Hi - I have been lurking in these forums for a few days now and appreciate its existence and the contributions you folks make. I am new to the wonders of persian rugs but must say i'm in it for the uniqueness and eye candy that persian rugs bring to a room, not for investment or collecting purposes. I also must say that i appreciate the character that wear and tear, and even color bleeding, offers, so long as the rugs fit my very small budget. I say all this because I am certain the rugs I am about to ask about might well be considered substandard by many, but I like not having to worry about how hard we might be on them, and for the size they seem comparable in price to the polycrylic wonders at a chain discount store. I have been an ebay fool as of late, scouring the site for the perfect impefect rug. Okay, nuff bout me, let me introduce you to the rugs I wanted to talk about...

a) Rugs already purchased:

Pigpen
Huey Kabluey

b) Rugs got away or I just plain like and am considering bidding on

Robofern
Sonofagun

My questions....

1) Even though I am very happy with what I picked, I could use the education that you all can provide. Did I pay too much, could I have gotten similar styles and sizes of better quality for not much more? Were these listed accurately?

2) Pigpen turned out to be a very, VERY dusty rug! If Pigpen is any indication, I am expecting Huey Kabluey will need a thorough cleaning, at least a de-dirting. Most of the rug cleaners in my area seem to use a wet process, and really I think I might be happy if somebody just beat the crap out of the rugs to get out all that fine particulate matter. But I wanted to know what you guys thought. I came across a cleaner here who told me they offer several different options for rug cleaning:

"We offer a couple different cleaning options ("packages"). The Platinum Package includes a thorough inspection of the rug, pre-treat for insects, air dust with compressed air to remove dry particle soiling (which accounts for about 80% of the soil in your rug!), full submersion wash, rinse with cool water and compressed air, groom to restore nap, dry, and apply protective coating. the protective coating "buys you time" in case of a spill and with regular vacuuming and maintenance, will keep your rug cleaner longer.
Our next cleaning option is the Gold Package. It includes everything in the Platinum Package except we will do a deluxe surface cleaning in place of the full submersion wash. The protective coating is still applied.
The last option is the Silver Package. It includes everything in the Gold Package, except no protective coating."

Pricing for Huey at platinum runs $216, gold $168, and there is a 20% discount if I bring it there and pick it up.

Is this worth pursing at all at any package level considering the quality of Huey Kabluey - if so what level - or should I stick with vacuuming the heck out of it? (Huey is from a different seller so I can't say for sure if it will be as dirty as Pigpen. Huey is reported as new - though I wonder since the pile is uneven and Pigpen was known to be a used rug)

3) I would really like a 2x3 to 2x4 persians by my entryways into the house, but there seems to be very limited options considering I don't want to spend more than $50-60 max on a rug that'll get some serious abuse. Any advice on what styles and/or places to look? Mostly I have been waiting for something interesting from Pigpen's dealer to come up, as he seems to have the most interesting smalls at a small price (and I know some are merely pieces of bigger rugs, which doesn't bother me so long as it's interesting). There are a LOT of these puppies out there and they do not interest me
http://cgi.ebay.com/LIQU...amp;_trksid=p3286.c0.m14


4) I lost out on this rug and am wondering if you see what was so special about it that it went for so much
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/e...ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT

I am sure I have tons more questions but really appreciate y'all taking the time with these!

Pigpen - paid $26.53 total

Size: 4 ft 3 inches x 3 ft 2 inches

Design: Shirazi

Place of Origin: Shiraz, Iran

Condition: Used / Refer to Pictures, Pictures show low pile & professional repair.

Age: 30 to 40 years

Material: Wool Pile / Cotton Foundation

Let me say this rug hides a LOT of dirt!!!!! I believe the cleaners were quoting $60 platinum / $48 gold pkg to clean it more. There are two stitched together areas, about maybe 3 -4" long where it was obvious that the rug had torn. I would take a pic but it's dark and under a table right now doing its duty as a decorative wonder.

Robofern

Not purchased yet - base shipping is $80, opening bid at $10 so minimum price is $90.
Okay I sorta regret posting this one cause I do want it and would LOVE it in my bedroom. Other interested parties because of this post & possible bidding snipers, please have mercy!!

Name NAHAVAND
Size 4' 6" x 8' 11"
136cm 272cm
Made in IRAN
Pile wool
Foundation Cotton
Design GEOMETRIC
KPSI 99
Production period by hand 1,207 hours
Border colour Light Black
Field colour Red,Light Red,Pink,Green
More visible colour Light Black,Brown,Light Red
Remark HAND MADE RUG VERY GOOD CONDITION NO STAIN NO ODORS ABRASH IN THE FIELD OR BORDER
Market retail value $800.0000

ISO: Small carpet

Are there key words that will help me refine my searching for a small rug (no wider that 2'9, no lnoger than 3'8)? I have read that baluch rugs often are made in that size range, but haven't run across many (of course it might be my price range that's holding me back). Anyway, I'd like to target something less than $60, more like $25 if I can really squeeze it with a warty but super pretty rug. I don't like the ubiquitous rug in the first photo. Like and am considering bidding on the rug in the subsequent pictures but the white dots frighten me as they don't look like the thread things that I read can come up thru the rug. that, and it's not really the size I was looking for but it's such a cutie pie! Cutie is currently up at $16 (15 of that is shipping)

Info on cutiepie
Size: 3 ft 9 inches x 3 ft 4 inches

Design: Baloch

Place of Origin: Iran

Condition: Used / Refer to Pictures

Age: 30 to 40 years

Material: Wool Pile / Cotton Foundation

whew! that's it I think, well, not really....there is this other rug....but maybe another day. I really appreciate your time & any info you can provide! :)

Thanks, Ed! yeah like I was saying would love to afford a super beauty but our lifestyle doesn't quite permit that and it's hard for me to relax around perfect rugs that I paid a lot for and all the worry I would be doing with them to keep them that way. I am a total bottom feeder at the moment, I know. :)

About the dye & paint jobs - considering all that, is there a risk that a wet cleaning could remove these fixes/make things worse? Have you ever heard of the compressed air thing? It made sense to me at the time considering how much dirt was coming out just by vacuuming the back. Pigpen did not show its true status til I vacuumed it on the back with a beater vac.

To get the dirt out you could place it face down and walk on it for a while, make sure to place something under it like brown paper or plastic to catch all the
dirt. I knew an older man from eastern Europe who did this every summer for two or three months. As far as washing you can test an area to see if the color
is fast or will run. I saw somewhere how to wash an oriental rug. Basically it's just soap and water after you get the major dirt out. A lot of people add white
vinegar to help stop color run. Baby shampoo or woolite. That Shiraz looks like a rug that would run though. There is a rug cleaner member on here maybe
he will see this and tell you what to do. Some people use Orvus or other cleaners other say not to use Orvus who knows. Good luck.