Posts filed under 'Pet Crates Direct News'
With the state of the economy, I suppose I should not be surprised that costs are rising. Midwest dog crates have seen three price increases since the first of the year. I cut my already low margins on some items with the April price increase in an attempt to keep my selling prices to customers from rising too much. Unfortunately, there is no room to slice my margins with this latest July increase and still be profitable, so I will need to increase my selling prices when the most recently announced pricing takes effect. Expect to see increased retail pricing on the website within 2-4 weeks. If you anticipate needing a crate (or any Midwest product) in the near future, purchase now and you’ll likely save yourself 10%-15%.
Pet Dreams, the manufacturer of the Cratewear Dog Crate Covers, also recently announced a significant price increase. Those prices are set to increase August 1st so I’ll be adjusting selling prices to customers on those as well.
Let’s hope that a “changing of the guard” with the November election will usher in an era of relief and stabilize our failing economy. We need a strong dollar to keep our import costs down (since it’s an unfortunate reality that our country would rather import products than manufacture them ourselves).
Lori
July 17th, 2008
The new year usually brings with it new vendor pricing and 2008 is no exception. The majority of our Midwest Homes for Pets product line will see price increases. I will adjust prices on Pet Crates Direct in the coming weeks to compensate for the higher product costs. I will continue to keep my margins low which should result in my prices remaining among the most reasonable on the web. If you are anticipating the need for a dog crate or chain link kennel in the near future, order now before the price increase has been implemented and save yourself $$.
January 2nd, 2008
Pet Dreams, the supplier of the classic and plush dog cratewear cover sets, presently has many items on backorder. I suppose this is an indication of the popularity of these dog crate covers as there seems to be a continuing problem with item availability, often resulting in extended backorder situations. While selling them so quickly as to not be able to keep up with stock is good for the manufacturer, it tends to put a crimp in my efforts to provide customers with timely delivery of orders and communications in regards to backorders. I attempt to keep the dog crate cover pages up-to-date as to item availability but find it a frustrating process as I often do not know about another item being short until I have attempted to have customer orders delivered. I apologize to customers who have been affected by this and appreciate your understanding in regards to situations that might arise which are out of my control. In the meantime, if there is a particular size/color that you desire which is on backorder you might want to order and wait as orders in-house will be filled before new orders and at this rate new inventory arrivals might only go as far as filling all of the backorders.
August 3rd, 2007
I never imagined home renovations could be so distracting! My sister and I purchased an old farmhouse and have been renovating since March. This has somewhat distracted me from the website. With funds running low, our renovations have (at least for the present) nearly reached an end so I can get back on track with the business. In the coming weeks expect to see new product additions from Midwest (dog crates and pet beds) and Pet Dreams (dog crate covers and pet beds). I’m also considering aluminum dog crates from another supplier for those of you with pets that are difficult to contain.
Pet Crates Direct is celebrating three years online this week. We have had steady growth and appreciate each new customer who finds their way to us. Thanks for your patronage and the business many of you have sent our way by word-of-mouth. We pledge to continue our “mom and pop” level of customer service and keep our prices competitive with or less than the “big boys”.
As always, your feedback and input is appreciated. Email us anytime - lori@petcratesdirect.com
Lori
June 25th, 2007
I’d posted this on 3/13 and trying to moderate spam comments, inadvertently deleted it today
Customers I need your help…
Effective 3/13/07 dog crate replacement pans are non-returnable. Please be certain of the crate model and/or pan number that you need for your crate before ordering. The dog crate accessories page lists Midwest crates by model for ease of ordering replacement pans, divider panels and floor grids. Should you not find your crate model listed, you may contact Midwest directly at 1-800-428-8560. They will be happy to help you determine the correct pan number needed for your model. To order by pan number, enter the pan number (example: 10PAN) into the search field available from any page of the Pet Crates Direct website (located in the top blue header portion of page). Search, add to basket and continue to checkout.
Midwest dog crate replacement pans are intended for use with Midwest crates. If you do not have a Midwest crate, you should measure your crate (not the pan). Midwest does not make available a reference to pan size so having your pan measurements will not help. If you find a Midwest crate of the exact same dimensions as your crate, then feasibly ordering a pan for that particular Midwest crate should work. Please note, however, that I do not guarantee a fit to any crate other than those manufactured by Midwest.
The large number of customer pan returns as well as a higher than usual risk of damage in transit has prompted this policy change. I am hopeful this will encourage customers to do their due diligence before ordering pans. I have pan prices set low and would like to keep them low for your benefit. The costs associated with processing returns and dealing with damaged pans has prompted this return policy revision. I have opted to revise the pan policy rather than raise pan prices as I believe that it is possible to get the correct pan the first time with just a little more effort on your part before ordering.
Please note that I have also updated the returns policy to highlight other important information that was being overlooked by customers making returns.
I appreciate your understanding and cooperation in regards to this new policy.
