Are you mulling over how to sell a rug with no idea where to start? Knowing that closing the deal at a profit depends on pushing the hot buttons that make buyers want to buy. Here’s an example.
You can offer up your rug for sale to online buyers, antique shops, or interior designers. You may need to depend on a different advertising hook for each group. But before everything, you may have to do tons of research to sell your rug at a quick profit.
When you finish reading this article, the path to successful rug selling will be wide open. So, don’t throw away your valuable rug for cheap and learn this forgotten art.
How Can You Sell Your Old Rug?
First of all, you need to give buyers a compelling reason to buy. One way to sell your old rug is to enlist the help of the Problem, Agitate, and Solve sales formula.
In short, you may have to call out a problem, press the hot button, and offer a solution.
For example, you list your old rug on eBay and write a description that captures their attention.
You have two types of buyers who might be interested in your rug. Regular consumers are interested in buying your rug and using it. And professionals who might want to buy your rug and sell it for a profit.
Both types have different approaches.
For regular consumers, you want to push a hot button called “keeping up with the Joneses.” In truth, most people like to possess valuable stuff to show it off in front of other people.
In that case, they have an insecurity that they may look cheap to their peers. You want to describe your rug in a tone that makes it sound like something valuable that’ll help them look luxurious.
Most people crave status, feeling superior, possessing beautiful things, feeling stylish, etc. Pushing any of these hot buttons while talking about your rug with buyers will improve your chances thousands fold versus a bland description.
For dealers, you can take a similar approach. You can sell your rug when you push their greedy buttons and convince them that they can sell it for a higher price.
Where To Sell Used Rugs?
For starters, you can list your rug on eBay. The best part about eBay is that you can sell your carpet in two ways.
Firstly, you can offer your rug for a fixed price. You may need to know how to price your carpet before choosing this option. Calm down! More information about that is coming.
Secondly, you can use an auction-based sale where buyers compete on your rug, outbidding each other.
Either way, you may need to have a professional product photographer snapping a few photos of your rug. This will instantly raise interest as high-quality photos always capture attention from buyers.
Besides writing a description that pushes all the hot buttons, you may need to be descriptive. Include things like type, colors, condition, size, material, etc. Describe the rug as vividly as possible. If possible, mention the stories around the carpet, like how you got it and why you want to sell it.
Titles are vital when selling your rug. Avoid writing a generic title like “Oriental rug.” Browse around and take inspiration from other rug sellers.
While you can sell your super rare and valuable rug online, an auction house might be more accessible. But keep in mind that auction houses will take a substantial cut for selling your carpet.
If you feel hesitant, you can always try local galleries, dealers, and antique shops.
Local dealers are always willing to buy valuable rugs. However, you may need to brush up on your negotiation skills because they want to make a profit from you.
Last but not least, Facebook Marketplace is a great place to sell a rug, especially when you have many friends on Facebook. But be careful because friends will expect you to lower the price in the name of friendship.
How Do I Know If My Rug Is Valuable?
The most common way to determine the value of your rug is by considering how much you would pay to get an identical one.
Sometimes, you inherit a rug or receive it as a gift. So, determining the value of your carpet without a receipt is the hardest part of selling it.
However, you may want to look online for similar rugs and look at their prices.
You can’t expect a hand-made vintage rug to be as equal as a mass-produced machine-sewed rug. At the same time, avoid putting high hopes. Your carpet might have sentimental value with a market value that doesn’t match.
Furthermore, rug prices fluctuate between seasons. The value might be higher in winter than summer. Therefore, even the time of selling your rug will determine its value.
So, the best thing you can do is get a certified appraiser to give you an estimation.
How Much Should I Sell Used Rugs For?
Again, there’s no shortcut to doing the actual sales work.
A fantastic place to start is browsing around your local galleries and shops. At best, ask five dealers how much they would pay for the rug – before you even offer it for sale online.
Never take the first offer. And never sell your rug to the same person who gave you an estimation. It may be time-consuming, but the research into the local market will provide valuable insight.
Collect as many offers, answers, and estimations to build a clear path to selling your rug at a comfortable price.
Of course, if you have receipts and know the condition of your rug, it’ll cut your journey short. However, there’s no substitute for asking more than one professional for their opinions.
If everything fails, you can look up interior designers online or in your area and get their professional opinion. Some interior designers have demand for rugs, so you can sell to them as well.
