-
Ralph Davidson
- January 1, 2022
Carefully picked products, packed, and delivered right at the doorstep. Dogs are getting the royal treatment!
Key Benefits
- Time Saving
- Good Quality
- Dog Happiness
- Reorder Certain Item
Monthly delivery of packages filled with healthy snacks, carefully designed and tested toys, and chewables. The fun is topped with a theme that changes every month, not that your dog will know the difference. It’s exciting and amusing for both dogs and pet owners.
No more excuses that you forgot to buy your dog’s favorite snack or had no time to get that toy they love so much. BarkBox makes everyone’s life easier. Or maybe not?
Meet BarkBox
Since its establishment in 2011, BarkBox is dedicated to preparing and delivering treats and toys to millions of dogs in the US and Canada. This monthly subscription service is filled with tasty natural snacks, treats, and original carefully designed toys for your dog.
There are numerous monthly pet subscriptions available on the market, but BarkBox is one of the most talked about. Why? Maybe it’s the monthly theme, maybe it’s the themed surprise treat, or maybe it’s the uniqueness of their toys.
Let’s look at what BarkBox has to offer and will it be the right option you choose for your dog.
Planning Your BarkBox
It’s an easy task to get those fun BarkBox treat boxes to start arriving at your doorstep. All you need to do is create a profile on their page, tick a few information boxes, and BarkBox will be on its way.
Box Types
The process is simple. Start by selecting the appropriate box size for your dog. BarkBox offers a choice of boxes customized to the dog’s size. You can choose from the following:
- Small BarkBox – for the smallest pals at 0-10 lbs
- Medium BarkBox – for the middle guys at 20-50 lbs
- Big BarkBox – for the big and strong fellows at 50+ lbs
There is also an option to order a Super Chewer BarkBox for those buddies that tend to chew their toys around the clock. The toys offered in this box are made of tougher material and have no fluffy insides. The Super Chewer contains 2 large treat bags, 2 chewables, and 2 toys made of durable material.
BarkBox is flexible with respect to the Super Chewer box. Two toys per month may be too much for one dog, so it allows the customer to choose an option for the box to be delivered every other month. Contact their team and discuss what options you have to customize this particular box.
Monthly Subscription
When it comes to a monthly subscription, BarkBox offers several options, depending on the months and additional services you choose.
1-month subscription plans:
- Classic plan for $35.00 per month
- Classic Extra Toy Plan for $44.00 per month
- Super Chew plan for $45.00 per month
6-month subscription plans:
- Classic plan for $26.00 per month or $139.00 for upfront payment
- Classic Extra Toy Plan for $33.00 per month or $178.00 for upfront payment
- Super Chew plan for $35.00 per month
12-month subscription plans:
- Classic plan for $23.00 per month or $234.00 for upfront payment
- Classic Extra Toy Plan for $30.00 per month or $299.00 for upfront payment
- Super Chew plan for $30.00 per month
BarkBox runs a referral program that can be pretty beneficial for you. Your dog will receive a free BarkBox for every person that uses your referral code and purchases a 6 or a 12-month subscription. Also, when they carry out the purchase for the 6 or 12-month subscription, a free month will be added to the end of your subscription.
Veterans and military personnel enjoy a special discount with BarkBox. The price of the BarkBox will be reduced by $10 and the Super Chewer by $14 if you belong to this group. BarkBox considers this as their contribution to honor these people and what they do for the country.
Canceling a Subscription
You have to be careful when it comes to subscriptions. If for some reason you choose to cancel your BarkBox subscription, make sure you have followed all steps in order to complete the unsubscribing. Make sure to contact the BarkBox team in case you have any doubts about the subscription being canceled.
BarkBox subscriptions renew automatically, so unless you unsubscribe, your 6 or 12-month subscription will be renewed for additional 6 or 12 months once the first one expires.
There is also no possibility for money returns once you have chosen a 6 or 12-month subscription. If for any reason you are not satisfied with the service and wish to cancel the subscription after the third month, you will not get your money back. You will also keep receiving the BarkBoxes until the subscription expires.
For starters, maybe choose the one-month option and then switch to whichever subscription is most suitable for you. That way you won’t get stuck with a plan that you are not comfortable with.
So, before choosing the subscription plan, make sure you have done your research and are aware of all the obstacles that may arise. Do some smart planning.
Time Saving
Good Quality
Dog Happiness
Reorder Certain Item
Bulk Purchasing
BarkBox offers its customers the option of bulk purchasing. The more items you purchase, the more money you’ll save.
Boxes
The so-called Physical BarkBox is the best choice for those who know the number and size of boxes they need. Depending on the boxes purchased, the prices vary as follows:
- For an order of 10-50 boxes, the price is $29/box
- For an order of 51-149 boxes, the price is $25/box
- For an order of 150+ boxes, the price is $20/box
When planning the budget, please make sure to add the cost for sales tax. This is a suitable option for customers who wish to use the free shipping option to one address.
