New rugs offered on RugScout will have their age listed as "New" and their condition as "Excellent". Used collectible rugs will never list their age as "New", but rather their age range will be listed and their inspected, warehoused condition described as well.

Our suppliers of used collectible rugs have buyers that visit small Persian cities and buy from collectives there that weave and sell the rugs - they often have rugs that were woven a year or two ago, but have never been used. We can't legitimately call these "new" nor can we always know the exact age of a rug that we buy this way, so our field inspectors are trained to estimate the age range of the rug.

In some cases, rugs may have been used (we have no absolute way of knowing), but two points here: (1) every used rug is thoroughly inspected and graded and (2) these wool, hand woven rugs typically last 50-75 years with normal use and often grow in value as they age because they are collectible pieces of art, as well as having very long lasting utility.

In addition, our inspectors assign a "condition" grade to any used collectible rugs offered, to further let interested buyers know how much use and wear a particular rug has experienced. Any used rugs offered on RugScout will also display photographs of the actual rug in stock - not a similar rug, the actual rug being offered. So before you buy, you can plainly see its condition.

If the thought of a hand woven rug being "used" doesn't appeal to you, RugScout also offers "new" hand made rugs, power loomed rugs and some machine made rugs as well - those may be of higher interest for you, and you can be assured of its precise manufacture date and know absolutely that it has never been used.

If you do understand our used collectible rug buying process and its difficulties in absolutely knowing a rug's age, and you appreciate our best effort to tell the straight truth about its age, perhaps a used hand woven rug is a good choice for you. If so, look for our hand woven rugs that are marked excellent condition and only 0-10 years. These may not have actually been used, but may have just been sitting in the inventory of a rug weaving collective overseas, awaiting a buyer. When the rugs we offer don't come directly from a rug manufacturer, to be conservative, we never label their age as "new". You can see their condition displayed, and when we've graded it as "Excellent", it's in like new condition.