Pet cemetery Photo: Screenshot from media reports

In China's pet funeral market,mk all-in-one services — including farewell ceremonies, cremation, memorial products, and burial plots — are growing in popularity and come at a steep price. Some stores promote premium customized luxury farewell ceremonies priced at 9,880 yuan ($1,365), featuring uniformed pallbearers carrying pet caskets to luxury-brand vehicles lavishly decorated with white chrysanthemums.

According to Jimu News, the price for pet cremation is primarily determined by the weight of the pet, ranging from 200 to 1,000 yuan. The basic service package includes body preparation, ashes storage, memorial photos, and an urn bag.

The price doubles if services including video production, urns, preserved paw prints and fur samples, as well as religious memorial rituals are requested, said the report. Some stores offer burial services like ground interment or tree burial memorial plots, with burial costs starting above 3,000 yuan. 

For larger individual burial plots, the interment fee may exceed 8,000 yuan. Combined with cremation expenses, the total cost could surpass 10,000 yuan, Jimu News reported.

Some businesses also offer religious memorial ceremonies, priced at 1,888 yuan per session.

A Shanghai-based pet funeral specialist said that their store's basic service charges start above 2,000 yuan per order, with two to three cases exceeding 10,000 yuan monthly, according to Jimu News.

A woman named Xiao Qing (pseudonym) spent 2,300 yuan on pet funeral services in January. She said the funeral company transported her dog in a special casket, cleaned and dressed the body, and conducted a simple farewell ceremony. "Through these rituals, I was able to accept my pet's passing and say goodbye to my "child," she told Jimu News.

On social media platforms, some businesses promote premium customized luxury farewell ceremonies priced at 9,880 yuan. Promotional videos show four uniformed "pallbearers" carrying a pet casket to a luxury vehicle adorned with white chrysanthemums in the trunk and claiming, "Letting beloved pets rest in grand style."

Online, some netizens express disbelief at the extravagance of luxury pet funerals, while others argue the emotional bond with pets justifies the spending. Some consumers, however, noted discrepancies between advertised and actual service quality. 

Industry insiders acknowledge the lack of standardized service protocols or pricing frameworks in pet funeral services, admitting that service quality ultimately depends on a business's integrity, per Jimu News.

Experts note that as an emerging industry, pet funeral services currently operate in legal and regulatory gray zones, according to the report. They recommend establishing governmental oversight through designated administrative departments, implementing collaborative social governance, and developing comprehensive industry service standards for pet funeral management.

Global Times