Customer support

Shipping costs depend on the chosen carrier, order weight, number of packages, and delivery country. You will see the exact amount in your cart for each carrier before completing your order.

Indicative prices can be found on the Delivery Methods page.

We ship to almost the entire world. You will see the availability of shipping to your specific country in the cart — if no shipping option is offered, we do not currently ship to that country.

You can find a list of carriers and delivery types on the Delivery Methods page.

You will see the estimated delivery date:

• in the detail of each product on the website,

• in the cart when selecting the carrier.

This is an average calculated from actual deliveries to your country with the given carrier. After handing over the shipment to the carrier, you will receive a tracking link by email, where you will see the current delivery date.

For some countries, we cannot calculate the delivery date (insufficient data) — in that case, it will not be displayed. After dispatch, you can always see the current status in the shipment tracking.

Yes, if we offer express service to your country. You will see availability, price and speed in the cart when selecting the carrier — express options will appear alongside standard delivery methods.

For express orders, choose payment by card or PayPal. With bank transfer we wait for the funds to arrive, so Express would lose its purpose.

For pet hardware, we always state the inner clearance in millimeters. If you have webbing that is 20 mm wide, choose 20 mm hardware.

The size is also part of the product code — you'll find it after the slash (e.g., 4520/20 NP).

The final price depends exclusively on the quantity ordered, not on whether you are purchasing as a consumer, retailer, or manufacturer. The larger the volume, the better the price.

For details, see Do you offer any discounts?

Yes, two options:

• 10% discount for a full carton. For each product, you can see prices for three package sizes — basic package (10 pcs), bundle, and carton. If you order a quantity corresponding to a full carton, the discount is applied automatically.

• Volume discounts. With higher total turnover, you receive an additional discount — the rules can be found on the Payment Methods and Discounts page.

We do not offer any other discounts or discount coupons.

Yes, we are happy to send samples. We evaluate each request individually:

• A few samples for selection — usually free of charge. Shipping is paid by the customer.

• Larger quantities or more expensive products — we may charge the product price. We will inform you of the specific amount in advance.

You can request samples in two ways:

• With an order — write your request in the order note.

• Separately — contact us via customer support.

Always include the product code and delivery address with your request.

Yes, you may. You are the consignee and therefore the importer — your country may apply import duties, VAT, and other charges to the shipment.

Estimate in cart. At checkout we display an estimated amount of duties and taxes. The final amount is determined by your country's customs — it may differ due to exchange rates or reassessment by customs officers. Import VAT and duties are typically calculated on the total value including shipping.

How we invoice shipments. Always at actual value with full commercial documentation (goods description, origin, HS code). We cannot declare lower values or mark shipments as gifts.

How duties and taxes are paid — two regimes:

• DAP — default for most countries. Duties and taxes are collected by the carrier or customs at delivery. We do not charge the estimate in cart in this case.

• DDP — where offered, you prepay duties and taxes directly in cart, nothing more to pay at delivery.

USA. The "de minimis" duty-free threshold for values under $800 no longer applies — all shipments are subject to duties regardless of value (rules in the USA change frequently). The USA has no VAT. With DAP the carrier will contact you before delivery with payment instructions; with DDP you prepay charges in cart.

Canada. Shipments are subject to GST/HST + possible provincial sales tax + customs duties. The duty exemption threshold is CAD 20 — above this duties typically apply. Customs clearance is handled by the carrier (typically UPS), who will contact you before delivery.

Great Britain:

• Orders over £135. We invoice without VAT. On import you pay British VAT at 20% and any applicable duties. UPS charges a VAT adjustment of £6.25 + disbursement fee of £12.90. If total duty + VAT exceeds £516, UPS instead charges 2.5% of that amount. (UPS rates may change.)

• Up to £135 — B2C. We invoice with British VAT at 20%. Nothing more to pay at delivery.

• Up to £135 — B2B. Provide a valid British VAT number — we invoice without VAT (reverse charge). Without a VAT number the order is processed as B2C with British VAT at 20%.

