Oriental Rugs and Other Difficult Purchases

Oriental rugs can be among the most difficult things to purchase. Even if you never intend to purchase one of these exotic carpets, the buying process can teach you about other things. Essentially, if you can locate a decent oriental rug for a good price, buying a used car will seem easy in comparison.

A book at Kansas City, Kansas Public Library called Oriental Rug Primer: Buying and Understanding New Oriental Rugs is a good place to start. There are other books and it takes time. The thing is that there are more ins and outs to the Oriental rug business than most any other. Unlike used cars, you may see ads for rugs offering 60-70 percent off. You may even see discounts as high as 90 percent off. With discounts that high, what does the retail price of an oriental rug even mean? That’s a good question.

This kind of distress sale pricing is fairly commonplace. Plus, you’re also expected to haggle on price. Add to the equation the “going out of business” sales one sees regularly and it’s not hard to see how even the most shrewd consumer can get confused. Fortunately, there is help available. According to an Antiques Roadshow appraiser Consumer Reports interviewed, “Probably 95 to 99 percent of oriental rug liquidations are scams.” Of course, you can get Consumer Reports at Kansas City, Kansas Public Library. Our full-text keyword database searching makes things a breeze. Simply type in “Oriental rugs” and you’re off to the races. One CR article, “Mysteries of the Oriental Rug” is a good place to start.

Also a used rug from a private seller is not a bad thought provided you do your homework and you enjoy a challenge. If you’re not too particular, you may be surprised at what you find. Ask the seller how long he has owned the rug and where it was purchased. Also ask about a receipt. If the receipt matches up with his story, that’s a good sign. As with anything (but more so here), buyer beware is definitely the order of the day.

On Tuesday, February 2 at 6 pm there will be a job hunting workshop at Kansas City, Kansas Public Library. This program will take place at the Main Library on 625 Minnesota Avenue in the first floor computer lab. Also, on Tuesday, February 23 at 5:30 pm in the second floor auditorium there will be a talk on mortgages and your credit score. Let a representative from Brotherhood Bank & Trust show you the ropes when it comes to obtaining a mortgage. Until next time, catch me in the library.