Advantage Pricing

[Miranda]

This morning I popped into the local vet to weigh my dogs and while I was there I checked out a few of their prices. They were selling Advantage 6 packs for large dogs at $75, I couldn't believe it! They also had a container of Drontal 1x10kg tablets and they were selling the individual tablets at $6 each!

Really anyone who buys flea control or wormers from vets has rocks in their head, you can buy this sort of stuff soooo much cheaper over the net and from memory I think Priceless Pets has Advantage for large dogs for $41.

Honestly these prices are so over the top that many people on a low income, pensioners etc. just wouldn't be able to afford them and therefore their dogs would suffer.

Totally unbelievable!

[peigirl]

I found exactly the same thing with my vet too so I buy shampoos, flea treatments, wormers, ear cleaners etc all online.

[laffi]

I found exactly the same thing with my vet too so I buy shampoos, flea treatments, wormers, ear cleaners etc all online.

Since you are such an online expert could you please tell me what are the websites you use? (apart from pricelesspets)

:D

[Miranda]

I found exactly the same thing with my vet too so I buy shampoos, flea treatments, wormers, ear cleaners etc all online.

Since you are such an online expert could you please tell me what are the websites you use? (apart from pricelesspets)

:D

I've bought from The Vet Shed and Vet n Pet Direct

[peigirl]

www.vetproductsdirect.com and www.aussiepet.com.au :D

Depends what I'm buying as to where I go.

[MTD]

I just ordered for the first time fom vet 'n 'pet direct. They where great, ordered one day arrived the next .

[wagsalot]

I tell all my dog washing clients about priceless pets.

They can't believe how much cheaper it is to buy from there compared to the pet shops.

[shmoo]

well people seem to think they only place you can buy these types of things from is a vet. and actually i think the makers of the product have some hang ups about other places selling it... they think you need a uni cert to be able to understand and explain to clients how flea treatments and worming products work :D

[4 Paws]

well people seem to think they only place you can buy these types of things from is a vet. and actually i think the makers of the product have some hang ups about other places selling it... they think you need a uni cert to be able to understand and explain to clients how flea treatments and worming products work :D

I emailed the makers of Advantix asking them if they could send me out brouchers on the advantix as i can purchase it from my wholesaler and was going to sell it to clients in my dog wash business.They emailed me back saying sorry,it's only sold through vets

I'm like Hello,i just told you i can purchase it and just wanted the brouchers to hand out

[ssar]

There is some argument for shopping at your local Vet where possible, i.e. if they constantly treat /take care of you well, do the right thing by you and your pets etc. then supporting thier business with some of your shopping can be satisfying.

That said, "money talks" of course, and it's the bottom line for most of us.

I certainly shop online for quite a lot of things, at least to compare and research before choosing ultimately where to buy.

[Staff'n'Toller]

The advantage seems a bit pricey but the drontal was fairly cheap IMO.

You can buy the stuff online but be aware that Bayer in particular, won't do anything for you if you have problems with the product because pet shops and online stores are not supposed to be selling it.

Everyone seems to slag Vet Clinics, but most of us do the right thing and only price the stuff at RRP, we certainly don't make 100% on those preventative products- far from it. It's a big freakin shame that these days the large 'buyers' of this stuff make heaps more money out of you because they can negotiate cheaper prices from wholesalers - we can't afford to buy container loads of the stuff and we get slagged because of it!!!

Edited April 4, 2007 by Staff'n'Toller

[Tim Fairchild]

The real 'crime' here is that many (most?) chemicals used for dog flea and worm control are used elsewhere in other industries, agriculture, livestock, etc, and have been for many years. They are then repackaged for use with dogs and sold at 20-100 times the price. And actually some products are more like 1000 times the price per mole of actual active compound.

The slight markup the vets put on a product is nothing in comparison, and with a vet you get advice as well (and they have their own additional expenses).

[cavNrott]

.

Edited June 7, 2009 by cavNrott

[juice]

i tell new owners adopting my fosters to buy on the net, use priceless pets and vetnpet direct.

i have at least 4/5 big dogs here most of the time, ( rescue doesn't cover flea, heart etc), so its very costly for me ,have to go with the cheapest

[Miranda]

The advantage seems a bit pricey but the drontal was fairly cheap IMO.

You can buy Drontal on the net for $3.50 per tablet

You can buy the stuff online but be aware that Bayer in particular, won't do anything for you if you have problems with the product because pet shops and online stores are not supposed to be selling it.

I would say that 'having a problem' with any of these products would be extremely unlikely, of course it's possible, but the majority of users have no problems whatsoever

Everyone seems to slag Vet Clinics, but most of us do the right thing and only price the stuff at RRP, we certainly don't make 100% on those preventative products- far from it. It's a big freakin shame that these days the large 'buyers' of this stuff make heaps more money out of you because they can negotiate cheaper prices from wholesalers - we can't afford to buy container loads of the stuff and we get slagged because of it!!!

