Large-scale production mills occasionally buy directly from ranchers, but their requirements are often strict.

Regardless of the buyer, certain quality standards must be met to secure a sale:

In the UK, UK Alpaca buys roughly ten tons of British fleece annually, hand-grading it on the farm for fineness. 4. Direct-to-Consumer (The "Value-Added" Path)

Fiber is typically graded 0 to 6 based on micron size. Grade 0–1 (under 20-22 microns) is "next-to-skin" quality and fetches the highest price.