Rugs Buyers Guide

This guide will attempt to steer you in the right direction of what rug to choose depending on your needs, and how to buy it at the right price. Have a look at our Persian rugs colour advisor to see what the most common colours are for various types of Persian Rugs. Click here to have a look

This buyers guide is not restricted to Persian rugs, and will include as many types as is of interest. Very special rugs are individually discussed as the history and quality of them dictates an interest.

The following are links to those types of rugs, just click each name.
Persian Nain Rugs
Persian Shiraz Rugs

It may sound obvious at first the most important thing to do when deciding on a rug buy is setting a budget. Sometimes it is very easy to be swayed by salesperson or indeed even by just the beauty of a rug to pay more than what you intended to in the first place. The budget is usually generally a guide and a little under or over is natural. Just be carefully do not buy something you cannot really afford.

Make sure you properly shop around, handmade rugs are very much unlike other items which are easy to determine the quality due to the manufacturers label. These items can be compared like for like, but rugs are generally not like this. You should visit as many shops as you can let them know that you were doing this as it will probably prove favourable to the final price sure that you are offered.

The best scenario for you is if you can manage to test the rug in situ at home. Most quality rug dealers will allow this, and it will usually be in the form of either a loan or the rug or a full moneyback guarantee.

In the retail market the price of a rug is quite strongly influenced by the operating costs of the shop. Smaller shops have lesser overheads in terms of rent and salaries but may also probably have less turnover of stock and less of a selection. Medium-sized retail shops have larger premises, larger rent bill and larger employee costs. But they probably also have higher turnover of stock and a larger selection. Some warehouses may also sell direct the public and if you can handle the appearance of a warehouse in the fact that you may not receive as personal a service as you would in some retail shops then here are where you can make significant savings. The stock selection should be very large also giving you more options.

If you have done your homework you will have a good grasp of how much a particular rug should cost. You may have to do some bargaining to get a really great deal, but be aware that some suppliers have a low starting price and will not give huge discounts, instead relying on the initial price capture you, whereas others with high starting prices may give huge discounts to give the impression that the buyer is getting a bargain. Do your homework and know what you're getting.