What type of pet products would you buy off the Internet and for what reason?

2009-7-2

I buy quite a few pet products off of the Internet, actually. The main reasons why I purchase at an online store versus a local shop are price, convenience, availability, quality, and individual items.

I have purchased animal cages, animal food, heating lamps for reptiles, frozen pre-killed prey for snakes, worms and crickets for geckos, cage accessories, ferret litter, toys for dogs, cats, and ferrets, pet grooming supplies, collars, treats, puppy-pens, and even animals themselves (a surprisingly reliable way to acquire a reptile that wouldn't be commonly found in stores) online with great success from several different reputable stores.

I buy a lot of stuff online. The variety of pet supplies on the internet is amazing - you can find all sorts of stuff online that you can't find in stores, and often at really great prices. For my cats, I prefer to buy their supplements/meds online, and have bought things like seat that hooks onto the windowsill, toys, etc.

For my fish, I have bought my heaters online, tank decorations, water testing kits, etc. For fish, I prefer to buy the actual aquarium in a store if a store carries it. I always worry about shipping glass, and the handling can get pricey. I have yet to buy live fish or plants online, but am tempted to TRY buying plants, though I've heard good and bad stories about doing so. It's just so hard to find healthy plants in pet stores, and they usually don't have many to choose from.

For my horse, I bought his blankets online (at AMAZING clearance prices!), his heated bucket, etc. I do a lot of online horse shopping... we had a big awesome tack store but it went out of business, and the remaining stores are so overpriced it isn't funny.

Things I don't buy online are food, cat litter, etc. Some things just make more sense to go buy, and sometimes you need to be able to see the product first to decide if you want it.

Tarantula hobbyists are usually forced to shop online. Different species require different environmental conditions. A lot of time those conditions cannot be met simply by going to Petco. I even buy and trade the animals themselves online. Shopping online opens the door to a wider variety and, quite possibly, better prices. As with anything in this cynical world, we must maintain a certain degree of reluctance due to identity theft. I do a majority of my shopping online.

Yes sure I've brought a grooming table, clippers, a double crate a dog bed and looking at getting a show crate shortly.

We even buy dog food off the internet. It gets delivered to the house, No running to the store. You can get almost everything off the internet for your animals.