We buy for distinction, not volume. From The Andes does not need thousands of identical units before something is worth carrying. We can buy one piece, six pieces, a small group, or a repeatable style when the merchandise earns its place.

That changes the buying decision. A national chain has to think about scale, replenishment, and consistency across a much larger retail system. We can be more particular about material, construction, character, origin, usefulness, and scarcity.

We buy less so we can be more particular about what we buy.

Source: From The Andes — About Us

They are different businesses built for different jobs.

PAKA is an alpaca-centered apparel brand. Its current Hoodie is made from 65% Royal Alpaca Fiber and 35% recycled nylon. Peruvian Connection describes its signature knitwear, dresses, outerwear, and accessories as exclusively designed by and for Peruvian Connection. World Market describes itself as a nationwide retail brand with an ever-changing marketplace of products from around the world.

From The Andes is a family-run global import retailer. We buy merchandise ourselves, often in small quantities, for women, men, children, and the home. Our advantage is not scale. It is the freedom to select what we believe is worth carrying.

Sources: PAKA — The Hoodie · Peruvian Connection — About · World Market — Who We Are

Because small scale changes what we are allowed to say yes to.

We do not have to reject an excellent object because only three exist. We do not have to turn every successful item into a giant production run. We can buy a small textile collection, one unusual mineral, a handful of masks, or a limited group of sweaters and let scarcity be part of the truth of the merchandise.

Being boutique is not an apology for being smaller. It is part of how we protect the freedom to choose.

Source: From The Andes — About Us

Because much of what we buy is available in small quantities, and we do not force every product into a permanent replenishment program. Some one-of-one, vintage, handmade, and limited pieces may never return. Core apparel and other repeatable merchandise may be restocked when it is available and still meets our standard.

If the inventory says one, there may really be one.

We look at the product itself first: material, construction, usefulness, condition, origin or context when known, and whether the piece has enough character or quality to deserve space in the collection.

Not everything has to match. A 100% alpaca cardigan, a carved mask, a mineral specimen, a piece of jewelry, and a vintage object can belong in the same store because the common denominator is the buying decision, not a factory collection plan.

Source: From The Andes — About Us

For decades, our family has bought in cities, small towns, villages, markets, workshops, and directly from craftspeople. We go to where the work already exists and buy from people who already know their work.

We also buy through merchants and suppliers when that is the appropriate path. We do not pretend every object has the same sourcing story. What matters is that we agree on a price, buy the merchandise, assume the retail risk, and represent what we know about it accurately.

We go to where the work is.

Source: From The Andes — family and buying history

Because giving is not a sales pitch for us. From The Andes does donate as a business, but we do not ask you to buy from us because we gave something away, and we do not build marketing campaigns around those donations.

Giving is personal. What we give, and to whom, is between us, the people or organizations we support, and our Creator. We do not need public credit for it.

When we talk about sourcing, we would rather talk about the trade itself: the work, the people selling it, the price we agree on, and whether the merchandise deserves to be carried. A craftsperson’s work should have value because it is good work, not because we can turn that person into the supporting character in our charity story.

We believe giving should remain sincere even when nobody is watching.

Etsy the company and platform, not the individual Etsy seller. We respect independent sellers. Their prices, costs, margins, and business models can reasonably be different from ours.

The competition we are talking about is for attention. In its 2025 SEC filing, Etsy reported 5.6 million active sellers and more than 100 million items for sale. Etsy also states that it competes for media placements, including against retailers competing for buyers’ attention, and that those placements can be bought through dynamic auctions.

From The Andes enters those same digital environments as one independent retailer presenting the inventory we actually own. Etsy can present and advertise a marketplace built from millions of sellers and more than 100 million listings. That is a fundamentally different scale of aggregation.

We do not blame Etsy sellers for that, and we do not regard a seller’s lower price as the problem. Our competition is with the platform for the customer’s attention.

Source: Etsy, Inc. — 2025 Annual Report, SEC Form 10-K

Many of our current alpaca sweaters, cardigans, shawls, scarves, gloves, and accessories are listed as 100% alpaca. But not every textile in our store is pure alpaca, and we do not pretend otherwise.

If a product is 100% alpaca, we want you to know it. If it is a blend, wool, acrylic, cotton, or another material, we want you to know that too. Material should be a fact, not a marketing trick.

