Always shop at a reputable store, where the salespeople are experienced, knowledgeable and helpful. While you may get a good deal at a local sale beware of continuous going-out-of-business sales and traveling hotel-room sales. By all means buy from auction houses but only if they have a solid reputation. If the rugs have no price tags on them find another dealer. Discounts above 20 percent often indicate that the original price of your rug is inflated.
Wilton, Karistan and Couristan brand are machine made rugs in oriental designs, but are not considered oriental rugs. Authentic oriental rugs are never made of nylon or polypropylene.
If you do a lot of traveling or have relatives who do, buy your oriental carpet overseas but be prepared to bargain.
Checklist for Oriental Carpets
* Correct color and pattern
* Wool or silk?
* Country of origin
* Naturally or artificially aged?
* High knot count
* Price based on quality, origin, age and condition
* In-home trial
* Trade-in and trade-up policies
The guidelines above are designed to protect you from spending your hard-earned money on an inferior product. There are many on and offline references on oriental carpets and we suggest you do some research to make sure you know as much as possible about this investment before you buy one. This will help you to make an informed decision and choose and oriental carpet that will last you a lifetime.
