I've purchased a few Karastan off eBay. There are a lot of people that purchase rugs for rooms and then move, downsize, etc. Sometimes Craigslist has them as well, but not as many. You have to search regularly, and it might take awhile.

If you are looking for something more simple, you can have carpet bound into rugs (which is what I plan to do for bedrooms, because I like solids there).

I have used this website several times and have been very pleased. I was looking for a specific rug I had seen at a local "discount" rug store. I called them up and they were able to get it for me. I saved about 40%! And there was no tax or shipping. If you know what you're looking for it is worth checking the price there.
-I am not affiliated with them in any way- just a satisfied customer.

Here is a link that might be useful: 1001 Area Rugs

As you say, seeing and feeling the rug in person is important -- and so is smelling the rug.

If you buy a used rug, make sure you get down and smell it. Mildew smell is impossible to remove, and you don't want to buy a rug from a smoking household -- you will never get the smell out. (Unless of course you are a smoker, in which case, you won't notice.)

In the case of a used rug, make sure you turn it over and look at the entire back. Water stains indicate damage, either from a flood or an incontinent pet.

Good luck!

Really fine rugs are still expensive, but I got a beautiful Mir design rug at a consignment shop I sometimes visit for $400. I had to pester them to let me take it on approval. They wanted to sell it out right. I was pretty sure it would work with what I had in mind, but you never know. So, if you are buying a rug, definitely definitely take it on approval and don't officially buy it until you see if you like it in your house. I'm not really shopping for any others at the moment, but I did I saw a nice maybe 15 year old Pakistani copy of a Heriz that was 8 x 8 square at another thrift shop for $200. I just bought a Bakhtiari for my kitchen on Ebay that cost $89! Well, the rug was .99 but the shipping was $88. Still, for a 4 x 7 rug that's for the kitchen (and I'm sort of eh about the colors, but it's for the kitchen so we will trash it anyway). I would not spend more on an Ebay rug than I could afford to "throw away," it's like gambling really. But if you want something inexpensive, try the furniture consignment shops, better thrift stores, and keep at it. I've seen some very nice pieces on Craigslist too, but it seems people ask waaaaaaay too much for them.

I had been searching for rugs for months and know that it's not an easy job. My sister, OTOH, went to a rug warehouse sale and bought all of her rugs, five I believe, in one fell swoop. I believe she paid around $3,500 and is very happy with her purchases. I haven't seen them yet, and she herself doesn't know much about rugs, so I can't comment on the quality.

judithn: I bought a Bakhtiari on eBay, probably from the same site that you used. I neglected to vacuum it before putting it out (just for a look-see) and when I rolled it up, there was a sand box where the rug had been. I had it professionally cleaned and, even with that cost, you can't beat the price.

Check local discount stores, too. Marshall's, HomeGoods, etc...I posted last week that Tuesday Morning had a good sale on Nourisons - an 8X10 AND a runner for $199.

Good luck.

Mary

Another vote for overstock.com. You have to comb through their listings, but you will eventually be able to identify some of the rugs and go see them in stores if you really want to see them in person. I recently found a beautiful Safavieh wool bakhtiari rug for less than half than what I could have spent elsewhere. It may not be an heirloom or antique rug, but certainly wonderful quality for the price. With two young children and a dog, I wasn't willing to spend a lot, but still wanted something nice. I'm pleased.

I've bought several from home decorators outlet.com

I've had excellent experience with rugsUSA.com. I've bought a number of rugs from them over the years. I found the site because I fell in love with an Oriental Weavers Patina all-wool rug at Marshall Fields. I brought it home to try out, then discovered the exact same rug online for literally hundreds of dollars cheaper than the full mark up price at Fields. I've been hooked since!

I also decided I wasn't going to spend a great deal on a rug that is going to be in our main living area. 2 kids, a clumsy husband and a cat who loves to throw up....

I got a nice 8 x 10 from Home Depot for $299. They have quite a few on display as well as many you can order from their catalogue.

ebay, have bought many gorgeous oriental rugs from ebay. would buy again.

I feel your pain, we moved and the rugs that fit the previous house fine were too small for the new one, but the new house needs so many things that the budget was/is VERRRRY tight. I don't care at all for the look of bound carpeting (it just registers to me as "carpet remnant") and the floors are too darn cold in this old house to leave bare. (Echo-y, too.) I looked around locally with no success at all. I did very well at the Home Decorators Outlet. My most recent purchases were 80% off; two 8x10s, a 2x10 runner and 2x3 for under $500 all together. I know many people have a massive "thing" about tufted wool rugs but we have never had any problem, and that's what's in my budget. I've ordered ten rugs from HDC/HDCO in four years, returned four because the colors didn't work (ordered the smallest ones available to check that), and have been very happy with the rest. I was a little iffy on the colors on the one I got for the living room as it was a little different from what I expected, but it really grew on me and now I like it very much.

