> Yes, there are still artisans making and selling beautiful rugs at premium prices. But most people now are content with resting their feet on a cheap Ikea thing that they can replace every few years, so that market has shrunk to almost nothing.

Yes, and it’s worth pointing out the class of people buying ikeas rugs were NOT buying Persian wool/silk rugs before…they had bare floors or make coverings out of cloth or woven grass.

Also worth pointing out that since 1979, regardless of whether it is secondhand or not and which country you are procuring it from, rugs made in Iran (Persian rugs) have been totally banned for import to the U.S. Tribal rugs now come more from places like Turkey and India. So the market is being extremely artificially suppressed, boosting ikea rugs even more.