• Different rules may apply for Northern Ireland.

Refused or returned shipments. If you refuse, do not collect, or do not pay charges on time, the carrier may return or dispose of the shipment (with storage fees). For returned goods we deduct shipping costs and related fees from the refund. We do not refund prepaid duties and taxes (DDP) — these are collected by customs authorities; you may claim them directly from them.

Information here is for guidance only. For binding information on import regulations, contact your country's customs authorities.

In 99.9% of cases, no. Delivery within the EU is usually not subject to any additional fees.

Exceptions — special tax territories. Some parts of EU member states have their own tax regimes and import charges may apply when delivering to them:

• Canary Islands (ES) — part of the EU customs territory but not the tax territory. Deliveries are subject to IGIC tax:

  • Up to €150 (including shipping) — simplified procedure, IGIC only.

  • Over €150 — standard customs procedure, import duties, IGIC, AIEM and special taxes.

• Ceuta and Melilla (ES) — located outside the EU customs and tax territory. Deliveries are considered exports and are subject to local IPSI tax and customs duties.

• Åland Islands (FI) — part of the EU customs territory but not the tax territory. Deliveries are subject to import VAT and possible charges.

No, we do not ship to P.O. Boxes. Carriers require a signature upon delivery, which a mailbox does not allow.

If you are not home during the day, we recommend:

• providing your work address as the delivery address,

• after the shipment is handed over to the carrier, using their self-service tool to request delivery to a pickup location or a different time — see My goods are on the way, but I need to change the delivery.

Fill out the catalog request form and we will send you the printed catalog. The printed catalog contains products without prices.

We do not print the price list — prices are updated daily according to the exchange rate. Current prices can be found:

• on our website for each product,

• in the downloadable PDF price list.

Partially. Our products are made of metal, and metal mining always impacts nature — labeling them as 100% eco-friendly would not be honest. What we can influence, we do:

Electroplating. Our suppliers invest in modern technologies and processes that are safe for nature and employees. The old reputation of "dirty" plating is largely overcome.

Packaging and shipping. We pack in plastics and carton — we have not yet found an alternative with the same strength and protection. We are registered with EKO-KOM, which ensures take-back of packaging in the Czech Republic. At our company, we sort plastics and paper and strive to maximize material utilization.

Durability and recycling. Our metal products are highly recyclable. At the end of their life, hand them over to sorted metal collection — for us, that is the right end for the product.

No, we do not offer gift vouchers and do not plan to offer them in the future.

No, we do not ship any orders during inventory. Inventory always takes place the week before Christmas — we physically count the entire warehouse so that we can display accurate stock quantities for products year-round.

Inventory is followed by the Christmas holidays, when we are closed. We ship the first orders only after New Year's in January.

We announce specific dates in advance so you can plan your purchase accordingly.

No. E-transfer is a Canadian system for transferring money to an email address, but our company has a European bank account that does not accept e-transfers.

Instead, you can pay by:

• international bank transfer (SWIFT or SEPA),

• PayPal,

• credit card (except CAD currency).

After receiving your order, we will send you a confirmation email with a summary and payment instructions. When we hand over the goods to the carrier depends on the payment method and time of day.

Payment method:

• Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, cash on delivery — we process the goods for dispatch immediately after receiving the order.

• Bank transfer (proforma invoice) — we process for dispatch after the full amount is credited to our account.

Timing (Prague time):

• On a working day before 12:00 — we hand over to the carrier the same day.

• After 12:00 — we do not guarantee same-day dispatch. We often manage it anyway, otherwise the next working day.

• Weekend or Friday after 12:00 — we hand over on Monday (if not a public holiday).

• Public holidays — we dispatch on the first following working day.

Stock availability. What you see on the website as in stock, we physically have ready to ship. Out-of-stock items cannot be ordered — you can set up a stock watchdog for the product and we will notify you as soon as it is available again.

