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Question:
I am looking into buying a Oushak rug. I have found two rug stores
willing to take my trade-in an Indian jaipur I bought about three years
ago in excellent condition. The Oushaks on ebay are considerably less
than what I saw today in their stores.
The store is willing to take my rug
for about 2500 (I paid 3300) plus pay another 3-5000 for a few of the
rugs I liked today. Is it worth it to trade-in and negotiate a rug for
1500 (for a 9x12) or should I consider keepng my rug and purchasing a
rug on ebay for around 1500-1800?
I don't want to be taken!!! How do I know the rugs on ebay are
authentic? Is there a label to look for etc?
I would appreciate any info.
-anonymous
Response:
Thanks for writing in!
We'd like to address your last question first, as it's the best place to start.
If you're looking for rugs on eBay and don't want to be taken, when authenticity is important (and it is) we offer a service called Rug Rag Oriental Rug Verifications. Here is a sample of what a more extensive Verification looks like.
Rug Rag is an independent third party Oriental Rug reviewer. We do not sell rugs, we simply help the public to make more informed purchasing decisions. We have made the service of Rug Verifications free of charge for sellers as our initiative to help "clean up," clarify, and otherwise assess the item at hand. If a seller opts to not take advantage of this service, we offer the consumers other tools such as our free to use Oriental Rug Forum to talk with experts, or we also offer simple Verifications for free to $5 by emailing us. The best option is to encourage sellers to use our services by letting them know to contact us. It helps you feel more comfortable as a consumer, and it helps them as a seller to be a Trusted Rug Rag Seller for which we have very strict but fair Industry criteria.
Regarding Authenticity:
The term "Authentic" has many meanings: One could suggest that a hand knotted Oriental Rug is authentic merely based on the fact that it was not reproduced by a machine or other not "tufted". However, the word "authentic," when used in conjunction with names of rugs such as "Oushak" has the implication that the rug is both hand knotted, and made in Turkey provided the word "design" does not follow.
However, there are sellers who take advantage of first time buyer misconceptions and advertise with the following: GENUINE OUSHAK RARE RUG... While this rug is hand knotted, it is by no means anywhere near what the item description implies regarding country of origin, design, etc. Additionally, the relevent information regarding "Origin" is even less transparent as we can see the seller threw yet another curveball to consumers by omitting relevant information as to where the rug was made, and uses the word "Persian" for style. The fact is, it's not a Persian Rug, and it's not an Oushak Rug. It's a carpet from the pakistan/Afghanistan area. As a consumer, not only will you not receive what has been advertised, but you also run the risk of dealing with a less than honest seller. This has it's own implications despite feedback where others too have been fooled in the past.
In consideration of questionable sales tactics, it's far too difficult to make a general statement that it would be better to opt for trade in locally or purchase on eBay. If you do not like the current Jaipur, resale as a private party can sometimes be difficult.
If you have specific items under consideration, advise your potential online seller of our free services. Otherwise, please take a look at the following relevant articles sourced from our Rug Rag Archive:
How Can I Tell if my Rug is an Oriental Rug or Other?
Q&A: Such a Thing as a "Fake Rug"?
Sincerely,
- Rug Rag
We look forward to talking with anyone who may have questions on or
about oriental rugs. We are an Independent Reviewer, and will give you
our opinion for any rug, new or old. Should you have any questions you
would like to submit for a blog entry response, please do so, and be
sure to include photographs of your rug. For more information, please
take a look at the bottom of this page, or feel free to Contact Us at Info@RugRag.com
See More From "The InBox"
For all those interested in submitting a question to the Rug Rag
Editors: We'd be more than happy to help, please send some photographs
of the
reverse side of the rug very close up with a quarter placed on the
knots, plus a picture of the fringe, the whole face of the rug and
detail shot of the pile. If the rug is worn, please include
photographs of worn areas. For rugs of any age, please be sure to
check for dry areas, moth damage, odor, and whether or not the rug is
straight/has right angles where called for. If you
have any questions about our assessment request feel free to send us an
email. Otherwise, we are looking for
something similar to these images posted here.
Click here for The InBox Disclaimer
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