The pet category is growing fast in Vietnam, and 1688 has a wide supply of pet goods at attractive prices. But many sellers who import pet products discover the real margin is thinner than they expected, for one reason that is easy to miss before you order: most pet goods are bulky relative to their actual weight, and freight eats into the numbers in a way few people calculate upfront.
Why pet goods look profitable until you add freight
Browse 1688 for a cat house, a dog crate, a pet bed, or a climbing tree for cats. The gap between the wholesale price and the retail price on TikTok Shop or Shopee often looks attractive. Two, three, four times the source price. That looks like margin.
The problem arrives when you calculate shipping. Most pet goods fall into the bulky goods category: large surface area, low actual weight. Carriers charge by volumetric weight (the larger of actual weight and dimensional weight), and for bulky goods, dimensional weight almost always wins.
The standard formula: length x width x height in centimeters, divided by 5,000, gives you the billable kilograms. A cat house at 50x40x40 cm comes out to 16 kg billable weight even though the physical product weighs 2 to 3 kg. At a sea freight rate of roughly 25,000 VND per billable kilogram, the freight on that one cat house alone is around 400,000 VND. The source price on 1688 for that same product might be 60 to 80 yuan, which is roughly 216,000 to 288,000 VND (at around VND 3,600 per yuan; check the actual rate when you calculate).
In this example, freight alone equals or exceeds the product cost. That is the core reason pet category margins get squeezed.
What the real landed cost looks like
Take a concrete example: a medium-size dog sleeping pad. A standard version on 1688 runs around 35 to 50 yuan.
Product cost: 35 yuan, roughly 126,000 VND.
Freight to Vietnam: A 60x50x15 cm pad comes out to about 9 billable kg. Sea freight by road runs roughly 18,000 to 30,000 VND per billable kilogram depending on the service and timing. At a midpoint of 22,000 VND, freight alone is around 198,000 VND.
Order-agent fee and domestic China shipping: If you use a sourcing agent or order service, expect a service fee of a few percent on the product value plus a small fee for domestic China delivery to the consolidation warehouse. Budget around 20,000 to 30,000 VND combined.
Customs and duties: Pet goods made of plastic or fabric typically carry import duty somewhere in the low-to-mid range, though rates vary. For informal channel shipments, this is usually bundled into the service fee. For formal imports, calculate it separately.
Total landed cost: Adding it up, a dog pad sourced at 35 yuan realistically lands at around 380,000 to 430,000 VND per unit at your warehouse. That is before any selling activity.
If you price it at 590,000 VND on TikTok Shop, subtract platform fees (roughly 4 to 8 percent depending on category and promotion status) and a per-order ad cost, the actual profit per unit is considerably less than the sticker math suggested.
Which pet product groups hold margin better
Not all pet goods are equally hurt by bulky-freight math. Some sub-categories hold margin well because the value-to-volume ratio is higher.
Pet treats and dry food: Small, genuinely heavy, not subject to unfavorable volumetric billing. A 500g to 1 kg bag of dry treats ships at close to actual weight. The caveat is regulatory: imported pet food and treats require more scrutiny around customs and food safety rules in Vietnam. Worth checking before ordering if you have not done this before.
Small accessories: Leashes, collars, harnesses, small carry bags. Small, light, and often priced well on the selling side relative to source cost. Net margin after platform fees can reach 25 to 40 percent on well-chosen items if you are not in a price war.
Small-to-medium pet toys: Balls, feather wands for cats, chew toys. Low weight, low volume, low freight. The source price is low enough that percentage margin holds up.
Pet clothing: Small, compact, less crowded in terms of price competition. The watch-out here is sizing: pet clothing has higher return rates because size charts are inconsistent, and return costs need to go into your landed cost estimate.
Groups that need more careful math before importing: cat houses and cat trees (high volume), wet food in cans (heavy, but more complex import regulation), and electronic pet gadgets like air purifiers or humidifiers (liable to be held at customs).
Rough margin ranges by sub-category
These are estimates of typical ranges, not guarantees. Your actual outcome depends on the specific supplier, the exchange rate at the time, which platform fees apply, and how competitive your category is when you sell.
Small accessories (leashes, collars): Landed cost typically 20,000 to 60,000 VND per unit. Selling price on-platform 80,000 to 180,000 VND. After platform fees of 5 to 8 percent and ad spend of 10 to 20 percent of revenue, net margin can reach around 20 to 35 percent on good SKUs.
Small toys: Low landed cost, often under 30,000 VND for basic versions. Selling price 60,000 to 120,000 VND. Net margin after fees can reach 25 to 40 percent, but entry barriers are low so price competition shows up quickly.
Medium pet beds and pads: As shown above, freight is a heavy variable. Landed cost typically 380,000 to 500,000 VND. Selling price around 700,000 to 900,000 VND. After platform fees and ads, net margin often lands at only 10 to 20 percent, and can compress further during discount periods.
Cat houses, climbing trees: High freight, fragile during shipping, frequent complaints about missing parts. Net margin is typically under 15 percent after all costs, with a higher complaint and return rate than lighter goods.
What to check before placing a pet goods order
Beyond the freight math, a few things specific to this category are worth confirming before you commit to a batch.
Regulatory status for food and health products: Treats, wet food, and some grooming products sit in a category that requires more careful import documentation. Goods held at customs do not just arrive late; they generate extra handling costs and sometimes spoilage. If you have not imported regulated food items before, research this leg before the order, not after.
Material disclosure: Pet product buyers tend to be more sensitive about materials than buyers in most other categories. Plastic toys with no clear material information draw more skeptical reviews. Sourcing from suppliers who can describe the materials, even briefly, reduces that risk.
Actual size versus photos: Pet goods on 1688 are often photographed at angles that make them look larger than they are. A "large" cat house may be quite cramped for an actual adult cat. Size-related complaints are a significant source of returns in this category. If possible, order a sample and measure it before committing to bulk.
Short-season and trend items: Some pet products spike on short trends, especially pet costumes for Tet or other holidays. These can sell extremely well in a narrow window and leave you with dead inventory afterward. Factor the inventory risk into how many you order.
Bottom line
Pet goods from 1688 can be profitable, but the real numbers are usually quite different from the back-of-envelope calculation of selling price minus source price. Volumetric freight is the single most important variable to calculate before anything else. Small accessories and toys hold margin significantly better than bulky items. The straightforward discipline is to build the full landed cost first, decide whether the margin is worth it, then order.