Emails you will receive:

1. Order confirmation with summary and payment instructions

2. Information that we are packing your order

3. Handover to carrier with tracking code

Yes, if you have not paid yet — contact us and we will cancel the order. Alternatively, wait: an unpaid order is automatically canceled on the 6th day after receipt.

If it is already paid or in the status Packing or Handed over to carrier, we cannot guarantee cancellation. Contact us as soon as possible and we will assess it individually.

It depends on where your order is in the payment process.

You have not paid yet. The easiest way is to create a new order with the correct items. You don't need to worry about the old one — on day 3 it will send you a payment reminder and on day 6 it will be automatically cancelled.

You have already sent the payment, but the money has not reached us yet (typically a bank transfer in transit). Contact us via the customer support form — we will resolve it together. Do not create a new order yet, as it would create the need to match and refund payments.

The payment has already arrived. We can no longer change the content — an invoice has been automatically issued and a dispatch note has been sent to the warehouse.

• Do you want to add an item? Create another order. Unfortunately, two orders cannot be merged.

• Do you want to remove an item? After receiving the goods, return it within the 14-day period — see Complaints and Returns.

Track your order status and shipment location on our order tracking page — no login required, just your order number and e-mail. Logged-in customers can also find it via My orders.

Your order goes through the following stages: Received → Awaiting payment → Packing → Handed to carrier → Delivered. Once handed to the carrier, the tracking page will also show live shipment movement directly from the carrier.

After dispatch you'll receive an e-mail with a direct tracking link — no password needed to open it.

If you placed and paid for your order and nothing has changed by the second business day, write to us.

Once the shipment has been handed over to the carrier, we can no longer make changes — contact the carrier directly. You will find their contact information in the email with the tracking link.

Self-service tools by carrier:

• Czech Post — redirection options are limited. The best way is to track your shipment on the Czech Post website.

• DPD — DPD service allows you to change the delivery location or time.

• UPS (Standard, Expedited, Express Saver) — UPS My Choice service (redirection, delivery time change).

• FedEx (Economy, Priority) — FedEx Delivery Manager service (redirection, hold at depot).

Contact us as soon as possible — the faster you reach out, the better the chance of correcting the address without consequences. The procedure depends on the shipment status:

• We haven't shipped yet. We'll change the address in the system and ship the goods correctly at no additional cost. (After placing an order, you cannot edit the address yourself in your account.)

• The shipment is already with the carrier. You can contact the carrier directly (contact details are in the email with the tracking link — see The goods are on the way, but I need to change the delivery). We will also try to contact them. In practice, the carrier often calls the recipient directly and arranges it with them. Success depends on the specific carrier and courier.

• The shipment was returned from the incorrect address. You pay the return shipping costs — these are usually higher than the original postage because we don't have volume discounts on them. To ship to the correct address, you'll also pay new postage.

It depends on when the invoice was issued.

Invoice from the current calendar month. We will adjust the information upon request. If the change affects the tax regime (typically adding a Tax ID or VAT ID, which changes VAT remittance), a VAT surcharge or overpayment may arise — we will fine-tune it together.

Invoice from the previous month or older. We can no longer modify the information on the original invoice — the data has been submitted to accounting and reported. In justified cases, we will issue a corrective tax document (credit note) and issue a new invoice.

Contact us with the order or invoice number and a description of the requested change.

It depends on the situation:

Payment failed in the cart. There can be several reasons — invalid card, payment gateway outage, insufficient limit. If the payment fails, you will see an error message and can try again immediately. If repeated attempts fail, contact us via customer support — we will send you a new payment link where you can also choose a different payment method.

You received a reminder but already paid. We send an automatic reminder on the 3rd day after receiving the order to everyone who has not yet paid. If you sent the payment recently (typically by bank transfer), the reminder may arrive before the payment is matched — this usually resolves itself. You can see the current order status in My orders. If the status does not change after a few days, contact us via customer support.

We do not offer direct size exchanges. Return the incorrect item within 14 days of receipt and order the correct size separately. You can find the procedure on the Complaints and Returns page.

