Sunday, September 20, 2015

Best Dog Subscription Box: PetPakz vs PupJoy vs Paws and Play vs PawPack

With so many pet subscription boxes out there for pet parents to spoil their fur-babies with, I thought I'd do some comparisons for you all to help you decide which subscription best fit you and your pooches (not to mention your wallets) needs!

Note: All of these boxes are the September subscription month! For each subscription, I calculated everything inside based on prices I found on Amazon (because everyone shops on Amazon these days) and it is the "value price," listed under each item.  

Pet Pakz is a very diverse pet supply subscription service offering 7 different types of pets including 4 breed sizes of dogs, cats, and two sizes of small animal pets! They have grain free options and made in the USA dog and cat treats! They also offer monthly and bi-monthly plans. You pay month-to-month and can cancel anytime. Their subscriptions include free shipping to the lower 48 states and also have options to either send someone a box or donate a box to an animal shelter! Pet Pakz also donates a portion of their sales to animal shelters in need!


Pricing Structure:
You are able to choose between 3 types of membership subscriptions:
  • Bronze member: includes 3-5 products for 1 type of pets
    • $25/mo or every other month for bi-monthly subscribers
  • Silver member: includes 6-8 products for up to 2 different types of pets
    • $39/mo or every other month for bi-monthly subscribers
  • Gold member: includes 9+ products for up to 3 different types of pets
    • $52/mo or every other month for bi-monthly subscribers
I received the Bronze member box ($25/mo) valued at: $30.73 ($5.73 difference)



This was a special month!!

What's inside:

 Treats: ALL made in the USA

She couldn't wait to take it away!!

 Verdict: The September box I received was a special box because I had a hard time finding how to contact customer service and it took some digging before I was able to find it.  Usually, sites will have it at the top or bottom, easily visible.  They have a customer service section at the bottom of their page, but no link to contact them.  I ended up finding it under their FAQ page. If you need to contact them, you can email contact@petpakz.com.  The toys and treats were all good quality items that I would normally want to purchase for my dog, which says a lot because I'm a pretty picky pet parent!  Dog mommy approved! I also like the little touch of having gift wrap paper in the box. The little details that a company adds to their packaging resonates well with the receiver!

Use coupon code "ordinarilypractical" for 15% off your entire subscription (not just your first month!). Subscribe on their website here.

Pupjoy is a dog subscription box. They are a modern concierge model that combines the best of convenience, control and value — with customized ordering and to-your-door delivery of clear-labeled healthy dog treats, unique well-crafted dog toys and artisan accessories that are sourced from small suppliers who are focused on creating quality, responsible products.


All subscriptions are paid upfront, but you're able to cancel at any time and only pay for what you've received.  Pretty risk free, right?  Their subscriptions include free shipping to the lower 48 states via USPS.


Pricing Structure:
You can select the number of months you'd like to subscribe for, and which size. The “Uno” size includes 3-4 items, whereas the “Grande” size includes 4-6 items.  The following are the options they offer:

  • One month subscription: “Uno” ($29/month) or “Grande” ($39/month) 
  • Three month subscription: “Uno” ($27/month) or “Grande” ($36/month) 
  • Six month subscription: “Uno” ($25/month) or “Grande” ($33/month) 
  • Twelve month subscription: “Uno” ($23/month) or “Grande” ($30/month) 
For my review, I received the Grande box.

What's inside:

 Toys/Accessories:

Treats: (All made in the USA)

I received the Grande member box ($39/mo) valued at: $45.42 ($6.42 difference)
($--.-- difference depends whether you sign up for the 1, 6, or 12 month subscription.  You would receive a higher "discount" or greater value by going with a 12 month subscription as it is only $30 a month.  With just the value of this pack, you would have a difference of $15.42)

Verdict: I really liked this box subscription and is among one of my favorites.  I felt that all the items were quality items and one's I wouldn't toss as I would some of the others.  The toys are durable and the collar is very nice.  I really have nothing but good things to say about anything in this box besides the fact that this one does cost a bit more than the other subscriptions.  So if cost is of concern, you may wish to stick with the "Uno" size.  I'm sure the quality will be just as good as the grande size. Other than the pricing, we love this box!

Build your box here.

Paws and Play is a Canadian owned and operated pet subscription service that offers a collection of items curated by hand for your dog or cat.  They currently only ship to Canada and the U.S. Shipping on new memberships and orders over $45 is free to Canada & the USA, only. Otherwise, there are low cost flat rate options and Expedited Canada Post shipping charges available.

They keep their membership boxes regulated since not everyone celebrates certain holidays. Instead, they offer special edition boxes with themes so pet parents have the option to purchase these separately if they choose to do so - each box with a different pricing. Currently, they offer the following membership subscription boxes:

Mix pet membership box: from $38.95 every 3 months (5-8 full sized items)
Small breed dog membership box: from $22.95 every 3 months
Medium breed dog membership box: from $22.95 every 3 months
Large breed dog membership box: from $22.95 every 3 months
Giant breed dog membership box: from $34.95 every 3 months


Membership boxes come with the option of standard or premium boxes.  The standard box includes 3-5 fulls sized items and the premium box includes 5-6 full sized items.  Their website is not very clear with what they mean by their description of "every 3 months" attached to the pricing.  Does that mean you pay $22.95 for 3 months? Or do you have $22.95 one time a month, for 3 months, and 3 months being the total subscription period? It's a little confusing and something you have to reach out to the company for in order to clarify before purchasing - and I did just that.  The $22.95 is the lowest price point where you only pay once every 3 months (quarterly) and receive one box quarterly.  You can choose to pay and get a box every month or you can choose to pay and receive a box every 3 months. The quarterly option is for those who maybe don't want as much product or do not want to pay for a box every month.  The membership box should also include a "contents card" (per their website), but I didn't receive one so I just had to try and search/guess the pricing of the items below.

