in, a Shiba advertised far below that should raise questions, not excitement. The cheapest listings on Carousell, Telegram and social media are frequently smuggled puppies brought across the Causeway without proper veterinary care, and the low price is exactly the bait. We are not saying every cheap dog is smuggled, we are saying the price is a signal to ask harder questions, as our price page explains.

Take the roughly $1,388 Shiba listings that circulate in local groups: the community itself flags these as suspicious, and for good reason. A price that undercuts every licensed shop is usually paying for something with the dog's health.

The stakes are not just financial. Smuggled puppies often carry parvovirus and other diseases, and treatment can cost $5,000 to $10,000 with no guarantee the puppy survives, so the few hundred dollars "saved" is the most expensive discount in the trade. And the law reaches buyers, not only sellers: NParks fined a buyer $7,000 for purchasing a smuggled dog.

The encouraging news is that enforcement is working: the ICA reported a 33 per cent drop in animal smuggling cases in 2025. But the trade still operates through classifieds and chat groups, so buyer vigilance remains the front line. Buy from a licensed shop, verify it, and you sidestep the whole problem.