Wholesale Pet Supplies: Where to Buy Pet Supplies In Bulk

Business owners have to put careful thought and consideration into every aspect of their business to ensure they can generate a profit and keep the lights on. One such area where profitability can be achieved is through the purchase of cheap pet supplies.

Identifying reputable suppliers who offer wholesale pet supplies at competitive prices can be challenging. Business owners need to find suppliers who are reliable and consistent, not only in the quality of the product but in the delivery too.

In this article, we’ll show you how to find the best wholesale pet suppliers for your business so you can increase your profitability and keep your business flourishing.

5 challenges of finding the right supplier.

Wholesale suppliers are not retail stores—they buy products in bulk at a reduced price directly from the manufacturer. They then turn around and sell those products to smaller retailers (like your pet business), allowing them to generate a profit from the difference.

There are a few challenges when it comes to finding the right supplier for your wholesale pet supplies. 

1. Competitive pricing.

Competitive pricing is the first necessity that can prove to be a challenge to find. Wholesale suppliers are selling products in bulk, so everything should be cheaper than buying individually from a retail store. But the prices between the different suppliers can vary greatly.

Before committing to a supplier, take a good look at their prices and compare them with other online retailers to make sure you’re getting great prices and the best deal. 

This will often require reaching out ahead of time, as some companies require a conversation before they will ship wholesale products to you. Don’t go ahead and order off the website without actually checking in with the supplier and finding out if they can offer you cheaper prices with larger orders. 

The reality is that businesses can’t survive without turning a profit. If you can increase your bottom line with cheaper supplies, you have a higher chance of being profitable.

2. Minimum order requirements.

Many wholesale suppliers impose minimum order quantities to make sure they’re also turning a profit. While this is a common practice, you’ll want to make sure this minimum works for you too—if you order more than you need, it isn’t economical for your business.

It also depends on the product. Indestructible toys, for example, can last forever and be rotated out. However, dog food and treats will expire. It’s important to only get as much as you need so they don’t go to waste.

3. Variety and selection.

Wholesale pet supplies tend to have less variety compared to retailers and online stores. Make sure to pick someone who has a reasonable amount of choice so you can find and shop the products that suit your business needs best.

For some products, having a wide variety won’t matter, but for items like dog food and treats, being limited to what the supplier has in stock is not a good idea. For example, you don’t want to be forced to buy kibble that’s full of fillers, or bully sticks that have notoriously bad reviews online because that's all the wholesale supplier offers. 

4. Shipping costs and logistics.

Even if you’ve found a wholesale supplier with competitive product pricing, you’ll want to take a look at shipping costs before you commit. Shipping costs can vary to an alarming degree, from what courier is being used to upcharges placed by the company themselves, so always factor these in before deciding.

There is also a difference between freight and ground shipping to consider. Some companies may offer free ground shipping, but you could be hit with an unexpected charge if it turns out your order was too large and had to be shipped as freight. The free shipping would no longer apply. 

These additional charges will eat into your profit margin and may not be worthwhile after all.

Additionally, you need to consider the logistics: how fast do they ship? Are they using a reliable courier? Do they have a long supply time? It’s great if the prices are low but if you can’t get the products in time, you will be forced to go to the store and buy them at retail prices.

5. Quality control.

Lastly, you’ll want to ask about any quality control the wholesale supplier has in place. Not all foods, toys, and cleaners are created equally, so ensuring the wholesale supplier isn’t shipping anything defunct or even dangerous is essential for keeping the trust of your customers. 

Where to buy wholesale dog food and treats.

Now that you know what to look for in a wholesale supplier, here are reviews of the different wholesale pet suppliers that you might like to use in your pet business. 

Wholesale Pet review.

Wholesale Pet is a directory for an impressive range of over 500 top brands. They’ve been supplying pet businesses with products since 2001, giving them over 20 years of experience in the business. 

They guarantee that the prices are competitive and not inflated because they connect you directly with brands like Purina, Blue Buffalo, and more. It’s with these brands and vendors that you purchase your products directly, using Wholesale Pet as a platform to facilitate this. 

Wholesale Pet values convenience over anything, ensuring a handy ‘re-order’ button on your orders page so you can quickly place the same orders again and again without having to exert too much effort. 

Each vendor has their own specified freight and shipping policy, however, so the total costs and whether it’s worth it for you will depend on the brands you’re ordering from and connecting with.

Faire review.

Faire is another site that offers wholesale pet food via the directory method. They say their mission is to empower brands and retailers through local communities. Faire sells a whole variety of different things—pet food is just one of the options available.

Faire is a relatively new company, only created in 2017, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less reliable than the other options. With hundreds of thousands of brands and millions of customers and connections, it’s quickly made a wave in the wholesale pet world.

