Morocco Shopping

Cabeyp has given you a lot of what you need to know. ive got a bit of info in amongst my pages and yes Telouet is where I recommend - if you get there tell them the connection. otherwise no the tour leaders wont necessarily know much other than the commission theyll get and 3/4 of the salesmen in the shops dont know a really good one from a commercial one (good for good dealers when they go shopping!) - but when you are on tour out in the country if you get taken to any town's weekly souks look out for carpets there tho its still necessary to be in the know as the dealers buy a lot of the womens rugs these days so that the real stuff is not sold at the souks anymore.

but there are some places/ town souks that do still and this is where its best to buy - direct from the women as the shops that you see all over the place have bought from the dealers who make ENORMOUS amounts of money by buying from the ladies whove worked hard to make them and accept such small amounts of money for them - ie a pittance - while the dealers and carpet shop owners grow rich and fat - check out what sort of cars theyve got! and whether the women who make the carpets have a donkey, mule or pony!

and yes theres a huge factory line business in morocco - especially towns like Tazenakht churning out copies - sometimes made from cheaper wool with cheaper dyes and on machines.the market is absolutely flooded. and really there is no reason why carpets - unless they are antique top quality or special (which the guys i know at Telouet were always good for having and having a good knowledge of) - should be the asking price that moroccan rug rip off merchants are expecting to get from tourists. so thats the next thing - you have to haggle. Even a third of the asking price will be a long way off what they paid for them!

visiting an artisanal ensemble is a good idea. eg ive been and it was interesting but there was a difference in quality from the ones Ive come across in shops around Morocco - but you get an idea of price and quality without the relentless hassle when inside a privately owned. you get a good idea too of prices for loads of other enticing goods that will appeal to you. you will get to see how so much cheaper the slippers/babouches should be in the souks. and how much cheaper things can be got for than at the ensemble artisanal! and get an idea of quality there too.

On top of that even a western carpet dealer I met in London whos been dealing in international carpets for years has said theres a new machine thats out making carpets that even the professionals now cant tell are made by machine! but if its a rug you really like and if you believe the wool is good quality theres not really a problem with it being machine made!

Another comment Ive had from carpet dealers in London is to bear in mind that Morocco has been using synthetic dyes for a long time now which tend to run when washed and fade in the sun. Ive seen a lot of old Moroccan carpets being washed though that havent run and are still looking what I love about them many years later!

Morocco Shopping

Visiting Morocco?

Visiting Morocco?