Did I get a fair price for my Turkish Rug?Submitted by sbayz92 t3_yhda9y in BuyItForLife
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sbayz92 OP t1_iud3g69 wrote
Hi everyone,
I bought a hand made Turkish rug at a local shop here in Turkey. The shop is highly rated and recommended by several locals.
It’s a beautiful rug that is 1.4 x 2 meters roughly. We paid $380 (~7100 TL). It is 100% wool and the dye is natural.
Just out of curiosity, does this feel like a pretty fair price? By no means was I trying to get the best deal possible or bargain the owner down.
He actually said he would sell for $600 in summer but because we were at the shop the last day before it closes for winter (which is true), gave us this price.
Of course, who knows if he actually sells for $600 during summer but I do feel like the shop owner is a good honest guy. We spoke for a few hours how he visited my hometown in the US 20 years ago.
Anyways, I’m just curious if this is the normal range for a hand made rug this size. To be honest, I feel like we got a pretty good deal.
Thank you!
jerkITwithRIGHTYnewb t1_iud5bmm wrote
Well we have two. One 10x12 that was $1,300 and one 10x8 that was $900. So it seems a bit steep but we bought ours on Etsy and they were likely not hand woven. I know the prices can go a lot higher than what we paid but we are very happy with what we got.
sbayz92 OP t1_iud5kvu wrote
Nice! Yea I bought mine in Turkey so obviously cheaper here.
I honestly don’t care if we overpaid by $100 or got it for $500 cheaper than what it’s worth.
I just like to have an idea of what something is worth roughly.
I feel like we got a pretty good deal, but someone with experience might be able to let me know :)
fcfrequired t1_iud6lep wrote
If it is handmade, and if it is real wool a similar rug would run about $300 USD in Bahrain.
sbayz92 OP t1_iud75y5 wrote
Cool, thanks for the info. So I’m in the ballpark range. Honestly can’t imagine buying for less than $600 in USA.
Also with inflation worldwide, I’m guessing prices are even higher right now.
SeitanEnjoyer t1_iudtkzb wrote
I'd say over 1k easy in the US.
Western_Detective_84 t1_iuk9mlp wrote
Yeah. For a rug that size, in wool, and for-real hand made, which in this case I think is hand-LOOMED (made on a loom), you got a good price. Was it the cheapest you could have gotten it over in Turkey? IDK, and I don't care, because I think if YOU feel like you got a good price, for a product you likely would have a hard time getting AT ALL in the US, then you got a good price. You may already know this, but "hand-made" in the rug/carpet biz often includes machine-assisted - but somebody had hands on the machine. Which, when you think about it, is an exaggeration of the "hand-made" quality, but "meh, whatever", eh? In your case, I suspect "hand-made" means a person made this on a loom, without machine assistance. You can find hand-loomed wool rugs in and around Chimayo, NM today. 40 years ago I bought a couple for about $300 each. It was off-season, and I got a slightly better price than in season. I sold one, 15 years later, in a Scottsdale AZ gallery for twice that much. I've still got the other.
beholdthefield t1_iudp356 wrote
A lot of your comments in this post sure read like, "I just want to make sure the artisans didn't get paid enough" so I could get a negotiation "win" while in Turkey.
sbayz92 OP t1_iudsiym wrote
I’m sorry it feels that way to you but it’s actually quite the opposite.
I mentioned a few times that I just want to know if this is the normal going price range in Turkey.
I like to know the value of things I own. Especially since this will likely be kept for my entire life.
Some locals even mentioned to me I might have overpaid a little bit. If that is true, I am totally ok with that. Extra money to the shop owner who was a cool guy.
Additionally, usually in Turkey you buy from rug shops that sell rugs made by various artisans. I didn’t buy directly from the artisan so no matter the price I paid, they were already paid what they got.
beholdthefield t1_iudw6fk wrote
>I’m sorry it feels that way to you but it’s actually quite the opposite.
- You can say that, but I don't think it's the case. Actions matter more.
>I mentioned a few times that I just want to know if this is the normal going price range in Turkey.
- The price of anything is what someone is will to pay for it.
