Hidden Secrets about Buying Rugs Online

In my search to find the perfect area rug, I came across a revelation that I wanted to share with my readers.

Basically, I learned that identical rugs will sell online with different names, different prices, and different model numbers, while all being sold at different stores. Trust me, in the past 4 weeks, I’ve looked at A LOT of rugs.

This is something that mattress companies have famously done for decades, commonly known as the “name game.” Basically, this means identical mattresses made at one factory will get shipped with different names, depending on where they’re being sent. For example, company A gets this mattress and the model is called “Custom Comfort” while company B gets the same exact mattress in a slightly different color and it’s called “Dream Sleep.”

Usually there are slight cosmetic differences in these mattresses, like color, material, and stitching, but the overall composition and framework of the mattress is the same. Each store that receives the mattress assigns different model numbers and prices to virtually identical mattresses. This is all done to prevent customers from comparison shopping between stores. And it works.

While looking for a new area rug for my family room, I decided on this rug from Wayfair, called “Salazar Oriental Handmade Tufted Wool Gray/Brown Area Rug.”  The 8×11 version of this rug is $479.99 at Wayfair.com. The same exact rug (it’s pictured a little lighter in color, but it is indeed the same) at StephanieCohenHome.com is called “Momeni Tudor Hand Tufted TUD-4 Grey Rug, ” selling at $999.99! Coincidentally, StephanieCohenHome.com actually used the name that the rug brand Momeni uses on their site.

Here’s another example that I found when looking for runners. This time, three different stores, Macy’s, Overstock.com, and Wayfair.com had the same identical runner rug, in the same size (2′.2″ x 7′.7″). All three had completely different names for the same rug, as well as different prices.  At Macy’s, it cost $149.75, Overstock.com sold it for $53.19, and Wayfair.com priced it at $62.99.

Now keep in mind that companies like Wayfair have affiliate companies (Joss & Main, Birch Lane, and All Modern) that will sell the same rug at the same or similar price, but should have the same name for the rug.

Below is one more example between Overstock.com and Wayfair.com. Pictured below is the same rug, same size, with different names, and one priced at $281.12 and the other at $369.99.

My point in all of this is to expose you to the fact that identical rugs are sold under different names and prices, just like mattresses. I haven’t seen anything online attesting to this fact, but it’s certainly obvious that it happens.

When shopping online for a rug, try searching via Google’s Chrome browser and right click on the photo of the rug to “search Google for image.” Doing this reverse photo look up may reveal the same rug being sold at different stores under a different name. It’s possible that this may work for you, but I’ve found it doesn’t always give results.

Never trust the “original price” either, as many online retailers never sell at that price. Just be sure to do your homework and search several sites before buying, to ensure that you’ve found the best price for the rug you love.

Happy Shopping!

Julie

source: mattressexposed.com