FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

For Germany, the shipping costs are 5.49 Euros, for delivery to Austria 14.49 Euros. For purchases over 50 Euros, delivery to Germany is free of charge, for Austria over 100 Euros. For Switzerland, the shipping costs are 26.99 Euros (26.35 CHF). For orders over 200 CHF, we also deliver to Switzerland free of charge.

For orders placed through our online shop, we deliver to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We also deliver to resellers and interested parties from other European countries after prior contact. You can find all information on the Delivery page.

We send your package with DHL within Germany and with DHL International to Austria and Switzerland. Every shipment is insured and includes tracking.

Shipping takes 2 - 4 working days for Germany and 2 - 8 working days for delivery to Austria and Switzerland. We usually ship your package on the same day you place your order.

Once we have dispatched your order, we will send you a DHL tracking number that will show you in real time where your package is.

We offer express shipping in Germany for an additional charge. This is € 15 per order. With express shipping, you will receive your package one day after your order.

In our ordering process, we currently do not offer the option of specifying a packing station as a delivery address. If you would like to do this, please contact us by email so that we can still make it possible for you.

Please let us know immediately as soon as you notice that you have entered the wrong address. If your delivery is already on its way, we will contact DHL and take care of it.

If you notice any damage to the box, please take pictures before opening the package. Then check whether the contents are damaged. If so, contact us and we will then complain to DHL.

On every product page you will find information about the size of the item. Please do not order several sizes to try on at home, as packaging and shipping are harmful to the environment.

If you change your mind, please let us know immediately. If your package is already on its way, we will send you a return label and refund the purchase price as soon as we have received the returned items.

In our online shop you can pay by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, UnionPay), Paypal, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Instant Bank Transfer, Klarna Invoice and Eps Transfer (for Austria).

You can return one or more products from your order to us free of charge up to 14 days after purchase. This applies to all countries to which we deliver, i.e. Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Our shipping bags and boxes can also be used for returns. Gift vouchers are excluded from returns. You can find all the details under Returns.

You like the item, but the size doesn't fit? If you want to exchange an item, please contact us. We will make sure that you receive your new item as quickly as possible and can arrange for the return of the unwanted item.

As soon as we receive your return, we will check the item and refund the amount to the payment method you chose.

As soon as you have informed us by email or telephone that you wish to return an item, we will send you the return label. You can either print this out yourself or have it franked free of charge at the nearest DHL branch using the QR code on your mobile phone.

If you used a gift voucher when making a purchase and return the order, we will create a new voucher code for the amount and send it to you by email.

We are available to you by email or telephone and will respond within 24 hours. You will not receive any automated emails from us; you will always speak to real people. You can find details on how to contact us under Contact.

Since we have a limited collection, it can happen that items are sold out. If you are interested, please contact us by email. We regularly receive deliveries from Peru and will be happy to ensure that you receive the desired item promptly. New items that are still in Peru are marked as "pre-order".

We check every product carefully before shipping. If you find any manufacturing defects, please contact us. Returns are free of charge within 14 days of purchase.

We offer high-quality alpaca clothing such as alpaca pullovers and alpaca ponchos, as well as accessories such as alpaca scarves, hats, gloves and the warmest socks made of alpaca wool. If you want to give loved ones something special, take a look at our alpaca gifts.

Our clothing is characterized by its convenience and comfort. It is soft, warm, breathable, antibacterial and skin-friendly. We do not offer cheap fast fashion clothing, but a limited collection made from 100% softest baby alpaca wool that is animal welfare certified. Our Peruvian manufacturers are primarily women who receive fair pay.

After you have made a purchase in our online shop, you will receive an order confirmation. If you also need an invoice, just let us know and we will send it to you by email as soon as possible.

We have only been running the Alpakin online shop for two years and fall into the category of small businesses according to §19 Value Added Taw Law. For this reason, we do not have to show sales tax (VAT) of 19% on the invoices.

We have recently started selling to resellers such as alpaca farms, which often run small farm shops. We sell to companies across Europe with no minimum purchase quantities. Our alpaca keychains are particularly popular as a souvenir of the alpaca hike. You can find detailed information on the become a reseller page.

Alpaca wool adapts to different weather conditions - whether cold or warm. This special property is due to the habitat of alpacas. The animals live in the Andes of South America, at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters. There, large temperature fluctuations from +15 to -15 degrees Celsius occur on a single day.

Alpaca clothing is generally suitable for all seasons. Thin alpaca sweaters, ponchos and cardigans for spring and summer, and thicker clothing for autumn and the cold winter months. The more wool and the denser the weave, the warmer a garment made of alpaca wool is. To give you a better idea of ​​the warmth level of our clothing and accessories, you will find information on how warm the garment is on each product page.

One of the biggest misconceptions is to believe that baby alpaca is wool from alpaca babies. Instead, baby alpaca is the name of a quality feature, as it is the finest and most precious alpaca fiber. It is only obtained from protected body parts of adult alpacas, such as the back. Alpacas with such fiber quality are the most valuable animals. Only about 200 grams of this fine fiber is obtained per animal. The rarity and fineness makes baby alpaca a luxurious natural wool fiber. Compared to alpaca, baby alpaca is softer, silkier in shine, and particularly light and warm. Our baby alpaca pullovers are made from 100% baby alpaca wool and are the softest pullovers.

