Buying a Handmade Rug Online in India: What to Check First

Start with what the rug is made of

The material decides how a rug feels, how it wears and how you clean it, so it should be stated plainly on the product page. At RS Living, hand-knotted and hand-tufted rugs are imported high-end wool, a few rugs with a sheen are a wool and silk mix, flatweave rugs are wool, and jute rugs are 100% natural jute. Handloom rugs are wool or a wool and silk blend, as each product page states; where a design's material is still being confirmed, we leave it off rather than guess.

If a listing does not say what a rug is made of, ask before you buy. See our materials guide for the full list.

Then how it is made

Construction tells you more about a rug than its pattern. Hand-knotted rugs have each knot tied by hand and are the slowest to make. Hand-tufted rugs are made with a hand-held tool punching wool through a backing, and suit bold shapes and carved pile. Flatweaves have no pile at all. Each has its place; none is wrong.

For hand-knotted rugs, knot density is worth looking at. Where we state it, it is 100 or 80 knots per square inch, or lower knot density. Browse by construction to compare, and see the Raheem & Son journal on hand-knotted vs hand-tufted rugs for the long version.

Get the size right before the colour

Most disappointment with rugs bought online is about size, not colour. Measure the room and the furniture, then tape the rug outline on the floor with masking tape. Our rug size guide covers living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and hallways.

Every design comes in nine standard sizes from 2 x 3 ft to 12 x 15 ft, and most can be made to a custom size priced to your size at checkout. See how custom size rug pricing works.

Understand the price

A fair way to compare handmade rugs is the price of the same size within the same construction and material. A large hand-knotted rug and a small flatweave are not comparable, but two hand-knotted wool rugs of similar density are. All our prices are in Indian rupees and shown on the product page for each size.

Ask what the price includes. At RS LIVING, shipping is free across India, there is no import duty on domestic orders, and GST is added at checkout for deliveries in India.

Ask how long it takes

A made-to-order rug is woven after you order it. Our estimated production times: hand-knotted about 90 days, Oushak and handloom about 60 days, hand-tufted about 50 days, poufs about 45 days; other pieces usually a few weeks. Hand-knotting in particular is slow, and a seller who promises a large hand-knotted rug in days is either holding stock or describing something else. Read what made to order really means.

Look at the images honestly

Screens shift colour, and many shops, including ours, use some digitally rendered images. Treat the image as a guide to design and scale, not an exact colour match. If the shade matters, ask for a sample. See why your rug will not match the photograph.

Know what happens if something is wrong

Read the policy before you pay. At RS Living, a rug fault reported within 3 days of delivery is collected, repaired and sent back, and we pay the courier both ways. Because every piece is made to order, change-of-mind returns are not accepted once production has started. Your statutory rights are unaffected. See faults and your rights.

A checklist to use before you pay

Material stated plainly: yes or no.

Construction stated (hand-knotted, hand-tufted, flatweave, handloom, jute): yes or no.

Exact size, and whether a custom size is possible: yes or no.

Price for your size, in rupees, with what it includes: shipping, any taxes, any duty.

How long it takes to make and deliver, in plain words.

What happens if the rug arrives with a fault, and how long you have to report it.

Whether images are photographs or digitally rendered, and whether a sample is available.

If any answer is missing, ask before you order. A seller who answers clearly before the sale is more likely to help after it.

Comparing constructions fairly

Constructions differ in how they are made and how they feel; compare like with like.

Mistakes buyers make

Buying the size that is cheapest rather than the size the room needs. A rug that is too small makes furniture look as if it is floating, and it cannot be enlarged later.

Judging colour only on a phone screen. Phone screens vary widely. Look on more than one screen, read the description, and ask for a sample if the shade matters.

Not measuring furniture. Measure the sofa, bed or table with chairs, not just the room.

Assuming all handmade rugs take the same time. They do not. Ask.

Forgetting the underlay. On a hard floor, a rug pad stops slipping and protects both rug and floor. See do you need a rug pad.