What to pay

(Posted on 10/12/13)

The amount you pay should primarily be determined by what you can afford.  This may seem self-evident, but it is not unknown for people to be carried along by the atmosphere of an auction, or the sales patter of a dealer.  The first step is therefore to decide exactly how much you want to spend and then to look at the range of items that can be purchased for this figure or less.  This need not be an inhibiting factor, because there will normally be a wide selection of rugs available to suit every pocket and taste.  Most retail outlets, with the possible exception of department stores, operate a reasonably flexible pricing structure and are usually willing to bargain, within certain parameters, to secure a sale.  Dealers will almost invariably try to obtain the highest possible price, but the prospective buyer should always endeavour to negotiate.  The degree to which this is possible is largely determined by the prevalent market conditions, but is also partly influenced by your knowledge of the subject; the more you know about oriental rugs, the better your chance of negotiating price.  you should never be afraid to shop around or take your time considering individual rugs.  Nor should you be reluctant to let it be known that you are contemplating buying from another retail outlet, as the fear of losing a sale to a rival may well have a favourable impact on price.  However, the degree of flexibility is limited, and a dealer will rarely sell a rug for less than the lower limit associated with items of similar quality from the same group.