I'm not 'slagging off' vet clinics, I'm simply stating a fact, shampoos, conditioners, wormers and flea killers/preventatives etc. ARE prohibitively expensive when purchased from a vet or, I should also have added, most pet shops. Lots of pet owners on low incomes are unable to pay vet's prices and their pets suffer as a consequence. If these products can be purchased cheaper over the net then I see no harm in broadcasting this fact. If this is affecting the vets' annual profits, well that's just too bad

[Miranda]

The slight markup the vets put on a product is nothing in comparison, and with a vet you get advice as well (and they have their own additional expenses).

So you're trying to tell me that you buy all your flea/worming treatments/heartworm preventatives/shampoos from your vet and that you don't mind paying almost double the price? Well I certainly admire your loyalty.

Unfortunately I own five large dogs and I prefer to save my money, also I don't believe that there's much my vet can tell me about worming dogs, preventing fleas and heartworm and what shampoos and conditioners to use, but maybe I'm just arrogant and think I know more than I actually do

BTW what additional expenses are incurred by vets who stock these products, personally I can't think of any at all?

[Tim Fairchild]

The slight markup the vets put on a product is nothing in comparison, and with a vet you get advice as well (and they have their own additional expenses).

So you're trying to tell me that you buy all your flea/worming treatments/heartworm preventatives/shampoos from your vet and that you don't mind paying almost double the price? Well I certainly admire your loyalty.

Unfortunately I own five large dogs and I prefer to save my money, also I don't believe that there's much my vet can tell me about worming dogs, preventing fleas and heartworm and what shampoos and conditioners to use, but maybe I'm just arrogant and think I know more than I actually do

BTW what additional expenses are incurred by vets who stock these products, personally I can't think of any at all?

No. What I was saying is the vets only have a 50-100% markup (at most). The actual manufacturer has more like a 2000-10000% markup

I get my chemicals elsewhere for fleas, ticks, heartworm, worms. We have a few more than 5 dogs The point is that no matter what price you get the dog products for, you are still ripped off.

Google the active constituents

As for vets, they have other priorities than selling products. They are a health care professional with staff and rent and insurance to pay. Mail order is invariably cheaper on all products as they work on bulk throughput and less staff per product. It's just a different situation. Retail vs mail order differences exist across the board, not just with dog products. Note that most pet stores are high in price as well, so it's not just the vets.

[goldielover]

I'm happy to support my vets up to a certain point. I can't justify paying $20 to $30 per product PER DOG though as i'm on a fairly tight budget too. I also think that if people are prepared to pay exhorbitant costs for products and services then it will just continue.

I was going to get a puppy micro-chipped at the vets the other day and it was twice as expensive as i can get it done on one of the VCA microchipping days so obviously didn't get it done there. I did ask about discount micro-chipping though, particularly for breeders.... just to let my thoughts be known! This vet surgery is frequented by lots of breeders so if enough of us ask perhaps they'll consider it?

[Miranda]

So you're trying to tell me that you buy all your flea/worming treatments/heartworm preventatives/shampoos from your vet and that you don't mind paying almost double the price? Well I certainly admire your loyalty.

Unfortunately I own five large dogs and I prefer to save my money, also I don't believe that there's much my vet can tell me about worming dogs, preventing fleas and heartworm and what shampoos and conditioners to use, but maybe I'm just arrogant and think I know more than I actually do

BTW what additional expenses are incurred by vets who stock these products, personally I can't think of any at all?

No. What I was saying is the vets only have a 50-100% markup (at most). The actual manufacturer has more like a 2000-10000% markup

I get my chemicals elsewhere for fleas, ticks, heartworm, worms. We have a few more than 5 dogs The point is that no matter what price you get the dog products for, you are still ripped off.

Google the active constituents

As for vets, they have other priorities than selling products. They are a health care professional with staff and rent and insurance to pay. Mail order is invariably cheaper on all products as they work on bulk throughput and less staff per product. It's just a different situation. Retail vs mail order differences exist across the board, not just with dog products. Note that most pet stores are high in price as well, so it's not just the vets.

If you're in the lucky position of being able to source your chemicals elsewhere well that's fine, unfortunately I'm not able to do this and your average pet owner can't do it either. I am fully aware that we all get ripped off and that most manufactured products cost far more than the actual ingredients, but unfortunately there's not much we can do about it. However what we can do is try to ensure that we find the cheapest prices for these products and if they're half the price on the net that's where I'll buy them and anyone with any sense will do the same.

I have an excellent relationship with my vet and have no hesitation in paying him for his expertise when it comes to the health of my dogs, but I draw the line at paying his prices for everyday items like flea medication, shampoo and worming products, he knows this and says that if he was me he would also buy over the net

[Sagittarian]

That Drontal price shocked me! There are some wonderful generic alternatives, and "name" alternatives too for that matter. A ten kg tablet for $2.00 is more appropriate - five kg 75c - two kg 50c.

Bayer and the rest of them happily sell wherever they can. Money is money is money. What they sell it for to the various distributors, and what those distributors onsell for, is where the huge differences in price come in.

Sags