shopping for carpets in delhi

jennifericous

can anyone reccomend a good place in delhi where i can buy a carpet for my mother. and it is possible to ship it to ireland.
also when buying something like this. is it usual to pay when yu recieve the goods or when you order them?
i visited a shop last time i was in delhi. a tuk tuk driver took me there. it was an underground, government shop. he said it was in the lp. but i think he just wanted me to go there. anyway they had a large selection or ornaments and carpets and it looked like quite a reputable place. anyone else ever been here?
thanks,
Jenn xx

Alan D

I don't think it was a government shop as I think they are all above ground and a driver wouldn't get any commission from them. These guys will take you anywhere - except the Government run Cottage Industries Emporium on Janpath! Carpets are on the ground floor, left hand side.

I remember trying to go there a few years ago with the driver telling us it was closed for the day. We insisted and found it was open as normal. A large Sikh guy outside agreed with the driver, despite the fact that we could see people entering and leaving!

If you don't know much about carpets it's a good place to have a look without being put under pressure. I would also say they should be reliable for sending stuff overseas. We've never done so but I've never seen any bad reports about them on the net.

I don't think shops work on a payment on delivery overseas basis.

EDIT
Even if you don't buy there, it gives you some kind of basis for comparing prices at any of the many other shops that sell carpets in central Delhi.

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machadinha

I agree, don't buy at a place where "someone takes you" (esp. not if they claim it is "in LP"!) as you'll just be looking at inflated prices. The emporiums are probably your best bet. The Janpath market itself isn't bad for cheap deals either, cheap may well reflect in the quality though that may not be so obvious at a first glance. Not sure about carpets there btw, I know they used to do Rajasthani embroidered kind of stuff at incredible prices (but again have a good look at the finer quality first). If it's not too heavy take it along with you on the plane. Real quality carpets (the Kashmiri stuff) just don't come cheaply and it takes a connoisseur to know what you're buying. Like Alan I don't think payment on arrival will normally be accepted.

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Wanderer22

I've dealt with a company called OCM (Oriental Carpet Mills). They used to have a showroom in the Conaught Place area of Delhi. Fair prices and they arranged packing and shipping. Only problem is this was many years ago, so don't know if they are still there. A look in the phone directory would probably turn up an address. I paid when the order was placed. There was no duty bringing hand woven carpets into Canada so it might be a good idea that this fact is mentioned on the bill of lading in case Ireland is the same.
If Tibetan carpets are your thing, Tibet House used to have excellent pieces at good prices.


W22

Lily

Here are some Jaipur prices

A woollen carpet costs around USD 10 to 12/- per square foot. So if you are quoted USD 40/- per square foot, do not even bother to bargain.

Silk carpets are far more expensive, but I do not have enough info on these to give you a suggested price.

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Lily

hmm..whatcanthisbe

There is a great place in a hotel formerly called The Park(nehru place) they are great for shipping and the prices are pretty reasonable

jennifericous

i went to the cottage industries emporium. it was the place we were in originally. we had a bit of trouble getting someone to take us there. we went to one place where they tried to charge us 900 dollars for an ugly rug! we just laughed and walked out. i think i got a pretty good deal off this guy. its a fixed price shop. the salesman was very helpful. he even let me make a phonecall to my mother in ireland. the carpet was almost twice as expensive as we hoped to spend. but it was exquisite. it was a kashmiri carpet, made of silk and cotton. it took 8 months to make. apparently. i never know if they're telling u the truth or trying to make a sale. anyway i payed 375 euro. pretty expensive, but i dont think you'd get anything of that quality for that price at home. thanks for the help guys!

Alan D

I still don't think you went to the Government run Cottage Industries Emporium on Janpath - it's not underground! It's a large building set back from the road with steps leading up to it. There's a bit of a scam going on - a few other places in Delhi describe themselves as the Cottage Industries Emporium.

However, if you found something you liked, at a price you considered reasonable, then all's well.

Nick-H

Ahh! Indian shopping!

The first time I went into an Indian silk shop I spent £300

...and I was single and unattached at the time

Funnily enough, that was in 1997 and I have only just now found a wearer for the two Kanchi saris that I bought there (among many other things).

Recently I spent about £40 on an exquisitely beautiful black Kashmiri wool shawl, embroidered (by hand, I was assured) all over with flowers of many colours. It was a 50th birthday present for my best-friend's wife. I was happy to see that one of my local [London] Indian shops is selling the much simpler, embroidered around the border only, single colour shawls for £45

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kalidevout

I went to Atsar Exports in Green Park. They are online at www.atsarexports.com. They were very thorough in the explanations of the different types of carpets available. My carpet was sent via UPS and got home before I did. It also came with a certificate of authenticity. Probably paid more than I should have for silk on silk carpet, but it is exquisite and I will have it forever. Also, I didn't intend to buy a carpet there, so I did no prior research.