Dubia.com

04/30/2025

Or every time they have a challenge involving bugs on a reality TV show!

04/28/2025

Hoppy Save the Frogs day!

04/22/2025

Happy Earth Day! 🌎

04/22/2025

We may soon run out of and be forced to discontinue our enclosures, unless we find a solution to the 145% tariff. We will continue to offer them until we run out or find a viable alternative. Our hope is to find a solution soon.

Our enclosures used to cost us $157.40 each, which included a 10% tariff. That means the actual product cost was around $143.09 before tariffs.

Then we spend another $90 per unit on shipping to us, shipping to you, replacement parts, reships, chargebacks, warehouse space, labor, and transaction fees, bringing the total cost to $247.40.

We used to sell them for $275, which gave us a $27.60 profit per unit.

But with a 145% tariff, our cost just for the product jumps to $350.56, and our total cost becomes $440.56 per unit.

To make the same profit, we’d have to charge at least $468.16, but because transaction fees scale with price, the real breakeven would be closer to $490.

And that’s assuming we could still sell the same number of units, which we definitely couldn’t. Sales would tank at that price, and with fewer sales, our overhead gets spread out across fewer units, meaning we’d have to charge even more… or just stop selling them altogether.

This is the real impact of extreme tariffs. It’s not just a number on a spreadsheet, it crushes small businesses and drives prices through the roof for everyone.

04/11/2025

Happy National Pet Day! Show us your pets in the comments 🩷

04/11/2025

Let’s talk about the people who make our enclosures.

We’ve worked with our partners in China for over five years now. They’re not just manufacturers—they’re real people, with families, passions, and a crazy work ethic. Over time, they’ve become our friends.

Many of them love reptiles just as much as we do. Some even keep them at home. They’ve taken pride in helping us build these enclosures—not just because it’s their job, but because they genuinely care about what we’re doing and who we’re doing it for.

They’ve worked side by side with us to improve designs, solve problems, and grow something special. Without them, Dubia wouldn’t be what it is today. Simple as that.

So when people take shots at “China” as a blanket statement, we take it personally—because we know the people behind the product. And they’re some of the hardest working, most dedicated folks we’ve ever had the privilege to work with.

This isn’t about politics—it’s about people. We’ll always stand by the folks who’ve helped us build something great, no matter where they’re from.

04/10/2025

We’ve had a lot of questions, so here’s the truth:

No, the tariffs on China have not been lifted.

No, China doesn’t pay these tariffs—we do. The bill comes directly from U.S. Customs to the businesses importing the goods. That means we absorb those costs.

No, we can’t just reject shipments. We already have multiple containers en route, and we will be billed for the tariffs when they arrive.

No, we can’t simply move production to the U.S. overnight. We are working on domestic options, but setting up manufacturing here could take over a year—if it’s even viable at all.

Like many other small businesses, we’ve had to halt new orders and production. That decision impacts more than just us—it affects the many mom-and-pop pet stores we supply, who rely on our products to run their businesses. This situation will have ripple effects throughout the entire ecosystem of small pet businesses.

Even if tariffs are lifted tomorrow, prices may not return to where they were for a while.

Why? Because with reduced volume, we’ve lost the economies of scale that made lower pricing possible. When volume drops, the cost of materials, shipping, labor, and production all go up—and that doesn’t just bounce back overnight. It could take months, even years, to rebuild enough volume to bring those costs back down—if that’s even possible.

These increases stack up, and the financial strain doesn’t disappear when tariffs do. It could take months or even years of rebuilding volume to get costs back down—if that’s even possible.

We’re doing everything we can to adapt, and we remain hopeful for change. In the meantime, we appreciate your understanding and support as we navigate this incredibly challenging time.

04/09/2025

We want to be transparent about what’s happening.

One container of enclosures just entered the U.S. and we were hit with $47,000 in additional tariffs. With 5 containers in transit, that’s nearly $250,000 in unexpected costs, and we’re contractually obligated to accept them. Delaying shipments isn’t an option due to fees, legal issues, etc.

That cost has to be made up somewhere, which means raising prices. Unfortunately, higher prices slow down sales, but even if tariffs drop later, the added cost is already baked in and must be recovered.

As for U.S. manufacturing, we’ve looked into it. But it would cost roughly twice as much and take months or years to scale up with the same quality and volume we’ve built over the past 5+ years.

We’re not doing this to make more money, we’re doing it to keep our business sustainable.

04/08/2025

Let’s be completely transparent.

Due to the recent tariffs, our container costs have increased by $47,000. Each container holds around 700 enclosures, which means we’re now paying an additional $67.14 per enclosure—just to get them here.

We raised the price of our 4x2x2 enclosures from $299 to $357.50. That’s a $58.50 increase, which means we’re actually losing nearly $10 per unit on this batch compared to before. Our net profit percentage has dropped, not gone up.

So for anyone thinking this is about “corporate greed” or that we’re making more money now—you couldn’t be more wrong. We’re taking a hit to keep prices as reasonable as possible and continue offering these products.

04/08/2025

Due to tariffs, all habitats now include additional fees. We hope the tariffs will be reduced as this is not sustainable for our business. We have temporarily increased our prices, and we appreciate your continued support at this time.

04/01/2025