Examples: Jackson Alpaca Jacquard Cardigan · Bozeman Alpaca Rib-Knit Crewneck

No. The word alpaca does not tell you the percentage of alpaca in a garment, whether another fiber was intentionally blended into the yarn, or how the garment was knitted, woven, finished, or constructed.

Under U.S. labeling rules, covered wool and specialty-fiber products must accurately disclose fiber content. That is why the percentage matters when you compare two garments carrying the same fiber name.

Source: FTC — Textile & Wool Labeling Requirements

Start with what the garments are actually made from. Then compare fiber grade, yarn, construction, finishing, origin, workmanship, intended use, and only then price.

For a concrete example, as of August 15, 2026, PAKA lists its Hoodie at $165 and states its material as 65% Royal Alpaca Fiber / 35% recycled nylon. Many current From The Andes sweaters and cardigans are listed as 100% alpaca and are priced in the high-$200 range.

Those price differences are understandable because they are different products. A blend is not automatically inferior; blending can be intentional. The point is simply that 65% alpaca and 100% alpaca are not the same material proposition.

Price makes sense only after you know what you are comparing.

Sources: PAKA — The Hoodie · From The Andes — 100% Alpaca Cardigan

When we compare alpaca garments, we do not use one variable. We look at the actual fiber percentage, yarn and fiber grade when known, construction, finishing, origin, production quantity, workmanship, and the finished garment itself.

That is why we do not ask customers to trust the word alpaca by itself. A fiber name is the beginning of the comparison, not the end.

They are different animal fibers. Cashmere is the fine undercoat fiber of the Cashmere goat under the FTC definition. Alpaca is a specialty animal fiber from alpacas. Merino wool comes from Merino sheep.

No fiber name guarantees a great finished garment. Fiber percentage, fineness, yarn, construction, finishing, and intended use all matter. We would rather tell you what a product actually contains than declare one luxury word universally superior to another.

Sources: FTC — Cashmere & Specialty Wool · The Woolmark Company — Merino Wool

Yes. A garment can combine those fibers with wool, nylon, polyester, cotton, or other fibers. The fiber name in a headline is not the same thing as a complete fiber specification.

The FTC requires covered textile and wool products to disclose fiber composition according to its rules. For example, if a wool sweater uses the term cashmere and contains cashmere mixed with sheep’s wool, the cashmere percentage must be accurately disclosed on the required label.

Source: FTC — Cachet of Cashmere

For covered textile and wool products, yes. The FTC requires fiber-content labels to accurately identify applicable fibers and percentages under the Textile and Wool Acts. Specialty names such as cashmere and alpaca have specific labeling rules.

One important nuance: a marketing headline or qualifying hang-tag does not always have to reproduce the entire fiber-content statement if the required label provides it and the applicable disclosure rules are followed. That is one reason we tell customers to look for the actual composition rather than rely on a product title alone.

Sources: FTC — Labeling Requirements · FTC — Cashmere Guidance

In everyday retail language, you will often see the phrase “alpaca wool.” Under U.S. wool-labeling law, alpaca is treated as a specialty wool fiber and may be identified by its specialty fiber name. Biologically, the fiber comes from an alpaca rather than a sheep.

On our product pages, the useful information is the actual composition: for example, 100% alpaca versus an alpaca blend.

Source: FTC — Wool Fiber Names

If your garment contains polyester, nylon, acrylic, or similar synthetic polymer fibers, then part of what you are wearing is a plastic-based textile. The European Environment Agency explicitly describes synthetic textiles as plastic-based textiles and identifies polyester and nylon among common synthetic fibers.

That does not mean every synthetic garment is unsafe. It does mean a 100% natural-fiber garment and a garment made substantially from synthetic polymers are materially different products.

You deserve to know which one you are buying.

Source: European Environment Agency — Plastic in Textiles

Yes. Research has measured microfiber release from polyester garments into the air during everyday wear, not only during laundering. A peer-reviewed 2020 study found that direct release to air from wearing polyester clothing was important enough to consider alongside wastewater emissions from washing.

How much a garment sheds depends on textile construction and other variables, so this is not a claim that every synthetic garment sheds at the same rate.

Sources: De Falco et al., Environmental Science & Technology (2020) · European Environment Agency

Science does not currently justify the simple claim that wearing an ordinary polyester garment causes hormonal disease. We will not tell you that just because it would help us sell natural fibers.