-Most likely, someone will pay more than you, and others will pay less.
>I like to know the value of things I own. Especially since this will likely be kept for my entire life.
- You want confirmation that what you did was "good" or a "win". If you keep something your entire life, what's the point of monetary value? You appreciated the item, then it zero value to you. Confirmation that you spent the right amount of money doesn't need get involved, at all.
>Some locals even mentioned to me I might have overpaid a little bit. If that is true, I am totally ok with that. Extra money to the shop owner who was a cool guy.
- You definitely overpaid. Might have been a little. Might have been a lot. Nobody is going to be honest with you about that.
>Additionally, usually in Turkey you buy from rug shops that sell rugs made by various artisans. I didn’t buy directly from the artisan so no matter the price I paid, they were already paid what they got.
- Yeah, no way that seller goes back to the artisan and says something like, "your rugs only fetch $X.xx at my store. I am not paying your asking price anymore".
sbayz92 OP t1_iudx1os wrote
You yourself posted a very similar post asking about fair prices:
“[Pricing] Questions about my first SXS purchase”
Anyways, I think you have my intentions wrong.
Simply just like to know if I paid a fair value price. Same questions you asked on your post.
beholdthefield t1_iudywcb wrote
Do you know how many Turkish artisans it takes to hand build a side-by-side machine in South Carolina?
lilelliot t1_iudec96 wrote
That's about the same price as about the same rug from Ikea. Handmade definitely does not preclude the use of a machine.
Nenor t1_iudt1p8 wrote
Did you haggle? You always need to haggle in Turkey. If you got a ~70% discount or so, it was probably a fair price at that point.
sbayz92 OP t1_iudtnc3 wrote
I didn’t because I didn’t feel the need to. I don’t always like to haggle down prices and pay the cheapest price possible, especially if I like the shop owner and feel they are a good person. He also claimed he was giving a cheaper price than he asks in peak season.
I am more inclined to haggle down prices if there is an aggressive shop owner trying to sell me something and asks an outrageous price. In that case, I will haggle for sure haha
I just went in to the shop knowing that hand made Turkish rugs in the States usually cost double this price or more (or at least I think so) so I felt it was pretty fair.
snapmyhands t1_iuelc1i wrote
I think you probably overpaid but what's important is that you feel you got a good price. I own a kilim of similar dimensions in shades of blue that I got from a dealer in London for £110 if I remember correctly.
sbayz92 OP t1_iuelrjq wrote
Nice! Although I would find it hard to believe that yours is hand made natural died 100% wool made in Turkey for that price (with import, shipping costs,etc). Unless you bought a few decades ago?
But then again, I know very little about Turkish rugs.
snapmyhands t1_iuf6xq1 wrote
I would say they're likely the same quality, I know it's handmade and wool (purchased earlier this year) but I can't speak for the dyes used.
Fwiw there's a label on the back with the original sale price of £650, then a discounted price of £350 so idk if he buys them back from retailers if they don't sell within a given time, but he always has fresh stock when I see him.
adorablyunhinged t1_iuf87zs wrote
Where is this?
snapmyhands t1_iuf8yqn wrote
Camden Passage market in Angel, he's there on Saturdays. He actually bartered HIMSELF down to £110 after I enquired the price so almost certainly you could haggle him down even lower.
kangsterizer t1_iueyvvq wrote
its cheap by US standards specially if it's shipped back to your place, normal by Turkish standards (not cheap either). This sort of transaction is normal in many places, and if you aren't chatting and trying to get a lower price the seller will probably think you're a bit dumb.
flickering_bulb t1_iugdid9 wrote
My uncle runs an import business in Turkey and I’ve visited my extended family a few times there too. It is incredibly popular for local natives to mass import these rugs from other countries and sell them at an incredible markup to tourists. You see this just about everywhere even with little trinkets like wooden toys, etc. You definitely overpaid but you supported a local business so I guess it balances itself out.
sbayz92 OP t1_iugr53o wrote
Thanks for your opinion. So what makes you think I definitely overpaid? And what would should have been the price in your opinion?
zoeblaize t1_iugz6w0 wrote
I’d say that’s definitely a fair price, good job.
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