Yes, within 14 days of receipt. Log in to My orders and click Return for the relevant order. You pay for the return shipping. The complete procedure is on the Complaints and returns page.

No, you must send returned shipments yourself. You can find the delivery address and procedure on the Complaints and Returns page.

Fill out the claim form as soon as possible. Send a brief description of the defect and a photo of the product. Depending on the situation, we will send a replacement or refund your money.

If the goods were already damaged upon receipt (broken box, etc.), please see the question The goods arrived damaged during transport.

Contact us as soon as possible via the claim form. Provide your order number, a description of the problem, and a photo of the shipment contents. Ideally within 7 days of receipt, but we will resolve later reports as well — errors sometimes only become apparent when using the product.

What happens next:

• An item is missing from your order. We will send the missing item free of charge — you do not need to return anything.

• You received different goods than you ordered. We will send the correct item.

The error is on our side, so we will cover the costs.

You always receive the invoice in three ways — so you can find it in three places:

1. Physically in the shipment. We include a printed invoice in every package.

2. By email. We attach a PDF to the email we send when the shipment is handed over to the carrier.

3. In your account. Log in to My Orders and download the invoice as a PDF for the respective order.

If you cannot find the invoice in any of these places, contact us via customer support.

If we know the restocking date, we display it directly on the product page. However, this is only an estimated date — it may shift based on current information from the carrier, sometimes at the last minute. We cannot provide a more precise date even upon request.

We recommend two options:

• Activate the "watchdog" for the product — the most reliable notification method. We'll send you an email only when we physically stock the item, so you know it's actually available.

• Choose a similar product that is in stock if you need a solution now.

We can immediately supply only products from our current range. If you need a different size, color, material or a completely new product, we can manufacture it to order — see I would like to have a product made to order, how long will it take?

Yes, we offer custom manufacturing — whether it's modifying an existing product or creating a completely new one. The timeline depends on the scope:

• Modification of an existing product (different color, finish, material, size) — typically 10–12 weeks from payment of the proforma invoice.

• Development of a completely new product including mold production — approximately half a year.

Our process:

1. We clarify the specifications together (dimensions, material, finish, quantity).

2. We send a price calculation and proforma invoice.

3. After payment of the proforma, we begin production.

The minimum value for custom manufacturing is €1,000. This applies across all products — regardless of what you are having manufactured.

We cannot economically cover smaller orders — the fixed costs of production preparation (machine setup, surface treatments) are only viable from this threshold.

For pricing and to begin production, we need:

• 3D model of the product in CAD format (e.g., STEP). We derive the weight from the model, which is key for pricing.

• Material — typically ZAMAC zinc alloy, brass, or steel. We're happy to discuss other options.

• Surface finish — nickel, matte black, antique brass, and others. We'll confirm available options based on the material.

• Required quantity — for minimum value see What quantity do I need to order?

We typically maintain dimensions within a tolerance of ±1 mm. Without a 3D model, we cannot prepare an accurate calculation.

Start through customer support — we'll assign you internally to the right team member.

Yes, we manufacture webbing on a custom basis — you can choose a different color, thickness, and weaving method.

Minimum order is 2,000 m (limited by the production batch size on the weaving loom).

Process:

1. Contact us via customer support.

2. We will finalize the specifications (thickness, weaving).

3. After approval, we will issue a proforma invoice.

4. Within 8 weeks of proforma payment, we will deliver the webbing.

Country of origin. It varies by specific product — most metal components come from Asia, with some assembly and accessories completed in the EU. We are happy to provide specific information for a given product via customer support.

REACH. Yes. All Pet Hardware products are classified under REACH regulation as articles, not as substances or preparations. We comply with all related obligations. REACH is European legislation for the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals. Detailed summary in our REACH document (PDF).

SVHC and other specific declarations. If you need a declaration on Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) or other specific documentation for a given product, contact customer support — we will handle it individually.

