Silk Rug Guidance

[RyanMclane]

OK, I'm about to buy this fancy super beautiful tableau rug or something like that, which is on a markdown and way too cheap for a silk rug, but I know nothing about rugs and what factors should I look for... they say it's 100% made of silk, but if so, doesn't it have to be ways more expensive than just 350 bucks?
Here's the link...https://www.cyruscrafts.com/art-gallery/807-100-hand-made-tableau-carpet-flowerpot-ag-807

[barry1010]

It is too cheap - why not email them and ask?

[Buenchico]

That website passes a few basic tests but I'm still a little uncertain about it:

Firstly, the good news is that the URL was registered three years ago, which is consistent with the information on the site itself. (I get worried when I come across sites, advertising incredible bargains, that have only been in existence for a very short period of time).

However it seems strange to me that a firm that's been trading in a wide range of goods for three years doesn't seem to have acquired a single independent review anywhere on the web.

I don't know how the law stands in Canada (where that site appears to be based) but here in the UK it's illegal for a firm to state "your package will be dispatched at your own risk". (In the UK, it's always the consignor, and never the consignee, that must bear the risk). So that worries me a bit.

I'd expect such a business to be trading from either a store or a warehouse but the contact address shown is that of a private house: https://tinyurl.com/2d885f5c . That might suggest that the firm is actually just a 'drop shipper' (advertising goods that they don't physically possess and then, hopefully, getting them forwarded from the Far East or similar) or that it's a very small operation, run from home with a lock-up facility (with no mailbox) where goods are stored nearby.

I'm surprised that a firm that claims to sell goods to Canada, the US, Europe and Australia makes no mention of international delivery charges on their website. Clicking through as if to buy that rug, a potential purchaser sees just a $7 carriage charge mentioned before being asked about which country that they're in.

I'd be hesitant to order anything from that firm unless I'd got some form of protection in place. Here in the UK, any purchase on a credit card (but not on a debit card) over £100 is automatically protected by law, as the credit card company is equally liable with the vendor if things go. If there's some similar protection available where you live, it might be worth placing an order with the firm but otherwise I'd recommend that you avoid doing so.

[THECORBYLOON]

I noticed it said there were fifty knots per square metre whuch is rubbish but elsewhere it said fifty per square inch which makes more sense.

I had a quick look on Google and found the following for that style of rug.

"Tabriz– The patterns are often not so well defined, but generally of trees, floral designs palmettes and medallions. Made from coarse knotting, the knot count is generally only between 100 and 200 knots per sq inch. The texture is a thick, medium, soft pile. The earlier versions of these were well defined and often hold much more character than those from modern production. Colours tend to be blues, indigo, rose, off whites and yellow."

The knots are coarse anyway but that one has a count that is a quarter to a half of the normal amount so it sounds like it would be of a lower quality.