What is established is that endocrine-disrupting chemicals can interfere with hormones, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences identifies substances including certain PFAS and phthalates in its discussion of endocrine disruptors. NIEHS also notes PFAS use in textile coatings. That is a legitimate reason for continued research, but it is not proof of a direct “polyester sweater causes hormone problems” chain.

We would rather tell you where the evidence ends.

Source: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences — Endocrine Disruptors

No. We carry products made from different materials, including natural fibers, blends, wool, and some synthetics. Different products have different purposes.

Our position is not that every synthetic fiber is bad. Our position is that the material should be stated plainly. If something is 100% alpaca, we say so. If it is blended, we say so. If it is acrylic or another fiber, we say so.

Transparency is the standard, not purity theater.

No. A high price is not proof of fiber quality, construction, or durability, just as a low price is not proof of value.

Look at the material. Look at the percentage. Look at the construction. Look at the origin and the product details that can actually be verified. Then look at the price.

A premium price deserves a premium explanation.

No, and we do not use “handmade” as a blanket description for the entire store. Many pieces are handmade, hand-knit, handwoven, carved, assembled, or produced in small quantities. Others are commercially produced or use different methods.

The individual product page is where we state the material, construction, maker, origin, and technique when those facts are known.

If a product is individually listed as one-of-one, vintage, a unique specimen, or the exact piece photographed, that listing is for that piece. Repeatable apparel and multi-unit products may use representative photography, so the item will match the purchased style, size, color, and listed specifications rather than being the literal photographed unit.

When exact-piece status matters, we say so on the product page.

Sometimes. Core apparel and repeatable merchandise may return when it is available. One-of-one, vintage, limited, and unusually sourced pieces often do not.

We would rather let an item disappear honestly than manufacture false scarcity around something we know we can reorder.

Yes. If you are considering a piece and need additional photographs, measurements, material details, condition information, or provenance information we have available, contact us before ordering.

For one-of-one and unusual objects especially, we would rather answer the question before the sale than have you guess.

Source: From The Andes — Refund Policy · info@shopfromtheandes.com

Orders ship from Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. Our current Shipping Policy states that orders typically ship within one business day. Orders placed after 12 PM Mountain Time, or on weekends or holidays, generally move to the following business day. We use USPS or UPS and provide tracking.

Source: From The Andes — Shipping Policy

We ship to eligible addresses within the United States and supported U.S. territories, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, supported U.S. territories and possessions, and eligible APO, FPO, and DPO addresses.

Orders of $75 or more shipping to an eligible address in the contiguous United States receive complimentary USPS Priority Mail shipping. Orders of $75 or more shipping to an eligible address in the contiguous United States receive complimentary USPS Priority Mail shipping. Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories, and eligible APO, FPO, and DPO addresses are charged the available USPS rate shown at checkout.

Source: From The Andes — Shipping Policy

Carrier-provided insurance, declared-value protection, and liability limits vary by carrier and shipping service. For higher-value shipments, From The Andes Inc. may purchase additional carrier coverage or declared-value protection when appropriate and available.

If an item arrives damaged, contact us as soon as reasonably possible, preferably within 3 business days after delivery. When reasonably available, include photographs of the item, exterior packaging, interior packaging, shipping label, and visible damage so we can evaluate the issue and preserve evidence for any carrier claim.

Source: From The Andes — Shipping Policy · info@shopfromtheandes.com

All products may be returned within 30 calendar days after delivery. Merchandise must be unused, unworn, and in original condition. Contact info@shopfromtheandes.com to request a return. Approved U.S. returns include a prepaid return label paid by From The Andes. Eligible returns may receive a refund of the merchandise price, an exchange, or store credit, with no restocking fee. Approved refunds are initiated within 3 business days after inspection, and From The Andes pays outbound shipping on approved exchanges.

Returns require prior authorization and must meet the condition requirements in our Refund Policy. Please read the full policy before sending merchandise back.

Source: From The Andes — Refund Policy

If you would like gift packaging, email us with your order number as soon as possible after purchase. We will confirm whether it can be added before the order is fulfilled.

For product questions, material questions, additional photographs, measurements, shipping, returns, or order support, email info@shopfromtheandes.com.