Perhaps the best thing about Faire is their low minimum spend. Each brand sets its own minimum spend though, so check the order directly before placing it to see what the exact minimum spend is and if it will work for your budget.

Animal Supply Co. review.

Animal Supply Co. is another trusted place where you can buy bulk food from many of the big brands. They refer to themselves as the nation’s largest pet food distributor and claim to have a real, vested interest in animal welfare.

Reviews on their website praise their high-quality brands, ability to make multiple deliveries a week, and their customer service which they go above and beyond for. Although the choices are a little more limited than some other suppliers, it seems their dedication and quickness have them winning out for many businesses. 

Their victory lies in building a solid group of customers and, while growing their list, committing to providing excellent customer service for the ones they have. Despite being such a large distributor, they consider themselves to have a family feel, which works to establish trust with their customers. 

Where to buy wholesale grooming supplies. 

PetEdge review.

PetEdge claims to be the number one go-to for pet groomers. With free shipping on orders over $99, no one can deny the convenience and inexpensive fees that come with what they offer. They also have a bit of exclusivity on the market, since they offer a large selection of products but don’t have as much competition as wholesale suppliers selling something more common, such as food.

PetEdge also has everything a pet groomer could want in the same place. Grooming supplies can range from shampoos, brushes, and clippers, to large tables and equipment. PetEdge has ensured you can get everything in the same place and cash in on the free shipping. 

Founded in 1956, they’re also one of the oldest suppliers around with a great track record behind them!

Ryan’s Pet review.

Ryan’s Pet has a little less choice than PetEdge but is nonetheless a great option for those looking for grooming pet supplies. They have similar shipping options that aren’t particularly expensive, offering free ground shipping for orders over $99 and free freight shipping for orders over $2500.

One huge advantage of Ryan’s Pet is that they have a price-match guarantee. If you can find the same product somewhere else and it’s less expensive, they will match it for you. 

They are also a very old company, established in 1959, and have offered pet grooming supplies from the beginning! This means they’ve had a lot of time to figure out what the best products are and ensure they supply them to their customers.

Franke Rowe & Son review.

Franke Row & Son is a newer company, but still a respected one that has done great things to provide professional pet grooming supplies to the businesses that need them. They also offer a price-match guarantee, working hard to ensure they are providing the lowest possible costs for their customers.

For wholesale pricing on pet groomer supplies, they do request that you register for an account then contact them and provide an exact list of what you need rather than request it through their website. 

Although shipping costs will depend on the order, they also allow you to pick up at their location if you happen to be close by. 

Where to buy pet-safe chemicals and cleaners.

Good Earth Products review.

Good Earth Products knows the importance of being eco-friendly and kind to the planet, as well as all its animals. They offer several sustainable options, including cleaning products. Although most of what they offer are tools and containers rather than the cleaning products themselves, they are a great place to go for the basics.

Good Earth Products ship within 1-2 business days to ensure fast delivery, and can even ship to international businesses outside of the US, though you will have to pay more. Still, this is a handy option if you plan to expand your business at any point in the future. 

Bulk Green Cleaners review.

Bulk Green Cleaners is another company that knows the importance of being kind to and safe with animals and has a cleaning product selection just for that. The non-toxic cleaners in their pet cleaning section ensure that you don’t have to fret about one of the dogs getting into something they shouldn’t, as these cleaning items are formulated specifically to avoid trouble.

They are as green as possible and have even purchased carbon footprint offset certificates to ensure they’re living up to their values. If this is important to your business, their transparent background and genuine efforts to do the best they can make them a good match if the prices work. 

Enviro-One review.

While Enviro-One doesn’t necessarily have a dedicated pet owner and business target audience, its products work well for them. While they admit their products are harmful to insects, they guarantee that they are not at all harmful to animals and people, meaning you can rest easy when using these products in your pet business.

Enviro-One lists the ingredients in their cleaner on their website (“bio-based formula consisting of fatty acids, vegetable- and plant-based enzymes and minerals, organic alcohol, coconut oil, folic acid, and natural vanilla, mixed with deionized water,”) and points out that even the FDA has approved all of their ingredients for consumption!

It’s important not to deliberately let a dog drink these, as it could still cause some stomach upset, but none of the ingredients are toxic meaning an accident shouldn’t be disastrous. 

Manage your suppliers and costs with PetExec software.

There’s so much that goes into running a pet business, from building the facility and getting the supplies to managing your clients and keeping the dogs safe. PetExec understands how overwhelming this can be, which is why we’ve worked hard to create software that can do the hard work for you. 

Our software allows you to sell these pet supplies to your customers effortlessly, generate inventory reports so you know when you are low on stock, and take some of the heat off of other areas by making appointments, collecting deposits and payments, and more. We aim to make your life easier!

Run your business efficiently by letting PetExec’s software keep up with your wholesale orders, so you can focus on the bigger picture.