To be fair, $2,500 for a hand-knotted Persian rug is actually a great price, unless it was a very small piece. That one anecdote didn't seem too absurd, or at least not at the same level as some of the other data points.
"Look at me, I'm such a faux baller, cuz I guilt tripped my criminal son into unloading tens of millions to me so I could buy stupid shit. BYAHHH!"
Oops.
the point isn’t the cost of the rug. it is the rug.