There are many advantages to shopping for rugs online. There are a few disadvantages, but they are tolerable, especially if the customer lacks the means to transport a large rug themselves. Since the largest area rugs might require delivery anyway, it is a good deal to browse online stores before heading to a local depot.
The first advantage of browsing rugs online is that the selection is much bigger. A standard retailer will only have a limited selection unless that outlet is largely dedicated to rugs. Even though they are rolled securely, they still take a lot of space in terms of their length and can at best be squeezed at an angle into the space of a car. Larger rugs are hard to bend when they are rolled and would require a flatbed to transport to a house. Hiring a truck would greatly add to the cost of taking a large rug home.
It is much cheaper to receive a parcel delivery than to rent a truck. A major outlet likely has a discount or free delivery on an order over a certain price. Since delivery trucks make a circuit, they are not being hired specifically for a single job but instead go in a loop and enjoy the economy of scale. Shopping online is sometimes the cheaper option, especially if the point of origin is not that far away.
On the other hand, it is possible to import rugs as far away as Asia. More than likely, the online store will have done the importing for you, and certain foreign designs are unique for their color, patterns, and obvious handwoven nature. It is even possible to shop for antique rugs online, which sometimes run in the tens of thousands of dollars.
There are a few things affecting the price when shopping for rugs online. The first is that a website is much cheaper to maintain than showroom staff. The rugs can be stored in a warehouse and minimally handled except when making a delivery. As this reduces the business costs of the outlet, the price for common rugs might be cheaper when shopping online.
The second factor is demand. It is rare for a mass-produced rug to sell out because they have an indefinite shelf life and appeal to a house with a hard surface. There is much greater demand for old, rare, and handcrafted rugs. Either the asking price will be very high or else such treasures are subject to a lengthy auction process. Either way, the internet increases the number of customers looking at a high-value product, and demand for it will rise substantially.
