I used to order from them despite the shipping charges because I really liked their ‘Riding Sport’ breeches. The quality of those have became junk a few years ago so I no longer order from Dover.
Now their are so many other companies, SmartPak, Stateline Tack, Big Dee’s Tack, Adams Horse Supply, that I never need to order from Dover.
They obviously have not missed my business! 
[QUOTE=clint;7623252]
Ditto this. I don’t even look at their website anymore; charging shipping by amount spent rather than weight is truly prehistoric and I walked with my feet a long time ago.[/QUOTE]
Same with me. It’s completely ridiculous which is why they lost me as a customer a long time ago. Offering $5.00 shipping if you use their credit card? Unless you are paying off the card each time, they’re ripping you off via the interest so I see no value in that.
Who cares as long as returns are free!
I shop my local brick and mortar store. They will match any on-line price and can order anything for me free of charge that they don’t stock in-store.
I realize not everyone has a local tack store, but I think that’s the exception, not the rule. I’m a big fan of supporting local small business and appreciate the personal customer service.
[QUOTE=Go Fish;7623564]
I shop my local brick and mortar store. They will match any on-line price and can order anything for me free of charge that they don’t stock in-store.
I realize not everyone has a local tack store, but I think that’s the exception, not the rule. I’m a big fan of supporting local small business and appreciate the personal customer service.[/QUOTE]
I’m a fan of supporting a local small business but part of the reason I buy from Dover is that they stock a lot of things, I can go to the store and touch them, and I can return it if it doesn’t meet my expectations even down the line. I’m willing to pay more in shipping for that.
I hate ordering from drop shippers like Adams. They all carry the same stuff (distributed by english riding supply) and it takes forever to come in since they just order from the distributor when you order from them. I buy from dover because they actually hold inventory in stock and I can get it next day if I want.
I don’t have the dover visa, but I use the code “tenoff” and get $10 off, which usually brings my shipping down to $3-8. I can’t drive to the store for that much in gas so that’s worth it.
I also don’t ever shop with Dover: I don’t find their prices to be nearly as competitive anymore, and I’ve also noticed the following, which I find a bit misleading and sketchy, to say the least:
Go dig up one of their regular catalogs and then grab a sale’s catalog. Look at the prices from the regular catalog, and compare them to the “sale price” in the sale’s catalog. More often than not, the prices are the same. I’ve started to notice a pattern where Dover will give you the “list price”, which is essentially the same as an MSRP, and then give you “their price”. Then, in the sale catalog, they will again give you the “list price” and their “new” sale price…it makes it look like you are getting this HUGE savings on an item, when in reality the sale price is often the same as, or hardly different than, the regular price.
They also mislead you with those “Bonus” items on that slip tucked in with the paper order form. You know, the “spend this much money and get this item for this price” sort of thing? Check the regular price of those items…usually you aren’t getting a bargain. Sometimes the price hasn’t even changed.
I know, I know, marketing and consumer studies and blah blah blah, but I’d like to think I’m not getting worked over by at least one of the companies I frequent…
I have their credit card because you get $4.95 flat rate shipping when you use it.
I got a bit from them earlier this year & the shipping was nearly $15. I hated paying that much but could not find that particular bit elsewhere & was in a hurry. When I got the bit, I saw why the shipping charge–the package included their huge catalog which probably cost a fortune to mail. I won’t be buying from them in the future due to the shipping charges. Nice that you can use their credit card & save on shipping but I have enough credit cards already. But it is obvious that they won’t miss me at all.
I refuse to buy anything from Dover. I can get free and fast shipping from other places so I don’t see the point of shopping with them. I always warn my customers to steer clear from Dover for the same reason.
They wanted $100+ to ship a pair of tall boots to BC… They were $100 off but I could have just bought them closer to home. Needless to say I told them no thanks and bought them elsewhere.
I only buy things from Dover if I can’t get them elsewhere. I love their products and selection, but the shipping is expensive compared to pretty much anywhere else.
If they retooled their shipping prices I would certainly shop there again.
I am tempted to email this thread to Dover Customer Service.
“Back in the Day” they were the signpost for mailorder quality.
Living in the Big City there was a dearth of tack shops near me & now on my farmette I am in an English-style wasteland.
The nearest tack store is a good 1/2h drive and about 99.9% Western.
I don’t fault them, they need to stock what sells.
But it leaves me dependent on mailorder for a lot of things.
Especially for clothing (for me) & tack I pretty much need to depend on places like Dover & Stateline.
Otherwise I have to drive 2h+ to the NW 'burbs of IL to get to pricy places like Barrington, Hunter’s Row & the Dover Formerly Known As Libertyville.
I rarely shop at Dover. Their shipping charges irritate me. Also, they don’t usually carry larger sizes. When I needed a new helmet, they didn’t have one that fit me, but offered to ship one to me. Not at those shipping prices!
My horse is an Irish Draught. Dover didn’t carry the wide Woof boots that fit bigger boned horses. I like Adams Horse Supply. Their prices are good. Their customer service people know horses androducts. They carry the bigger sizes.
They also give the impression in their catalogs that the selection they offer is the only stuff made; got a huge wakeup call on THAT when I found out The Farm House has gonzo more colors in ALL the styles of Tailored Sportsman breeches, who knew the mid-rise and others come in more than “show” colors, which are all that Dover offers?