I am usually a big fan of eBay but I looked and looked and looked and just wasn't impressed. Maybe it's because I can't afford $500+ for one rug and that's where the good stuff is, I don't know. Sorting a lot of the dealers' feedback with Toolhaus was an education in itself. I'm not sure why eBay tolerates circumventing their fee structure with the beyond-outrageous shipping a lot of these dealers charge, either. I went to one of those container rug auctions you see advertised in the paper and the whole warehouse reeked of mildew, maybe the container got a leak or something but hooo-whee.

It's worth trying calling/visiting rug cleaners to see if they have any rugs that were never picked up after cleaning. Sometimes they will sell them to you for the cost of the cleaning, although the ones I called either had steep prices for cleaning or were marking them up quite a bit (admittedly a bargain compared to new, but still too much for me!).

I didn't really have any success there but you could look for surplus-and-salvage stores in your area - not architectural salvage, but companies that buy stock from stores going out of business, discontinued items, that sort of thing. Sort of like Big Lots but usually have nicer stuff (or at least the Big Lots closest to me has massive amounts of garbage). In Maine there's the Mardens chain, in Massachusetts there's Building #19.

I just purchased several from Homedecoratorsoutlet.com
They were 80% off and when they got here, I loved all 4.

Ebay really is fantastic!

I'm actually selling one myself on there right now. :)

Just got to show my Home Depot rug. My kids are in love with it. Very soft and comfortable for them to play on. They are going to be disappointed though when I get my coffee table and they'll have less room.

Anyway, just the right thickness and soft too. Only $299, free shipping and just 10 days to order. We're very happy with it!

If I remember correctly, you liked the more modern rugs, right? I have seen some really nice ones at Home Goods. Do you have one close to your home? I have seen beauties for a $200-300. It's hit or miss so you have to keep going there.

Home Decorator's prices are OK but their shipping and handling charges are ridiculous; at least they were on a $700 rug I just about bought from them last week (over $100 in S&H). I figure if I am spending that much money on a rug, they should throw in free shipping as other rug dealers on the internet do. I purchased a rug about a year ago from CSNRUGS.com when they were offering free shipping *and* free return shipping if you returned it within 30 days, but I don't think they're doing that anymore (at least not the free return shipping).

So, shipping charges are definitely something you'll want to consider in your search for a good deal. Good luck!

FWIW, the aforementioned "two 8x10s, a 2x10 runner and 2x3 for under $500 all together" included shipping. The last one I think they shipped by mule train, since it took over 2 weeks to arrive (usual transit time is 5-6 days) but I was really pleased when it finally got here.

We bought a few rugs from rugsdirect online. The one we ended up purchasing for the LR I saw in person at a dept store for much more $, so it is quality merchandise. They have EVERYTHING so if you don't have a vision, it takes a while to browse through all the choices. Shipping was a bit slow on one rug, but not on the other. (2 separate purchases at different times) Even if you don't buy, it is great place to idea shop.

Here is a link that might be useful: rugsdirect

[brag] Here's my two new ones... [/brag]

Sitting room in former dining area (very unfinished, ignore the crappy end table and accumulated junk):

Living room (loveseat only in that particular spot temporarily):
{{!gwi}}

Take a look at the special order rugs from Lowes. I've ordered a few Momeni rugs and I believe that the large ones were around $800. I'm very happy with them.

I've bought two 8'x11' orientals, semi-antique, from Ebay dealers and not paid more than $400 including shipment. I have a gorgeous 9'x11' very thick rug I bought from HomeGoods for $600.

Red

Here is a link that might be useful: My area rugs

Here are three examples of deals I got on eBay:

- Karastan that sells on sale for $2200, paid $785 including shipping. Rugs looks brand new, no smells, no stains, no fading. One little indent from a chair or something (I had the rug for a week before I even noticed this). It was in someone's formal living room they never used, which I believe. This was the most risky purchase because it was from an individual and not a store, and the person didn't have a lot of feedback. But I took the risk (fingers crossed and sweating it out until it arrived) because it was such a good deal and it was the EXACT rug I wanted.
- Karastan that sells for $1500, paid $250. Rug has a few pulls on the serging, but no stains and was never used. Rug was purchased from a store.
- Karastan purchased from a store getting rid of discontinued items. Sells for $1100 on sale, paid $500. Rug was new and perfect.

If you need the 5x9 size you will find a lot of choices on eBay. This is a size the stores stock and they resell them on eBay. The 9x12 are on there a lot as well.

It took me about 9 months to get these 3 rugs.

OT, but Johnmari, I love Keeshonds!