Don't know where to start with this one... ITEM NUMBER 270224985709. I saw this rug and recognized it as carpet from well known importer by the name of Mehdi Dilmaghani and Co. I can tell by design and wash tag which is photographed.

I research more and found this carpet can be purchased NEW from Dilmaghani somewhere in the vicinity of $3000 as opposed to listed $7,500 USED on ebay by this moron ebay seller. Dilmaghani still has a few stock piece from when these were originally offered in 1970s.

I cant tell you how many incorrect claims are in this auction.

1 - this carpet is not French. It is Indian carpet with design made from Aubusson carpet.
2 - Rug is not retail value $35-50 k - This seller is a fool, and any rug dealer who would tell him this price is idiot.
3 - The starting bid is 2.5 times higher for this USED RUG than NEW rug.
4- If this moron will post a photograph of identification, he should do research to find out what rug is about.

This is big disregard for intelligence of consumer. Watch out because this guy has good feedback as many ebay sellers do, but when they sell misleading item like this, THEY CAN HIT JACKPOT.

He said some rug dealer "looked at it"...wonder who that was?!?

Wow! I feel like I hit the Motherlode. I just happened to find this site. I am totally new to the scene. I have been buying carpets on ebay (175) over the last 4 months to do a small business. I live in Westchester County, NY (Yonkers) and am going to be taking a summer class at New York University in appraising and understanding fine Asian carpets with George Anavian. I held my breath while looking at all the carpets you guys "busted" and was glad to see I had not bought any of them, although I had looked at the "Moroccans" and didn't get the glow I needed so I passed. This is so cool to have found this. I have fallen so in love with my carpets, and I want to learn, learn, learn.

Thanks for the welcome RugPro ---

My experience with rugs is just buying a few over the years from junk shops and auctions. No family inthe business. i don't seel on line. I have been selling, just starting up actually, at an outdoor market in Manhattan. (a good market) along with the jewlery I make. So I am just a start up. But I have become totally swept away. I am amazed by the incredible personality these carpets have, the energy, they are organic, they are alive. Call me crazy, but I feel like a parent trying to make good marriages for my beloved children rather than trying to sell some commodity. They are all in my home, and even rolled up they look fantastic in my overall decorative scheme. I have sold a few to private clients. I serve a delicious home cooked lunch, and people come and play with them, drag them out, touch them, just get up close to them. And then hopefully buy. So clearly, this part of the program, the in-house showing, is not going to be on a wide scale, but I am enjoying it and am looking for ways to expand that. It's developing. But I am at the shore's edge, and I want to jump in and swim all the way out.

I have invested a small inheritance in these carpets and I think I have a good innate eye and sense, even though I need to learn a lot more. I am not buying super high end pieces. Not my league. But everything I have gotten has come and been more than I hoped for, with only one or two exceptions.

Years ago in California, pre-1975 shall we say, I had a wonderful store that sold Afghan carpets. The guy sort of took me under his wing and had me hang out and just learn and soak up everything he had to teach me. That was a long time ago. But for me, the soul and spirit of these carpets is very important and I get it. So there I am. And I am SO glad to have found this site. Thank you!

Have rugs been a hobby for you? I'm curious because many people who buy and sell carpets often do so on the side. >>>>

It has been a strange story. I have adored them from afar for decades, since the '60s. Over the years I have bought ten of them, small ones, 5x7 or less and one huge eating mat with long braided fringe tassels from Afghanistan back in the early '70s. So a couple of years ago I started looking on eBay and bought a couple. I started the jewlery company and started selling in my booth, and since I had the "funky tribal" thing and I saw the Balouchi carpets were very inexpensive and really cool, I started buying some to throw into the booth to add beauty and more of a feeling and story to my whole presence. Then something happened that allowed me to amass a whole inventory, so I started buying heavily in November. I'm done now for the time being, with the buying that is. I have had a couple sold to clients that came to my house and I made them lunch and they looked at carpets and bought a couple. I have sold a few in the booth. But by no means have I started in earnest yet because I did not feel strong enough in my knowledge to put myself in the face of customers and ask for money for something I did not know enough about. It's one thing to learn about something to satisfy a private dilletante's fantasies, and quite another to place oneself, even in a limited way, in the face of experts and potential customers. To me, learning through such a purchase is as important as just acquiring something. This is how I was trained by the merchants I bought wares from back in the '70s and '80s. So, I am taking the class at NYU over the summer that meets in the instructor's shop in Manhattan. And I have been combing web sites such as this one for infor. And of course I have bought books. So I am still feeling out where this is going. And oh yeah, I do this "on the side." I am a freelancer who does a lot of different things "on the side" in hopes of making enough to stay afloat. So far so good, but I am watching what is happening to everybody in this new economy.

We would like to thank everyone for their contributions on this forum, and give a hearty *welcome* to many new members over the last several weeks. We're very happy to see activity in posting on these boards, however would like to remind everyone to please remain on topic when making posts!

If anyone has suggestions on a new category to start, please feel free to run it by us by e-mailing info@rugrag.com, we will consider the suggested category and post it as quickly as possible.


-Admin

Seller now lowered start bid to $3,500 from $7,500. No self respecting dealer would pay $3,500 as this guy say they will. Item was reported to by someone who had seen it here on the forum which is good to know.

Still over price, but better than it start. He still say "A LARGE FINE RUG WOULD COST 3 TIMES THE STARTING PRICE TO PURCHASE ON TODAYS MARKET" Which is not true. Like I said, same rug except new can be found for $3000 or so.

Maybe so. but when this mistake is not clear to peoples like this rug seller is doing now, it can be very expensive a story to pay. Plus, you buy on internet, its not as much interesting as if you go to Cold Spring in person.