I received the medium breed dog standard member box ($25/mo) valued at: $35.80 ($10.80 difference)


What's inside:

Toys: 
  • Spot popcorn & shake vinyl dog toy
    • $2 (Was not able to google this product pricing. Came up as unavailable on Amazon. The quality of the product is something I could buy at the dollar store, but I am being generous and putting the value at $2)
Treats:
  • True Chews Beef Bully Stick sample - this came loosely in the box without any information about where it was sourced or which company it came from. I had to contact the company to obtain the information. I still wasn't able to figure out a ballpark value for the item, so I will just assign it $1.50 (based on a single bully stick price from other websites) - unsure of source
    • $1.50
  • Amelia yogurt dipped cookie - this also came loosely in the box, with partially melted yogurt from the heat - made in Canada
    • $1 value (only comes in a bundle of 8 cookies for a smidge over $8)
   
  • Lamb Crunchys - made in the USA
    • $13.32
    • When I googled this, the first search result was about a recall for this bag of treats...big red alarm?!  Luckily the date code on this bag isn't part of the recall but it does make me a little wary.
Verdict? I wasn't entirely impressed with this box because of the loose treats and vinyl toy.  It definitely includes a few higher quality items like the lamb crunchys, rabbit jerky, and chomper jr. toy, but those are the only items I'd possibly normally buy for my dog.  The other items I would consider freebies/samples.  If I took out those items, the value would decrease to $31, which isn't a bad value.  I'd still recommend this box since it is pretty economical and does contain quality items.  I just think there is room for improvements - sometime it is the little things, you know? Additionally, the website is a little difficult to navigate and the information didn't seem organized to me. I wasn't able to easily find out more about the company themselves and the membership structure was a bit more convoluted than other subscription services.  They definitely had much more choices than your average subscription box so that you are able to cater the items more to your liking, which is great. The only drawback I see with that is when there are too many choices, it is more difficult to make choices. A common consumer conundrum.  This often leads to more time being used for something that is supposed to save us time by not having to search for items for our furry kids.



PawPack's dog subscription service focuses on all-natural, eco-friendly, and USA sourced products. They are excellent customer support (based on their reputation) and a 24-hour cancellation process in case you change your mind!  PawPack will also ship you a new treat if your pet is allergic to one of the treats in your subscription. You simply need to contact them, and they will get that right out to you.


Each PawPack comes with 4 or more premium full sized items and may also include samples and other goodies (which will always be all-natural and grain free).  Free shipping on all subscriptions, but $15 shipping applies outside of the contiguous 48 states).  Tax applies to CT and CA residents.


You can select from 3 plans and can cancel at any time (plans auto-renew).
  • 12 PawPacks $25/month
  • 6 PawPacks $30/month
  • 1 PawPack $35/month
Clearly, you can see the advantage to subscribe with the 12 month subscription!


What's inside:

Toys:



Treats:






  • The Natural Dog Company 9" curly bully stick - made in Colombia

    • $2.50 - note: I could not find a website or any other information on this bully stick or company. The valued price is just from researching 9" curly bully stick and an average cost of what I found for this type and size.





  • Wet Noses, Crunchy Kale dog treats - made in USA

    • $8.99 MSRP (cheaper at Petco)





  • Whole Life, Freeze-Dried fresh, pure beef liver - made in USA

    • $5.71 


    Box valued at: $40.19 ($--.-- difference depends whether you sign up for the 1, 6, or 12 month subscription.  You would receive a higher "discount" or greater value by going with a 12 month subscription as it is only $25 a month.  With just the value of this pack, you would have a difference of $15.19)

    Verdict? This box definitely had the best packaging! Not that it really matters, but the small touches that a company puts in presentation really speaks volumes for the care they put into details.  This makes consumers feel that they really care about the whole experience.  Both the toys and treats are all very high quality in this box.  The only questionable item was the curly bully stick for me simply because I couldn't find any information of the company on the web.  This box definitely has the best value compared with all other packs reviewed!


    Overall Verdict?

    All of these boxes had its strengths and weaknesses. As with all things, you must put a rank on which is better than the other, so here are my final thoughts:

    1&2. PawPack - For the price you pay for the subscription, this box subscription has a great value.  You get the most bang for your buck on this pet subscription than the rest, but is it not as customizable as some others, like Pup Joy. But if you get the 12-month subscription, I think it is a really really good deal!! And you can't overlook the little things they've done with their packaging.

    1&2. Pup Joy - This was a tied with PawPack for me.  All the items are great quality and you get a great deal.  If you don't want to commit to a 12-month subscription, you don't have to! The best part about this subscription is that you have a little bit of choice as to what you want to get. If you want all toys or all treats, you are able to select this option.  Pup Joy has a similar pricing as PawPack. Selecting the 12 month subscription would give you nearly the same value between the two subscriptions (making this subscription a better value by 23 cents).

    3. Pet Pakz - I loved everything in this box, but the only reason it is ranked lower is only because of the value.  I could probably find all those items and pay less than I did for the box.  BUT the whole point of these box subscriptions is so you don't have to think or shop.  It is about convenience, and because of that, I still highly recommend this box subscription.

    4. Paws and Play - although this is my last choice it pretty much ranks at the same level as Pet Pakz. I still think this is a great box subscription.  You still get a great value for the price paid.  This is the cheapest of all the subscriptions! Although I didn't like some of the items, I consider the ones I didn't like, free samples. They pretty much were! And even then, the value is still very good.
    Disclosure: These complimentary boxes were provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

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