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Pet Supplies |
Dog.com is a pet supply website that caters almost exclusively
to (you guessed it) dogs! Excellent website
design and ease of shopping. Very good to
excellent pricing on most items including dog doors, kennels,
crates, and grooming aids, as well as Flexi leashes
and dog toys such as Kongs and Nylabones. Unlike
PETsMART and Petco, Dog.com  carries premium dog and
cat food, including Solid Gold and and Nature's
Variety, but doesn't sell common petstore fare like
Iams and Science Diet (a credit to Dog.com!).
They are one of the least expensive places to buy
Oster clippers and other dog grooming supplies online, too. The
best features are the wide selection and, unlike many
pet supply websites, pictures are provided for almost
every product. A nice extra is a section of news
stories on dogs. Orders are shipped same day, but
only via UPS. There are occasional free shipping promotions for large orders, subject to terms on the
website. |
Only Natural
Pet Store offers thousands of products from the
leading manufacturers of natural pet care products,
including vitamins, supplements, medicine, food,
treats, chews, bones, flea control products, grooming
supplies, litter, cleaning supplies, and much more.
 They also offer many hard to find products like
organic food and treats, herbal remedies, homeopathic and holistic
remedies, raw food, flower essences, and natural flea
control products as well as dry kibble by
Solid Gold and Wysong. They provide a link for
holistic veterinarian consultation, which is expensive
at $75 per half hour, but also have a free monthly
newsletter on natural pet care and a section of
Q&A by a holistic vet. Along the left side bar menu is a pulldown for pet Health Conditions and they feature an extensive selection of natural products for many disease including allergies, arthritis, diabetes, incontinence, thyroid problems, weight control, and many others. Shipping is fast to
very fast with Priority Mail for light shipments, or
FedEx. This listing is also included in the Alternative
Health category. |
Entirely Pets is primarily known as a vendor of pet medications for dogs and cats and includes those for heartworm, fleas, and ticks, but also has a selection of nutritional supplements, topicals, toys, treats, and food. Website design is clean and not toobusy. Prices are good to very good, including better prices on most pet medications than 1-800-PetMeds (see  below). Entirely Pets carries the name brand heartworm medications like Interceptor, Heartgard, and Heartgard Plus, as well as the equivalent less expensive generic heartworm medications like Iverhart, Iverhart Plus, and Tri-Heart Plus. They also stock Revolution, a heartworm, mite (mange and earmite), flea, and tick preventative. Entirely Pets has a selection of Hill's Science Diet at discount. Shipping is inexpensive and flat rate for most products (currently less than $5) and free above a minimum order except for specially packaged items like vaccines and heavy items like food. |
Your
Active Pet sells high quality adventure gear for dogs!
They carry canine life jackets, reflective vests, and
backpacks, as well as a "chestand belly
guard", a vest that protects your  dog's underside
from brambles, briers, and other underbrush, and other hunting gear for dogs.
Also unique are their hands-free leash system, bike
leashes, skijoring equipment, and a selection of Free
Spirit dog boots and jackets. Your Active Pet also has the line of PetStep dog ramps. Shipping is by UPS or USPS Priority Mail and cost is based on the value of the order with occassional free shipping promotions on a minimum order. |
PETsMART is the leading retailer of pet supplies with 700
brick-and-mortar stores, and has a large online shop
as well. It caters to most animals that people
keep as pets - dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles,
rodents, and horses. They sell virtually all the
same products online as they do in the retail outlets,
and the prices are fair to good and  sometimes
lower online. They charge sales tax to most
states. Shipping costs range from $6 to $20
based on the cost of the order, and note that there is
a surcharge based on the weight of the order for heavy
and bulky items, like dog food or cat litter. A
number of people complain when they don't realize
this, so check total shipping charges and surcharges
before placing an order for heavy items. |
1-800-PetMeds is mostly known for selling prescription medication
for dogs, cats, and horses, but also has a large
selection of non-prescription supplements, topicals,
and grooming aids as well as toys, treats, beds,  and
other supplies. Most people use 1-800-PetMeds to
save money overbuying the same items from a veterinarian,
and a current prescription from a licensed vet is
still required before purchase. They offer free
shipping with a minimum purchase, and shipping is fast
via Priority Mail for most items. Prices tend to be higher on most prescriptions than Entirely Pets, described above, so it is worthwhile to check out both before ordering and consider the total cost with shipping before deciding. |
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Links
If you are new to online shopping or want to learn more, there is plenty of information offering pointers on shopping online.
The Safe Shopping org website, sponsored by the American Bar Association, provides information and tips to help you order safely when shopping online.
Clark Howard provides a great deal of information on the purchase of consumer products and services, online and off, on his website.
Epinions.com is an online ratings service of products, services, and businesses which provides a review forum for consumers. Note that people are much more motivated to find a place to vent their feelings when they are dissatisfied than when they are pleased, so the ratings can certainly be skewed towards the unfavorable, especially for the items or vendors that have the largest number of reviews, but it still provides a useful measure for comparison.
Bizrate.com is another online ratings service of products and vendors.
Online Shopping from M/Cyclopedia
Online Retailers Need to Overcome Shoppers' Concerns says Rutgers-Camden Researcher |
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