Gift Cards
You may also decide to surprise someone with a $35.00 BarkBox Gift Card. The receiver will be able to choose the content of the box, customized to their dogs’ needs. There is also a good option to purchase more than one gift card and get a discount. If you are running out of ideas for holiday gifts, this might be a good option for you. An idea to consider if your friends are dog parents.
- 5-10 gift cards with a 10% discount
- 11-29 gift cards with a 15% discount
- 30+ gift cards with a 20% discount
Shipping
BarkBoxes may be delivered all over the USA, Canada, Hawaii, and Alaska.
The shipping is free of charge in the 48 contiguous U.S. states and there is an $8.00/month shipping fee anywhere else.
The preparation time for all BarkBoxes is 2-3 business days. For the contiguous states, the boxes should start arriving within 2-8 business days and for the others, it can take between 4-12 business days.
Content and Quality
Let’s take a look at the content of the BarkBox. It will mainly depend on which box you have selected, varying from 4-6 items. Each box should include a chewable, 2 treats, 2 toys, and an item related to the monthly theme.
BarkBox designers engage in thoughtful processes to create fun and safe toys for your dogs. The vendors are reliable and craft toys that are made with only the highest quality ingredients. Before releasing the toys for public use, they are tested by BarkBox’s dog gang.
The chewables and treats are made from natural ingredients based on BarkBox’s recipes. If your dog suffers from any kind of allergy, make sure to let the company know. BarkBox pays extra attention to providing natural and organic products, hence the treats don’t contain corn, soy, or wheat.
The so-called BarkBox Happy Team is standing by to assist you with any health-related concerns that might be bothering your dog. Make sure you inform them of any specifics regarding your dog’s health so that they may tailor the box content based on the preferences provided to them.
What makes BarkBox so fun and attractive for customers is the theme that is chosen on a monthly basis. Depending on the month, it may be a holiday theme or just a randomly chosen one.
October is all about Halloween, November is a month dedicated to Thanksgiving and December is, of course, a Christmas month. Other BarkBox themes have included the Olympics, sharks, space, and many more original themes.
In order to make things fun, the BarkBox team likes to surprise your dog with a monthly goodie. It doesn’t necessarily mean that your dog will get a holiday goodie even if it is December.
Now, for first-time orders, you don’t really get to choose what your dog will receive. The option to customize the box contents may be done after placing the first order
Is It Worth It?
If you compare BarkBox to competitors, you will find that it is more affordable than the others. Now, you may say that if you do a thorough search you will find the products for much cheaper prices. Yes, you might find some of them at an insignificantly lower price, but do you have that much time on your hands?
Looking at individual product prices and the price of the monthly packages, you will find that buying them individually comes out to be more expensive. Plus there is the fun surprise your dog receives every month. So, is it worth the hassle to spend so much time ordering from here and there when you can find everything your dog needs in one place?
So far, customers have not had any substantial complaints other than criticism regarding the subscription cancellation. Let’s look at the pros and cons of Barkbox.
Pros
- Time saver – Forget about constant trips to the store, BarkBox takes care of your dog’s needs.
- Quality – BarkBox pays attention to providing only high-quality products
- Tailored boxes – The Bark Boxes are carefully tailored to fit the dog’s size and the owner’s budget
- Bulking – Bulk box and gift card purchases are a great option for multiple dogs
- Returning for more – If the dog enjoys a certain item from the box, you can always reorder it from the Bark Shop
- Happiness – the monthly supply of new toys and treats will keep your dog happy
- Philanthropy- BarkBox donates to shelter partner organizations to help with shelter dogs
Cons
- The customer doesn’t have much say in the toy selection.
- Automatic renewal of subscription and no money return – if you don’t cancel the subscription, you will be charged again. The subscription will renew for the same period as the initial one. Money will not be returned to the customer if they cancel the subscription earlier.
More From Bark
Apart from the monthly BarkBoxes, the company provides your dog with dental care products and healthy eating plans.
Bark Bright is a combination of toothpaste and dental chew to keep a dog’s bad breath under control. It makes your life easier because there is no more need for brushing your teeth. This dental kit is available in 3 sizes depending on the dog’s weight.
Bark Eats offers 28 carefully portioned daily meals delivered to your doorstep. All you need to do is inform the Bark team of your dog’s eating preferences, possible allergies, or other conditions. The meal may be customized as per your dog’s needs. Bark Eats is about recipes prepared by expert nutritionists and healthy domestically grown ingredients.
What to Choose?
Customers are the greatest critics and BarkBox is a hit among them. The company ticks all the boxes for healthy treats, chews, and original one-of-a-kind toys.
Dogs love to be surprised and BarkBox manages to do that. You can do that by having a box delivered to your door once a month.
If the 6 and 12-month subscription plans are risky for you because you might forget to cancel them, choose the monthly plan, for starters. See how it goes, see if your dog will like BarkBox, and then decide.
Overall, there is no reason not to choose BarkBox. High-quality and unique products that bring joy to your dog are always the right choice.
BarkBox keeps your dog entertained and fed so you don’t have to and enjoy a fun day with your furry friend.