Not fond of this move by Smart Pak to a “house” brand of clothing and horse clothing; I prefer long-time name brands so I know what I’m getting. The one exception to that is Dover’s blankets which are still one of the better buys on the market. Ditto the poster above, though, who has also noticed the bogus “sale” prices. Those MSRP prices are bogus, too–those items have NEVER sold for that, so the markdown is pretty much all illusion. Ah, American innumeracy! 
I’ve gotten outstanding Charles Owen deals on E-Bay direct from England, color/model selection not available apparently “over here” or the catalogs just don’t want to carry them. All are ASTM/SEI, not uncertified stuff.
One wickedly sneaky way I shop now is to plug the item I want (or its approximate) into Google and hit “Images,” then scroll until I see what I like and go to THAT page; at least as often as not I make the acquaintance of a fabulous new supplier, here or overseas, who can either get me something off the beaten track or undercut outfits like Dover.
As Jean-Luc Picard once said, “Let’s see what’s OUT there . . . !” 
I don’t buy much in the way of blankets (don’t clip or blanket) or show clothes but I just dropped $80 on a padded leather halter from SmartPak, I’m looking at tack and skull caps from Big Dee’s. I honestly forgot Dover was even an option and I don’t think I’ve bought anything there in literally years. They’re expensive, their shipping’s extortionate, and they never seem to have a good selection of things I want. Little stuff (brushes, shampoos, etc) I can find plenty of at Tractor Supply or the tack shop who runs the tack trailer at the county fair every year (I always go in swearing I don’t NEED anything but but but…) and the big things I have much better options available and if for some reason whatever it is doesn’t work, I can send it back at their expense, not mine. Even the non-horse clothes I buy on-line (mostly ModCloth and J. Peterman lately) come with the pre-paid return labels in the box (and Peterman goes the extra mile with hangers, garment bags, and tissue wrapping, not a plastic sack shipper like the last clothes I got from Dover came in.)
[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;7625123]
They also give the impression in their catalogs that the selection they offer is the only stuff made; got a huge wakeup call on THAT when I found out The Farm House has gonzo more colors in ALL the styles of Tailored Sportsman breeches, who knew the mid-rise and others come in more than “show” colors, which are all that Dover offers?
Not fond of this move by Smart Pak to a “house” brand of clothing and horse clothing; I prefer long-time name brands so I know what I’m getting. The one exception to that is Dover’s blankets which are still one of the better buys on the market. Ditto the poster above, though, who has also noticed the bogus “sale” prices. Those MSRP prices are bogus, too–those items have NEVER sold for that, so the markdown is pretty much all illusion. Ah, American innumeracy!
I’ve gotten outstanding Charles Owen deals on E-Bay direct from England, color/model selection not available apparently “over here” or the catalogs just don’t want to carry them. All are ASTM/SEI, not uncertified stuff.
One wickedly sneaky way I shop now is to plug the item I want (or its approximate) into Google and hit “Images,” then scroll until I see what I like and go to THAT page; at least as often as not I make the acquaintance of a fabulous new supplier, here or overseas, who can either get me something off the beaten track or undercut outfits like Dover.
As Jean-Luc Picard once said, “Let’s see what’s OUT there . . . !” :D[/QUOTE]
I hate you so much right now. I’m going to have a pair of Ivy and Ultra violet ones on the way to my house now :lol:
I avoid shopping online at Dover at ALL COSTS. I even try to avoid going to their Chantilly store even though its only about an hour away because I dont like the idea of supporting their business in any fashion.
There are endless threads on this forum about the problems with Dover. Clearly Dover does not care what people think.
Clearly, people are not content with voting with their wallet if a business’s practice doesn’t suit them, it must be discussed ad nauseum on a public bulletin board.
[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;7625123]
Not fond of this move by Smart Pak to a “house” brand of clothing and horse clothing; I prefer long-time name brands so I know what I’m getting.[/QUOTE]
I can vouch for at least one of the Smartpak blankets:
4 yrs ago I bought their Thinsulate turnout for my pony - cost was around $120, IIRC.
Admittedly, I rarely blanket, so it doesn’t get a lot of annual use, but it is like brand-new. After regular end-of-season machine washing & drying.
LOVE the lightweight, yet warm lining & decent hardware.
The only complaint is leg staps stretched waaaaaaaay out, so I just don’t use them, Blanket stays in place w/o.
Plus Smartpak was more than willing to trade it in when the size I ordered turned out too small for the pony (yes: I measured pony before ordering, but sizing must run small).
Within a week I had a new blanket & did not have to return the original until I got that one.
I want to spend the $160 for the large horse-sized model for Mr Big, but Thrifty Me cannot justify it because his current (cheapy Amigo) blanket is still in good shape.
In this day, who charges shipping fees anymore?
People who don’t get my business, that’s who.
I was purchasing items from Equestrian Collections when I first got back on a horse last year. But their shipping is ridiculous. It’s sometimes free to ship and never free to return. Plus it takes as much as 3-4 weeks to receive a package. So I order something that I can’t find anywhere, wait 3+ weeks to receive it, it doesn’t fit, I PAY to return it. Then get a refund, less shipping fees a couple months later. Not worth my business.
I actually kept a pair of half chaps that did not fit just because the return shipping was too big of a pain to deal with.
I’ve turned to dealing directly with Kerrits or purchasing from SmartPak from this point forward.
In addition to this, I’ve become really careful with online reviews for an item, particularly the “fit”. If it fits too small, true to size, etc. Since the local tack store is horrible with their selection and customer service, if I need something quick, I don’t want to waste my time waiting for the wrong size to come.
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