March 26th, 2007
Usually the new year brings with it product price increases. This year I am happy to report that although some products will have small price increases, dog crate replacement pans have seen a significant price drop. So now you’ll pay more for shipping the pan than the pan itself in most cases. Unfortunately, cost of shipping them can be rather pricey due to box size and of course gound services are implementing their usual new year price increase.
Expect to see prices on chain link kennels increase in the coming weeks as well as the Better Buy Series Dog Crates. Get them now before I get around to changing the prices on the website.
January 4th, 2007
I recently became aware of the fact that both 48″ drop-pin dog crates ship oversize 3 due to box size. Models affected are Better Buy 1048 and Starter Series 1148. The same crates in fold & carry versions (models 1248 & 1648) ship oversize 2. The difference in shipping charges between the two is substantial - usually in the $50.00 range. So unless you are dead set on the drop-pin style, the fold and carry crates are by far the better buy when shipping cost is considered.
I suppose this will teach me to read the fine print. Fedex ground regulations indicate that any package over 130″ length/girth will ship oversize 3. The package for the models in question measure a total of 129.75″ length/girth so I had the website setup to calculate these as oversize 2. Noting that I was being charged more by fedex for the shipments than the website was calculating, I questioned why. What is not clearly noted in the regulations but in the fine print under fedex’s terms and conditions is the fact that fedex rounds measurements that are a fraction of an inch. The result is they bill a 129.75″ package as a 131″ package. I think it would be easy for them to indicate this on their size requirements page but they do not. I had to search long and hard to find the reference to the fact that measurements are rounded. Considering the fact that shipping cost differences between the two are significant ($30 upcharge for os 3 and billable weight goes to 90 lbs), I really think it inexcusable that a company this large does not make this information clear or readily available.
There - I’ll get off the soap box and will probably hear from my fedex rep. now 
October 23rd, 2006
We just got word that the manufacturer of Canine Cooler Pet Beds is moving their company headquarters and no product will be shipped between 8/18 and 9/6. Order now to avoid delay later. It’s hot and your pets will really appreciate it.
August 4th, 2006
I’ve gotten lots of great feedback on the Canine Cabana Sunscreen Dog Crate Covers from happy customers. This cover is unique in the marketplace as it’s focus is to provide shade and comfort for pets while crated. The manufacturer of this product is a small business owner and show dog enthusiast. Seeking to provide for the comfort of his pets while at shows, he developed a unique product that gets the job done. Now, Canine Cabana sunscreen dog crate covers are available to all pet owners who are interested in maintaining the comfort of their pets while on the road or at home.
If you work with show dogs, do agility training or spend time traveling with your pet on a regular basis, you should consider adding a Canine Cabana to your travel gear. You’ll be pleased with the quality of the product and the prompt delivery. Your pet will appreciate the added comfort while away from home.
The manufacturer is now offering this great dog crate cover in your choice of two mesh colors. Custom sizes are also available so if you have a need for something other than a standard size, contact me for an obligation free quote. And don’t miss the May Savings Event and the 10% off coupon special that Canine Cabana has been generous enough to offer for the sale.
As a small business owner I appreciate the opportunity to do business with other small business owners. You just don’t get better service than when you are dealing with the owner of the business. Thanks to all of my customers who have given me the chance to succeed online. I appreciate their confidence in dealing with a small business such as mine.
Thanks for your continued patronage!
Lori
May 23rd, 2006
I admit that I’ve not been very attentive to posting on the blog lately.I apologize. I’ve been a little sidetracked implementing a couple of features that hopefully my customers will appreciate….
In an effort to ease concerns of customers hesitant to purchase online due to security fears, I’ve contracted with SCANALERT. SCANALERT performs daily scans of my domain to ensure that my website is secure for shoppers. Meeting the highest standards, ScanAlert’s HACKER SAFE certification is the only security scanning technology recognized to meet both the U.S. government’s benchmark FBI/SANS security test and the security standards of all major credit card companies. With daily scanning and visible compliance seal (taken away if not compliant) you can be sure that Pet Crates Direct is among the safest shopping sites on the internet.
Of course I will still take your order on the phone if you prefer, which brings me to the second new customer service feature that I’ve recently implemented - a toll free number. Now you can call me with your questions and orders free of charge at 1-800-793-5011. Keep in mind that I’m a one-person office so if I happen to be on the phone or away from my desk you’ll get the voice mail. If you leave a message I’ll be happy to return the call as soon as possible. I’m usually in the office 9-5 monday-friday and I’m back in New Mexico now so I’m on mountain time. The old 724 number in Pennsylvania is still active as I have a satellite office there from which my daughter works but customers should use the toll free for quickest reponse time. I still check the PA number for messages daily, just in case.
Be sure to check the blog over the next couple of days as I anticipate I’ll have a savings coupon that I will run for a couple of days while I sort out the May sale products.
Thanks for your continued patronage and support.
Lori
May 2nd, 2006
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