So can someone explain to me why people will buy pets I have for sale just to release them shortly after. It honestly doesn't make much sense to me. If they didn't want them, why buy them in the first place? Am I just missing something?

Some people do it to help their own pets sell/ to improve the economy. They want pets that they think should be worth more to be able to sell for more.

I'm just taking a guess, since I don't do it...

I think its mainly what Marsandin said above.
If you really care about your pets after them being sold only sell to buyers that you know will keep them.
Otherwise you'd be best not to track your pets after they've been sold.

Maybe they bought them as newbies when they couldn't afford anything, and didn't have much gold yet, then released them after they learned the game better and were able to afford higher quality pets, and needed more room.

If you would like to decrease the odds of people buying your pets only to release them, one suggestion is for you to raise the prices on your pets. :) That way only people who really want them will buy them.

I personally only release when:

A.) I bought them, but I changed my mind and it takes aeons to sell any pet over 1G and I have no stable room.

B.) I have completed the project I bought them for, and their genes/mutes are rarish and I therefore do not know what to price them.

C.) The pet is super high vis and it was offered for an incredibly low price (I do not want any other pet to become the next Zolnixi). Though I feel guilty about this and I try incredibly hard to resist my urges (however if you're selling a pet with the same genes/mutes as a project of mine I will buy and release).

D.) I hate pricing pets expensively but certain pets have a touchy owner group and I release to avoid angering others (100k for certain offspring is a bit high and it only takes even longer than reason A.).

E.) It was an accident. I thought it was a different pet in another tab, but I went full stupid.

Edit: If I repeatedly buy your pets and release them, just send me a message asking for them back if I don't want them. Chances are I'll just give 'em back for free.

Like the above said. Especially if you price your pet really cheaply (for like 1g), most likely it's because they're trying to improve the pet economy. The market rate for pets at the moment is really bad. =/

Aye.

Price your pets for 999g, that'll show em. ;P

Thank you all. I had always just wondered if there was something I was missing. Once someone buys them I don't care what happens to them but it's still a bit weird to see it happen.

Coming from someone who has bought a lot of your Sylesti, I released a few because I didn't have a need for them anymore.