Our office and mill will be closed this Thursday and Friday for the 4th of July holiday. We will be back open on Monday July 8th.

We wish everyone a happy and safe July 4th weekend!

In our latest newsletter we debut our first round of dyed products, announce the availability of the Calm-A-Lid, and discuss the spring alpaca show season.

Read it all here: http://eepurl.com/zGrtL

Have our monthly newsletter emailed directly to you by signing up for a mailing list here

We are happy to announce the Calm-a-lid is now available for purchase! Head to the catalog to check it out

MADE IN USA

© 2011 calm-a-lid llc. patent pending 

Testimonials

"We have used the Calm-a-lid on our alpacas here at UMass for over a year. I find it works very well for fractious animals to calm them down without drugs. I have used it successfully for reproductive exams, foot trimming, and shearing. I recommend it to anyone for their alpacas and llamas."

Stephen R. Purdy, DVM
Associate Professor of Veterinary Education
Director of Camelid Studies
Director of Animal Management, UMass Center for Agriculture
University of Massachusetts Amherst
President, Nunoa Project Peru
www.nunoaproject.org

"At Ice Pond Farm we have successfully used the Calm-a-Lid with three challenging alpacas.
The first was a Peruvian import who would cush, scream, and spit during every procedure. With the Calm-a-Lid applied, Sunshine's screams are much more subdued and she does not spit. Why spit if you can't see a target!

The second animal is an athletic girl who tends to buck during procedures, making it difficult to perform a neck vein blood draw. In this case, application of the Calm-a-Lid resulted in Enya standing like a statue for the entire procedure.

The third case was an aggressive young male at a neighboring farm. Once applied, the Calm-a-Lid transformed him into a perfect gentleman - even allowing us to calmly lead him into a trailer.

We have had outstanding results using the Calm-a-Lid with difficult animals in challenging situations, and can readily recommend this product. Nicely done!"

Jeff Groene and Sonya Hanson Ice Pond Farm Fiskeville, Rhode Island www.icepondfarm.com

We are happy to announce our first fiber collection point in Churubuscu, Indiana at WindSwept Farms owned by Jack and Anita Greider. NEAFP pays all shipping costs from a regional collection point so drop your fiber off before the next trucking date and get your fiber to us for free. WindSwept Farms is within 3 hours of Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, and Chicago, helping make putting your fiber to work with us much more cost effective by reducing your shipping costs to next to nothing.

Along with being a fiber collection point for NEAFP, Jack and Anita Greider operate a full service alpaca farm offering many services including but not limited to: Custom Blended Alpaca Feed, Gate Sales, Animal Sales, Stud Services, and several fiber related events throughout the year. For a full list of their services and more information about their farm and animals, be sure to check out their website at http://www.wsfalpacas.com/

WindSwept Farm is open 7 days a week for fiber drop offs, contact them today to coordinate a convenient time to get your fiber dropped off and ready for the next truck pickup.

  Next Trucking Date: July 1st, 2013

4th Annual North American Alpaca
Shearing Contest

We are happy to announce we will be a sponsor for the 4th Annual North American Shearing Contest . Here are all the details:

Want to have some fun?
Show off your alpaca shearing skills?
Hang out and swap tips, stories & gear info with other shearers?

Attend the 4th Annual North American Alpaca Shearing Contest!

Come to compete, to watch or Volunteer, either way plan to have some fun!

Date: Saturday June 22nd, 2013 Time:   8am Start Location: Marlee Farm Alpacas 330 Rupert Mountain Rd Pawlet, VT 05761 www.marleefarmalpacas.com Directions Entry fee: $69

Fiber Classing award sponsored by NEAFP. Click Here for more information.  See the rules for complete list of prizes.

The rules will reward the performance that meets the alpaca breeder’s expectations.

Fleece quality, look of the alpaca and time to shear will be considered.

Kevin O’Leary, an AOBA judge and alpaca breeder, will judge the competition.

Classes based on all levels of experience (# of alpaca shorn/yr) and an open class.

Space is limited to 30 participants so sign up soon.

$2000 in prizes will be awarded.

Pride of competing and succeeding.

And the fun of getting together and having some laughs with other shearers and breeders!


Who’s in?  Register today!

Spread the word to your fellow shearers too!