Certificates and technical documents. If a given product has a certificate, technical data sheet or safety data sheet, you will find them:

• in the product detail on the website,

• in My orders for products from that order.

Yes, but only for products you have purchased from us. Distributors and retailers who are not currently purchasing from us may not use the photos.

Terms of use:

• Use the photos as they are — without modifications, retouching, cropping, or color changes.

• Do not use them in misleading advertising.

• Attribution (pethardware.com) is not required.

Tarnishing of brass is caused by oxidation — a natural chemical process that cannot be completely prevented. Certain substances (chemicals from tanned leather, sweat, grease) accelerate it.

How to address it:

• Remove the oxidized layer — using the brass cleaner Sitol.

• Protect the surface — if you want to preserve the shine of polished metal, apply a thin layer of transparent protective varnish by brush, dipping, or spraying.

The cleaning and polishing process is shown in our video.

No, we cannot guarantee 100% shade consistency for rose gold and antique brass hardware. Electroplating is a process in which it is impossible to keep all factors affecting the final shade exactly the same at all times — minor variations between production batches are inevitable.

Additionally, individual production batches are mixed in our warehouse, so we cannot guarantee that even items from a single order come from the same batch. For example, if you are purchasing snap hooks to match D-rings from a previous order, a slight difference in shade may occur.

The value indicates the load at which the product breaks in a direct-pull test. It serves as a reference figure for selection — not as a guarantee.

How we measure. For each product type we test 2–3 pieces on our own equipment, which is neither certified nor calibrated. Variance between pieces of the same type can be up to 20% — steel products tend to have less variance than cast zinc products.

How to use the value:

• Safe load = 1/10 of the breaking load. For a 25 kg dog, choose a carabiner rated above 250 kg.

• Collars and martingales — for buckles, slide buckles, and martingale chains used on collars, the actual pull forces are half of the test value, so you can count on a doubled safety margin.

• Other use — if you use buckles or chains outside of a collar (e.g., as a connector between two fixed points without the possibility of load distribution), the half-force bonus does not apply.

Yes. We weld steel products using spot welding, and stainless steel products using argon welding. The only non-welded products are loops, where welding is not necessary — they are not subject to strength requirements.

Specific information can always be found in the product description.

Our polypropylene fibers have UV stabilization of 80–90 kLy, which corresponds to light conditions in Central Europe.

In practice, this means that after one year of exposure to sunlight, the product retains at least 70% of its original strength.

Storage

• Dry, dark, dust-free and ventilated room.

• Relative humidity 50–70%.

• Temperature 5–25°C.

• Away from direct sunlight, chemical fumes and other factors accelerating degradation.

When these conditions are met, shelf life is at least 2 years.

Care

• Washing up to 40°C, tumble drying allowed.

• Do not use: bleaching, ironing, dry cleaning.

Occasionally, a snake chain may become twisted — this is not a defect or mechanical damage. The chain can be easily untwisted.

The procedure is shown in this video.

For coastal environments, we exclusively recommend stainless steel or brass. You can see the material in the technical specifications for each product.

Products with surface treatments (electroplated, etc.) may oxidize or start to rust in humid air — therefore we do not recommend them for coastal areas.

No need to worry — the rivets are still brass and their quality remains unchanged. Here's the explanation:

Brass naturally has a beautiful golden color that oxidizes and darkens when exposed to air. To prevent this, we apply two surface treatments to certain rivets:

1. first, a silver intermediate layer,

2. second, a brass-colored layer (golden appearance).

The top brass-colored layer can wear away on exposed areas over time, revealing the silver layer underneath. The rivet material remains brass — only the color is no longer uniform.

If you prefer natural brass darkening (golden → dark) instead of this effect (golden → partially silver), we recommend brass rivets without surface treatment.

Yes, we recommend two sources:

• Our blog — articles about materials, techniques, and care.

• Pet Hardware YouTube channel — videos with specific procedures.

For leather treatment, we offer dyes and protective finishes — you can find them in the product section.

If you cannot find an answer to a specific question, contact us via customer support.