Do you want to bring more profits to your farm by selling wool online? The wide web has transformed the world into one marketplace where you can sell products to anyone from any part of the world. Whether you target local weavers, independent spinners, or individual buyers, discover how to sell wool online in this guide.
To sell wool online, determine your wool’s quality. There is a market for raw, washed, roving, and yarn wool, regardless of the quality. Once you’ve determined the grade of your wool, create seller profiles and promote your wool on e-commerce platforms.
This guide shows you how to sell wool online, including tips and best practices to become a best seller.
Tips For Selling Wool Online
Selling wool from your sheep, alpacas, Llama or any other fiber animal is one way to top up the profits you gain from your homestead. Traditionally, you would have to sell the raw or washed wool to local wool brokers or join other farmers to create wool pools and sell collectively to wool operators. Or you’d have to give it for free to your wool shearer. I have done that several times!
Luckily, technological advances have popularised online trade, where buyers and sellers meet and transact on the internet.
But how do you sell wool online?
Selling wool online is no different from selling at a local wool pool or selling to a broker. You must still uphold the required standards when shearing, preparing and washing the wool. Additionally, you can add value to the wool by weaving it into roving or yarns for a better price.
If you have raw or processed wool and are looking for ways to sell it online, below are all the details. But before we dive in, check this article on unusual ways to use raw wool on your homestead.
Tips For Selling Wool Online
Shearing your sheep and collecting the fleece is only the first step towards making a profit off your flock. Below is an in-depth guide on how to sell wool online.
Determine the Quality of Your Wool
Wool quality determines its value and, consequently, its demand and price. Several factors affect the quality of wool, including fiber diameter, stable length, strength, color, yield, crimp, and purity.
Wool with a wide fiber diameter creates thick yarns and vice versa. At the same time, fleece with a longer and stronger staple is more valuable.
When it comes to color, white and cream wool is preferred over colored ones in the commodity market because it takes in dyes quickly.
However, some niche weavers and fiber artists prefer wool with natural colors because they don’t need to dye it to get a colored fabric.
Yield is the amount of fiber that remains after the wool is prepared, such as after washing. The more the yield, the more the value of wool. Crimp is how wavy the wool looks. It is also a critical factor in determining the value of wool.
Lastly, the purity of wool is based on whether it’s pure fleece or mixed with vegetative matter, lanolin, and hair. Once you’ve graded your wool, it’s easy to determine the best price.
Take Pictures In Natural Lighting
The image of a product is a critical factor in e-commerce because online buyers judge the product based on its appearance. For this reason, you need to take clear pictures of the wool so buyers can gauge its fit.
Invest in a high-quality camera for taking pictures. At the same time, utilize natural light as much as possible to avoid misleading the prospects. You can take the images outside or position them strategically near a door or window.
Be truthful about the Quality of Your Wool
When selling anything online or offline, being truthful gets you repeat customers. If your fleece has any imperfections, do let the buyer know. Describe those imperfections as best as you can in your listing.
For example, if the tips are dirty, make sure to let the prospective buyers know. Where possible, please take a clear picture highlighting dirty tips and add it to your listing. Do also include the staple length in your description.
Underestimate your weight
This may sound weird, but the truth is scales are different. So if you are selling a small amount of wool, it’s best to be generous with your weight.
If a customer buys wool listed as 8lbs and then weighs only to find 6lbs, they will feel cheated. Always add some extra ounces to avoid bad reviews on your online store.
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Where To Sell Your Wool Online
After grading your wool and taking pictures, the next step is setting up a seller profile on your preferred e-commerce platform to reach potential buyers. Check how other wool sellers have set up their profiles so you know how to do it.
You can set up a seller profile on several platforms or choose one or two that meet your needs. Below are the various e-commerce platforms where you can sell wool online:
Etsy
Etsy is a leading e-commerce platform where sellers make, promote, and sell unique items such as handmade crafts, DIY items, and local unique stuff. You can sell wool on Etsy, from raw, washed, and roving to yarn variety.
To sell wool on Etsy, create an account, and set up the shop location, preferred currency, and shop name. Next, make your listing, and set up a payment and a billing method for platform fees.
e-Bay
e-Bay is another successful e-commerce platform where you can set up a shop to reach potential wool clients. You can sell your wool auction-style or set up a fixed price.
To sell on eBay, create an account, choose your selling style, and create a listing, including the listing duration. Decide your price by comparing the costs of other sellers’ products, and lastly, set up your shipping options.
Groenewold Fur & Wool Co.
If you’d like to sell your raw wool in bulk and fast, then GFW is where to sell. The good news, they pay you immediately you drop off your wool with a check. Nice, right? They also have professional shearers who can come to your location if you are in the US. The company has over 140 wool buyers in 14 states and you can reach them to find if they can come to your location. Click on their website here to contact them.
Amazon
If you want to put your wool in front of millions of buyers worldwide, Amazon is a great option. Setting up shop on the platform is easy because you only need to set up a seller account, promote your product and optimize to appear in buyer searches.
However, you need Amazon’s approval to sell some products, so do your research depending on your wool’s quality.
Craigslist
While Craigslist is not a dedicated e-commerce platform, it’s a great site to advertise your products and meet buyers. You can promote your wool on the site and arrange with interested buyers how to meet and trade the goods.
One perk of Craigslist is the location feature whereby you can limit your ad visibility to only clients within a certain proximity. This feature helps you get only prospects who are near you and likely to buy your product.
Bonanza
Bonanza is an e-commerce platform that helps sellers place their products in front of millions of potential buyers.
True to its catchphrase, you can sell everything but the ordinary on the platform, from unique handmade crafts and creative items to extraordinary goods.
Whether you are selling raw wool, washed fleece, or weaved yarns, Bonanza is an excellent place to set up shop.
Final Thoughts
Selling wool online is a great way to supplement your profits from your flock and farm because you are placing your product before many prospects.
The first step to selling wool online is determining the wool quality for grading, description, and pricing purposes. Once you have graded the wool, take clear pictures, set up seller profiles on e-commerce platforms, and list your product.
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