Hi Bramblecot
Apologies my post is a bit late, the fleece sale is today!!!
The main difference between Blackers/NFC and Halifax (and other mini mills) is that they will process smaller batches, down to the individual fleece so each colour can be separate. The Natural Fibre Company still have a minimum intake of 25kg, as Fleecewife said, and the whole lot would be processed together. That didn't appeal to me so I put myself on the waiting list for a mini mill, I'd like to keep all my shetland and alpaca colours separate, that was the whole point of buying all the different coloured animals!
It's pretty expensive to have fleeces spun into yarn and there's a long waiting list - they take the time to clean machinery between batches etc. It goes on weight sent in so the more rubbish wool and bits of vegetation you take out the better. Do you know where/how you'd sell the finished yarn? You don't have to have the fleeces spun into yarn, maybe get it made into batts or rovings for spinners and felters, sell it that way?
I hope you didn't go to too much trouble washing fleeces, they're delicate and you need to be careful you don't end up with a lump of felt! I'd have said let the people buying the raw fleeces deal with it as they want. I often use raw fleece in felting or rugs if I can't be bothered washing it! In theory the more bits you can get out the more you should get for it but it may not be worth your time?
I have no idea about prices, be interested to know what you managed today? Did you make lots of contacts for future sales and get some ideas from the crafty lot?
If you have fleeces left over you might get a better price if you can hold onto them, there's obviously a lot available right now, perhaps when they're scarcer advertise at the guild or on fleabay?
