Good morning everyone.

We were discussing another arts and crafts style rug in the craigslist section when Shereen brought this to my attention:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/e...LVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2

Has anyone does business with these guys? Also the ad states the rug is signed but I don't see a signature anywhere in his photos. And his photos are all really good.

Would anyone like to critique this rug for me? I'm thinking about making an offer. What do folks think as far as quality/value go?

Thanks!

Looks good so far. Price is also ok, since it is new. It is not a very fine rug, I counted 7 - 8 knots per inche, so you are looking at at something between 50 and 65 kpsi, but this is a typical weave for this type of rug. Wool looks ok, colors are nice and shipping is included. It is not signed. These rugs usually are never signed. Not a bad deal in my eyes, if this is what you are looking for.

Thanks again KAD and Shereen.

Shereen I see the signature you're talking about, it's in red and on the green border in the bottom center. Does fake signature just mean it says something random, not really the name of the weaver?

That auction has an "or best offer" option so I made an offer of $600. We'll see what happens. I figure if they say no I'll see if I can get that craigslist rug.

Interesting... Maybe for fun I'll take a close-up picture of the signature and see if you can decipher what it says.

And the seller accepted $600 with free shipping on the Indian ebay rug. So it looks like I've got a new rug on the way. Thanks so much Shereen for finding that rug for me. I feel like I got a pretty good deal.

post detailed picture of the area you described, so we know if it is just something small or a major defect.

This is no big problem. Get some wool in fitting color and do a few stitches with a large needle around the selvedge. Ask the seller for a discount with the attached picture. Two reasons for this defect are possible:

1. It is just the end of the string and the weaver did not weave it into the selvedge correctly (happens a lot).
2. During its stay in their stock it had contact to moth or rugbugs. This happens quite often in rug stocks that are not moth protected - basically all cheaper qualities from India and Iran.

Check for further defects like this one. If it is only one, it is probably what I described under 1., if there are more probably case 2. If there are further defects, i would request the seller to take it back or pay for a wash and moth protection.

There's probably four or five areas like this on both sides of the rug. I think I'm going to send it back... I don't feel confident sewing repairs and fear I'd just make it worse.

KAD thanks for sharing your wisdom as always. Your insight about the end of string not being sewn correctly or moths/rugbugs should help me negotiate with the seller.

Should I have to pay for return shipping?

Also do the other photos I've attached give any more insight into the problem?

Lesson learned... I'd rather have paid an $100 for a rug without damage and without the hassle of negotiating and sending it back.

The description on the Ebay ad listed the rug as "new" and condition as "excellent." I'm hoping the seller has good customer service and just offers to pay return shipping. I haven't left Ebay feedback yet and I'll still be happy to leave positive feedback if their customer service is good.

The Ebay seller on that Arts and Crafts rug with the selvage damage has been super gracious and gave me three options: he pays shipping to return the rug for a full refund, have the rug picked up, repaired, and returned at his cost, or negotiate a partial refund to account for damage.

I thought it over and I'm having it picked up for a refund. I'm thankful for their good customer service (Manhattan Oriental Rugs) and would actually do business with them again.