Since my wife and I got our dog Rigby, we’ve slowly but surely come to fit every stereotype of a modern pet owner. Yes, 90% of the photos on my phone are of her. My wife and I constantly send each other videos of dogs that remind us of Rigby. And somehow our dog spends an increasing number of nights in our bed. This obsession also means that, as I browse Instagram, I’m served plenty of pet-centric ads.
A few months ago, one such ad caught my attention: PupRing. While the custom jewelry on display wouldn’t normally lead me to tap, the timing (just before my wife’s birthday and Valentine’s Day) made me think that perhaps this could be a good gift idea. In contrast to my typical buying procedure, I ended up placing an order just minutes after tapping the ad.
So was that PupRing order a good decision and would I do it again? Let’s take a closer look at what PupRing offers and my experience with the service.
PupRing Review: My Experience Ordering Custom Dog Gifts
What I Ordered and What I Paid
On PupRing, you’ll find a variety of items. This includes necklaces with the name and face of your dog as well as, yes, rings with similar features. Admittedly, I didn’t quite want to go with either one of these as it seemed more like a gift for after your pet has passed. What I wanted was just a cute keepsake.
With that in mind, I ended up going with a silver Pet Cutout Keychain with an added rose gold plated Pet Cutout Pendant. As part of the deal at the time, the second item was free and I got an extra $5 off using a Valentine’s Day code. With $6.95 shipping, my grand total for my order came to $60.95.
Funny enough, on the day I’m writing this, I just got an email from PupRing warning that they’ll need to raise prices starting June 1st due to the current economic environment. Therefore, if you’re reading this after that date, you may see some different pricing (although there may be a better sale available too *fingers crossed*).
I should also mention that the process of order was fairly simple. In my case, I used my phone, so it was easy to find photos of Rigby in my camera roll and upload them with my order. It would be cool if PupRing were able to make a rough mock-up for you to view before completing your transaction but, alas, that wasn’t an option. Thus, it wasn’t until my order arrived that I got to see the results.
Shipping and Waiting
As I mentioned, I placed my order on PupRing in a fast and impulsive fashion. Because of this, it wasn’t until a bit after that I started to notice some red flags that had me panicked.
First, when I placed my order, there was a countdown at the top of the page advertising the time left to place an order in time for Valentine’s Day arrival (at least that’s what I think it was — it may have just been for the Valentine’s sale). Amazingly, when I went back to the site, the countdown started at the exact same place as it did the first time I went there a day or two prior. I know this is a common albeit annoying practice so I wasn’t too concerned about that.
However, when I later went to the FAQ and Shipping Policy pages and found them to be blank, I was full on worried that I’d let myself get scammed. Googling PupRing didn’t help as, among some good reviews, there were also some warnings. I will say that those pages are now filled out on the site so I’m not sure what the issue was before.
Anyway, a few days after I placed my order, I got an email stating that an artist was starting the design for my order and that they’d pass it on to the jeweler after that. This memo made me think that I’d see future updates — and perhaps even a proof to check out for final approval. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. As the kids say, they weren’t beating the scam allegations.
After a week of not hearing anything (and the delivery date I’d expected drawing very near), I sent an email to follow up. The next day, I was told that my order had already been processed and shipped out from their warehouse. Yet, it wasn’t until a week and a half after that email that I got the notification saying my order had actually shipped. Thankfully, from there, the order was trackable via USPS and it arrived not too long after.
To recap, I placed my order on February 2nd. It arrived on February 26th. Again, this delay wouldn’t be so bad if there had been any communication. Instead, I was left to worry until I finally saw progress in shipping and, eventually, my items reached my mailbox.
In the interest of fairness, I believe that the majority of my issues likely involved my timing. Perhaps PupRing bit off a bit more than they could chew in terms of their advertising turning into a slew of sales. This could have led them to get backed up. Still, as always, some proactive communication could go a long way.
The Results
I’ve said it before and it forever rings true: I’m horrible at perceiving scale in online shopping photos. Moreover, even reading the dimensions of items, I still can’t picture how large or small they’ll be. So, truth be told, the keychains were indeed tinier than I had envisioned in my head.
The good news is that they were adorable! I found both items to bear an impressive likeness to Rigby in the photos I had sent for reference — and the cutout was well done. Plus, while I didn’t try too hard to bend them, they do feel solid and I think they’ll hold up over time.
I also liked that both items came in fairly nice jewelry boxes. In my eyes, this elevated the gift quite a bit despite being a small touch. If they had just come in small plastic baggies I might feel differently about the next question we’re going to ask.
Was It Worth It?
As sweet as they are, saying that they’re worth $30 each on average is a stretch. That price is somewhat more justifiable since they were a gift… but that’s just me rationalizing. I suppose it could be worse but, be aware, this isn’t a cheap present and yet may not be as grand as you’re hoping. Will it be cute though? Most assuredly.
Final Thoughts on PupRing
Despite the delays I experienced with my order, I have to say that the finished products I got from PupRing are pretty darn adorable. Plus, the not-Tiffany-blue-but-close boxes that came with my items are a nice touch. Rest assured, my wife loves both pieces I ordered and they now live happily on her phone case.
Having said that, there’s no doubt that the price of these small keychains is steep — and will apparently be going up. With that in mind, if you want to give PupRing a shot, I might recommend trying to order a Pet Cutout Pendant and affixing it to an existing keyring you might have. That option runs at half the price… although you will have to pay for shipping since you’ll be below that threshold.
All in all, while I’m glad to have my PupRing pendants, I’m honestly not sure if I would order from them again. I suppose if they had a good deal and I had some great Rigby photos on hand, I’d probably give them a shot. Of course, I’d be sure to order well, well, well in advance of when I’d want to gift ready just in case.