Though the process can be daunting—especially for customers new to the online purchasing scene—there are some great ways to go about your big rug purchase without selling yourself short. We put together a short guide to help when buying Area, Persian and Oriental rugs online.

First things first: Read the finer print.

First, make sure the website has an actual contact number, email, and address for the company you’re buying from. If something goes wrong, or you have questions or concerns, you want to have a real live human being to communicate with.

Next, do a bit of research for reviews from real customers to make sure the company is reputable and honest, and can furthermore offer you a great buying experience.

Colors are never completely accurate on computer screens.

One really important aspect of buying online is to be realistic. Colors are never completely accurate on computer screens to what they are in reality so you should expect difference in hues of your rug when you receive it, even if it’s only a slight difference.

A good seller will describe the rug the best way possible to the buyer, so when purchasing a rug online, you will fare better reading descriptions over just looking at photos. This also goes along with the size of the rugs. Do your own measurements and compare with the rug you find online that you wish to buy.

Don’t forget to also look out for the right type of rug that suits your lifestyle and home best. If you do your research before you begin your online search, you’ll save time and headache.

The most important thing to remember when purchasing an expensive rug online

With all this being said, perhaps the most important thing to remember when purchasing an expensive rug online is to never shop with a store that does not have a guarantee or some type of return policy. Nothing is ever 100% a sure thing when buying online, so you need to make sure you have yourself covered.