How delivery works, what it costs, and what happens if your rug isn't right.
At a glance
Delivery
Free to most of the east coast, SA and TAS. From $20 to Perth and Darwin. Your exact cost shows at checkout before you pay.
When it arrives
Dispatched within 1 to 3 business days, then usually 5 to 15 business days depending on where you live.
Colour
Colours look different in every room and on every screen. If the label on your rug matches your order, a colour concern is handled as a change-of-mind return.
Read more
Change of mind
Within 14 days. A 20% restocking fee, the original delivery cost and return freight are deducted from your refund.
See the costs
Damaged, faulty or wrong rug
We fix it at no cost to you. Tell us within 7 days of delivery.
Delivery
How much does delivery cost?
Most of our delivery cost is already built into our prices, so there's no minimum spend.
Free
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, plus most regional addresses in NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, TAS and the ACT.
From $20
Perth metro and Darwin.
Address-based fee
Regional WA, NT and remote areas: a delivery fee based on your address and order weight.
Your exact delivery charge is shown at checkout as soon as you enter your address, before you pay. Because part of the delivery cost is already in the price of each rug, adding a second rug often lowers the delivery charge or makes it free.
Very remote addresses
For a small number of very remote locations our courier can't deliver directly. If that applies to your order, we'll contact you before dispatching anything. You can pay the extra freight or cancel for a full refund, your choice.
Where do rugs ship from?
We're an Australian business partnered with one of the country's largest rug distributors, shipping from their east coast distribution centres. That partnership is why we can offer a range this deep without marking everything up to cover warehousing.
When will my rug arrive?
Orders are dispatched within 1 to 3 business days. From there, delivery is handled by our courier partners, usually Hunter Express or Australia Post.
Metro
Typically 5 to 10 business days after dispatch.
Perth and Darwin
Typically 7 to 12 business days after dispatch.
Regional
Typically 10 to 15 business days after dispatch.
Our delivery guarantee
Courier networks have bad weeks, so instead of an estimate we give you a date we stand behind:
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Metro addresses: delivered within 15 business days of your order.
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Regional addresses: delivered within 28 business days of your order.
If we miss it, we refund any delivery charge you paid. If your delivery was free, we credit you $20 toward your next order. Just email us with your order number.
This guarantee excludes remote-area deliveries quoted separately, delays caused by an incorrect or incomplete address, and failed delivery attempts where nobody was available to receive the rug.
Can I track my order?
Yes. You'll receive a tracking number by email as soon as your rug is dispatched.
Do you deliver to PO Boxes?
No. Rugs are too bulky for parcel lockers, and our couriers need a physical street address.
Do I need to be home?
Not usually. Most couriers will leave the rug in a safe place if nobody answers. If your address has no safe place to leave a large parcel, tell us in the order notes and we'll flag it with the courier.
Rug Pads
We recommend an underlay with every rug. It stops the rug sliding, protects your floor from grit and pile wear, and can significantly extend the life of your rug.
You can add the right one when you choose your rug. We match it to your rug's size automatically, so all you do is tell us whether you're laying it on hard floor or carpet and we send the correct pad.
Underlays are priced separately and shown on the product page. When you order one with a rug, it travels in the same delivery.
Returns
Before you buy: a note on colour
We know how disappointing it is to unroll a new rug and find it doesn't look quite the way you pictured it. We'd much rather help you avoid that moment, so here is exactly how colour works.
A rug's colours change with the room it's in. Natural and artificial light, the time of day, your screen settings, the camera, and even which way the pile is facing all affect how it looks. We believe the photos on our site are a fair and reasonable representation of each rug, taken with studio equipment set up to mimic daylight. No photo can show exactly how a rug will look in your home.
That's why we treat every colour or appearance concern as a change-of-mind return, as long as the SKU on the label on the back of the rug matches the rug you ordered. If you're not sure, send us a photo of the label and we'll check it for you. If we did send the wrong rug, we'll put it right at no cost to you.
If the exact shade matters to you, please see the rug in person first. Many of the rugs we sell are also stocked by physical rug retailers, so you may be able to see it in a store before you decide. And if seeing and touching a rug is what you need to feel confident, buying from a physical store may be the better choice for you. We completely understand, because we'd rather you end up with a rug you love.
What a change-of-mind return costs
We accept change-of-mind returns and exchanges within 14 days of delivery. The rug needs to be unused and in its original packaging, in a condition you'd be happy to receive yourself.
These costs apply to every change-of-mind return or exchange, including colour concerns:
Restocking fee
20% of the purchase price.
Original delivery cost
$55 for most rugs, or $100 for rugs 370x300cm and larger. This applies even if your delivery was free, because delivery is built into our prices and we've already paid to get the rug to you. Any delivery charge you paid at checkout is also not refundable.
Return freight
Depends on the rug's size and how far it has to travel, and can be up to $150 across the country. We can book it for you at the best rate we can find, or you can arrange your own tracked courier to the return address we give you.
An example: you return a $300 rug and the return freight is $50. You'd receive $135 back ($300 less $60 restocking, $55 original delivery and $50 freight).
Want to know what a return would cost before you buy? Email us at hello@rugemporium.com.au with your postcode and the rug you're looking at, and we'll send you a return freight quote. No obligation.
We handle returns this way so we can keep our prices low, instead of building the cost of free returns into every rug.
How to return a rug
- Email us within 14 days of delivery with your order number and a photo of the label on the back of the rug.
- We confirm the costs and either book the collection for you or send you the return address.
- Roll the rug tightly, pile side in, and wrap it in its original packaging. It stays your responsibility until it reaches us.
- Once the rug is back and checked, we refund the purchase price less the costs above within 14 days.
Avoid a return: free virtual styling
Send us a photo of your room and we'll place your chosen rug into the space, so you can see how the scale and overall look work before you commit. It's a guide to the look rather than an exact colour match.
Avoid a return: sizing help
Send us your room dimensions and furniture layout and we'll tell you what fits. Getting the size right is the most common reason a rug doesn't need to come back.
What if my rug arrives damaged, faulty or isn't the rug I ordered?
We'll fix it, at no cost to you.
Take photos of the damage and the packaging, or of the label if you think it's the wrong rug, and contact us within 7 days of delivery so we can lodge any claim with the courier in time. We'll arrange a replacement or a full refund, including collecting the rug. You won't pay freight or any restocking fee.
Cancellations
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Before dispatch: full refund, no questions.
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After dispatch: handled as a change-of-mind return, so the return freight, restocking fee and delivery cost above apply.
Your consumer rights
Everything above sits alongside your rights under Australian Consumer Law. Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded, including a right to a replacement or refund for a major failure. Nothing on this page limits those rights.
Buying for a business?
We're happy to help childcare centres, offices, clinics and designers. Email us at hello@rugemporium.com.au with what you need and where it's going, and we'll send you a quote covering multiple rugs, delivery to more than one address, and a receipt in your business name.
Still have questions? Whether it's delivery to your address, help choosing a size, a return quote, or a quote for your business, send us a message. We answer everything ourselves.