VOLUNTEER

Volunteers needed for:
Timer/Spotter
Fleece handling
Alpaca handling
Fiber clean up
Score keeping
Photographer and/or Videographer
Spectating

Register to volunteer today!

We've recently added the USPS Saver choice to the list of shipping options and are experimenting working with the post office for smaller sized orders. UPS and FedEx both recently raised their ground service rates, it especially affects smaller sized orders under 6 lbs. We know that shipping can be costly, especially on small orders so we are hoping that by offering a better option through the post office we can help everyone cut down their shipping and handling costs.

The post office does take slightly longer to process and deliver orders, it's tracking is also not as accurate as UPS or FedEx but there is a decent price difference in the services for small packages. Once you get into larger sized packages, the shipping rates become very comparable across all the services so we will continue to use UPS exclusively for the larger sized orders.

Hi All,

We just re-activated our CLOSEOUT category in the product catalog and have added some new items we need to clear out. We have new inventory and styles on the way and it's time to part with these items. Be sure to check the category often as we will be leaving it up permanently and adding new items periodically throughout the year.

Check them out here!

2/25 Update: We've added some more Abnormal Survival Sock dozens to the closeout page as well as some waste baskets. We plan to add items every few weeks so keep your eyes peeled as most items are in very limited quantities and will move quickly.

Hey All,

We will be closed for the rest of today (Friday 2/8/2013) to get home safe and sound and prepare for Winter Storm Nemo. It's predicted we will be receiving about 2 ft of snow and blizzard conditions overnight. We hope you and your alpacas are safe and sound throughout the weekend weather. We expect to be back up and running on Monday morning!

NEAFP Note: January 2013 - 2012 in the rear view! - http://eepurl.com/unT45

Bouclé Lined Alpaca Mittens are back in stock in size MED. We currently have the MED available in Charcoal Grey.

They are back on the site and ready to ship!

'Tis the season to be jolly, and very BUSY!

We are shipping all orders that meet their requirements in 1 to 2 business days and plan to keep this pace throughout the month of December.

We encourage everyone to get their holiday sensitive orders in as soon as possible to ensure it reaches you with more than enough time to spare.

NEAFP will be shipping right up until the morning of Christmas Eve, 11am on 12/24/2012.

Our office and mill will be closed from December 25th until January 2nd 2013.

Use this UPS Ground time table map to plan your order time frames:

Thank you all for another amazing year, we look forward to running strong right into 2013!

NEAFP's office and mill will be closed for Thanksgiving Break Nov. 22nd and Nov. 23rd, 2012 .

All orders and support placed during this time will begin going out on Monday Nov. 26th.

Keep this in mind for your time sensitive orders!

UPS Ground Shipping Time Tables:

This sale has ended, Thank you all! Stay tuned for the final tallies on the items we will be donating.

Before the Storm Sale Details

Sale Runs Nov. 1st through Nov. 10th, 2012

http://www.neafp.com

NEAFP is also happy to announce for every dozen sold during the sale we will be donating a pair of alpaca socks, gloves, or a knit hat to shelters in our local area. Over the last five years Fall River, MA has been hit particularly hard in the economic downturn and we wanted to do something to help those that are most vulnerable in our community. We are looking forward to donating hundreds of items to those around us that are in need. We are all very fortunate to be alive and working in the U.S. Alpaca industry, this holiday season we hope to spread that to those who have fallen on hard times.

All discounts will be automatically applied as you add items to your shopping cart. This sale will run until 11:59pm on Nov. 10^th 2012 so be sure to take advantage of it before time runs out.

Hi All,

We just wanted to make a quick update and let everyone know it looks like over the next few days we will be receiving the brunt of the bad weather attributed to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Sandy.

Our goal is to keep up and running throughout the storm but if we were to lose power or experience flooding then we will be forced to shut down operations. There is a good possibility that orders shipping out this week will be delayed 24 to 48 hours from our normal turn around time due to the storm. We ask that everyone keep this in mind over the next week and plan their time sensitive product orders accordingly.Thank you for understanding.

We hope you and your farms are safe and sound throughout the next few days!

The SAMPLE sale has ended, thank you!

To celebrate our latest addition to the product catalog we will be allowing alpaca farms and retailers to purchase a sample pair of our new Alpaca Driving Gloves.