Alpaca wool has characteristics that even high-quality wool types such as cashmere or merino do not offer. The convenience and comfort of alpaca clothing is due to several factors:

• It is the warmest wool in the world and seven times warmer than sheep's wool.
• Baby alpaca wool is as soft as cashmere and at the same time hypoallergenic, breathable and lightweight.
• The alpaca fiber is robust, durable and long-lasting
• Alpaca clothing is easy-care, self-cleaning and quick-drying.

Did you also know that alpaca wool is rich in natural alpaca keratin? Alpaca fur is therefore also used to make alpaca soaps. Because they are natural and skin-friendly, alpaca soaps are also suitable for neurodermatitis.

Alpaca wool of the highest baby alpaca quality is rarer and is sorted by hand in South America. The complex process of sorting and processing affects the price. The price per kg of alpaca wool is between 30 and 100 Euros. The quality is so outstanding that you will be amazed.

There is no such thing as just one type of alpaca wool; instead, the precious fiber is available in five different quality levels. Lower levels such as alpaca, fine or superfine can be scratchy. To ensure that alpaca wool does not scratch, you should always choose the highest quality baby alpaca for textiles that come into close contact with the skin.

Hats made of alpaca wool are hats that don't scratch and are therefore gentle on your sensitive scalp. To ensure that your hair doesn't stand on end when you take the hat off, you should opt for antistatic hats. The wool of the fluffy Andean camels also offers this characteristic.

Alpaca silk wool is a mixture of baby alpaca wool and silk. The softness of alpaca wool, coupled with the shine and smooth feel of alpaca silk promises a particularly luxurious feel. We currently offer alpaca silk stoles in various colors made from the two precious fibers.

Alpaca socks are warm, gentle on the skin and robust when mixed with other materials such as merino, bamboo or nylon. If you want socks that don't pill or are wondering which socks are suitable for sweaty feet, alpaca wool is the answer. It has breathable characteristics and ventilates quickly in the fresh air. We don't make our alpaca socks ourselves, but instead source them from a family business in Peru that has specialized in socks for over 30 years.

Since alpaca clothing airs out well in the fresh air, needs to be washed less often and dries quickly, pullovers and other textiles made of alpaca material are ideal for traveling.

Contrary to what many people expect, alpaca wool is easy to care for. You can wash it by hand or in the washing machine. When washing in the machine, only select the gentle wool program with a low temperature and spin speed and add wool detergent. Do not put alpaca textiles in the dryer or iron them. The wool is naturally wrinkle-free and should be air-dried lying down (not hanging!). On each product page you will find information on washing alpaca wool, washing alpaca pullovers, washing alpaca scarves and washing alpaca blankets.

Pilling refers to small knots on the surface. Pilling in pullovers is common in cashmere, but extremely rare in alpaca wool. In our blog you will also find tips on how to avoid pilling and what to do if alpaca wool does pill.

We source all our textiles from Peru, the land of the alpacas, because alpacas live there in their natural habitat and produce the best quality wool. We work primarily with small manufacturers in Cusco and Arequipa in Peru.

The alpaca wool used to make our clothing and accessories comes from the company Michell & Co. in Peru. They are the largest supplier of alpaca wool in Peru and have international certificates such as Eco Tex, Fair Trade and RAS (Responsible Alpaca Standard) for animal welfare. You can find detailed information under Origin of our wool.

You will find detailed information about the composition on each product page. Most of our textiles are made from 100% softest baby alpaca wool.

Alpaca clothing is natural fiber clothing that contains less lanolin (wool fat) than other types of wool, a common trigger for allergic reactions such as skin irritation. Alpaca allergies are extremely rare, but the wool is particularly suitable for allergy sufferers and people with sensitive skin, as well as babies.

When it comes to wool products, prospective buyers often pay particular attention to whether the wool was obtained without animal cruelty. We only use animal welfare certified wool that bears the RAS (Responsible Alpaca Standard) seal. Alpacas do not live freely in the Andes mountains, but are bred animals that must be sheared once a year. The alpaca shearing is carried out by experienced shearers. We also love these fluffy, friendly animals and make no compromises when it comes to animal welfare. You can find detailed information on the subject in our blog article Is alpaca wool animal cruelty?

Unfortunately, we do not currently have alpaca wool for knitting, crocheting and felting in our range. But alpaca blankets you can find in various sizes and blends.

Yes, we also offer gift wrapping. Simply indicate during the ordering process that you would like gift wrapping. Gift wrapping is available free of charge so that you can give special people a great present.

Alpaca or Merino, the decision is not easy as the two precious fibers have similar characteristics. Merino is the best in terms of breathability and is particularly popular for high-quality outdoor clothing. Alpaca wool, on the other hand, is warmer and baby alpaca quality is also softer than Merino wool.

Alpaca wool is part of the sustainable slow fashion segment and is still a premium niche today. Cashmere, on the other hand, has also landed on fast fashion shelves, with the disadvantages of cashmere in terms of environmental impact and animal welfare. More and more people are therefore opting for alpaca when faced with the choice of whether they prefer alpaca or cashmere.

Our clothes are flown from Peru to Germany. To protect the environment, they are flown by private individuals who fly anyway. Halfway around the world so that people in Europe can also enjoy access to this particularly comfortable wool.