Wool Buyers & Merchants

Look under this Yellow Pages® heading for information on wool buyers and merchants. Wool is the hair or fibre on animals such as sheep, goats, and rabbits. It is mainly used in garments but may also be a material used in certain home furnishings. Wool buyers and merchants buy or sell wool through auction, tender, and the Internet. They may also offer insurance and storage. The main type of marketing is through an auction. A merchant’s wool can be catalogued in an auction and the business owner is given advice on market conditions, test results, bale weights and auction date.

In an auction, samples of wool are shown for the wool buyers to examine. Each type or quality of wool is bundled in a sample and is presented at a show floor. The wool may be stored for free and auctioneers try to sell the wool at a good, competitive price. Wool may also be sold direct on farm. After appraisal and getting information on the price, the wool growers may decide on the best time to sell their wool depending on the valuation and may set their desired reserve price for their own protection. This method does not incur handling or testing fees. Wool may be sold to local wool handlers which, therefore, results to reduced cost in transport and selling. Another method is to sell it through consignment in depots and wool stores. Some wool handlers do not charge interlotting, bulk classing, warehousing and other additional fees.

Wool varies in quality and fibre diameter, which depends on the sheep breed. Wools with finer textures are usually the most valuable, such as the Merino wool. These are usually the ones used for garments. The coarser ones are more durable and used in making rugs.