Head to the "Driving Glove Sample Sale" category and pick up your pair for a test drive: http://bit.ly/PmlUva

No Fiber Required, Free Shipping on this Item.

Sample Sale lasts until 10/14/2012, 1 pair per customer.

Head to this month's NEAFP Note for all the latest NEAFP news including our new mill, a new poll, and our upcoming Fall Fiber Collections.

Click here: http://eepurl.com/pJKmT

NEAFP Poll Question: “What is your average sales total per transaction?”
Results:
$0 to $20 : 11 %
$20 to $50 : 63 %
$50 to $100 : 17 %
Over $100 : 9%

Taking into account the average suggested retail of alpaca clothing and accessories, the majority of farms and retailers reporting in on this poll are selling on average 1 to 2 items per transaction. Farms and retailers can increase the amount of items sold per transaction, upping their average sales transaction, by utilizing the technique of Cross-Selling.

Cross-selling is the action or practice of selling additional products and services to an existing customer. Alpaca products are a great candidate for this sales method because the majority of items compliment each other and it's an easy leap from one product to the next.

Product Placement & Positioning

• Whether it is at the farmer's market, the retail store, or your online web store, complimentary products should be showcased together to help steer customers towards purchasing them both. Selling matching hat and scarf sets are a great way to increase the transaction amount per customer. Keeping them together in your retail presence is key. It's also a great idea to dress up a display or use a poster to showcase the items together on a model or mannequin. Anyone familiar with shopping at big box retailers or in catalogs can attest to the effectiveness of displaying items together as they would be worn by the potential customer. Seeing is believing!

• In your farm store's cashier area or online checkout page, offer your lowest cost items to people just about to check out. If you have ever purchased a pack of gum at the grocery store, this cross selling technique has successfully worked on you. Items like Boot Inserts, Felted Soaps, Bird Nesting Balls, and the like are all great examples of small, low priced items that are great additions to your customers shopping cart.

Incentives
In today's economy, most people are looking for incentives to help them pull the trigger on their next purchase. Offering special incentives based on # of products and overall sales total can help push your potential customers to spend more per transaction.

• • Free Shipping on Orders Over XYZ

    • Free shipping on online orders is a tried and trusted method of increasing total spent per customer. If your average sales transaction is $40, try setting the Free Shipping bar at $75 and watch as customers mix and match items to meet the sale requirements, increasing your average sales transaction. Be sure to monitor your shipping cost per each transaction to ensure it's positively helping your bottom line. Short time windows can help boost the call to action and increase the effectiveness of this type of incentive.

• • Buy 3 pair Socks, Get 4^th 30% OFF

    • By offering this type of incentive, the person is getting a better deal by purchasing more of a product they already want and could possibly purchase again in the future.

    • Socks are a great example:

Regular Price: 3 pair Socks @ $20 a piece = $60

30% off Incentive: 4 pair Socks @ $18.5 a piece: $74

You've successfully increased your sales transaction total without sacrificing much of your profit margin.

Bundle Up
By bundling up already complimentary items and offering a slight discount, more customers will likely purchase the set rather than the individual item. Almost all alpaca clothing and accessories can be bundled up together, here are some proven examples:

• • Sock and Boot Insert Set

    • When a customer is buying socks, offer a slight discount on boot inserts.

    • Regular Price: $20 per pair of Socks, $10 per pair of Inserts

    • Incentive: $20 per pair of socks, 10% off each pair of inserts bought with socks.

      • Customers will be more likely to purchase inserts along with their socks, bringing the transaction total up to $29 versus $20.

• • Hat and Scarf Sets

    • Offer a slight discount with Hat and Scarf sets to increase the likelihood they are purchased together.

• • • • Regular Price: $60 per Scarf, $40 per hat

      • Incentive: Save 10% when purchased together.

• • • Offer prepackaged sets or allow customers to mix and match from all styles to increase total sales transaction.

What all these cross selling examples have in common is that they offer complimentary products to an already interested customer. It's important to not overstep this boundary and mutual respect between you and the consumer. Your goal is to increase the transaction total for each customer but not at the cost of the entire business relationship. By offering a wide selection of products at varying price points and using these cross-selling techniques when it will benefit the customer and yourself, you will be increasing your average sales transaction without cutting into your profit margins.

To all that answered our last poll, Thank you much! Keep your eyes peeled for our next NEAFP Poll!