Where do you buy Your Alpaca’s?

I hope you all realize that each Newsletter that we write are subjects
that other breeders may look at and have a different way of looking at
what we are talking about.
 
This month we are going to discuss where you can buy Alpacas. As a
new breeder you should know there are some pitfalls you want to stay away
from.
 
The first place you can buy Alpacas is online.  I believe you can educate yourself
with knowledge about alpacas on line and that can be a great help in learning about
Alpacas but to buy one online without getting your hands on that Alpaca is not
a good idea.  There are a lot of Alpacas that have been bought on line.  If you
have a lot of money and can afford to make mistakes then I guess you will buy on
line. If you are looking to spend a lot of money or spend what you can afford and do
not want to make mistakes, I highly recommend you visit an Alpaca Ranch before you buy and
get your hands on that alpaca.
 
The 2nd place you can buy Alpacas is at Auctions.
Sometimes you can get a good buy at Auctions but a high percent of alpacas that are
bought at auctions are mostly  impulse purchase and I highly recommend not to do that.
Most of the time when you buy at Auctions you don't have time to evaluate that alpaca as well
as you might like to. At Auctions you don't get to look at the dam or sire.  My wife Lin and I
have bought one alpaca at an Auction but before we did we went to the ranch and learned more about the
alpaca. We got to know the breeder as well as the environment in which the alpaca was raised and got our hands on the alpaca.
 
The 3rd and last place is to Visit an Alpaca Ranch. I firmly believe this is the best place to buy alpacas.
Getting all the education you can online is great. Then you have some knowledge on what you
are doing.  You can get a good idea by talking to a breeder and finding out things like if he is going to take care of you.
The Ranch we have made purchaces from has been great.  They have become great friends and
have taught us a lot.  We like to think that Alpaca Rose Ranch does the same in making a friend
and teaching you how to become successful in the Alpaca business.  We believe the best decisions
made by a new breeder is  going to happen at the ranch you are visiting.  You will be able to see the
alpaca, get information on the dam and sire and if you are lucky see off springs of the alpaca you
are interested in.  Their are always a lot of questions that you will forget to ask and you want to
feal good about knowing you can call back at any time to get answers.  Whether you buy an
alpaca or your just gathering information we at Alpaca Rose Ranch would love to meet and show you
our alpacas.  You don't have to buy to be our friend.

Jerry - AlpacaRoseRanch.com