I would say that you were convinced and remain convinced in the same way that your head remains decapitated if someone did a decapitae foe on you. You were convinced that the rug you bought was a useful and nice rug, and continue to tell you friends of its illustrious history, just like the merchant told you. This would be a complete defeat, for you.
This sounds bad and a player would decide that he wasn't going back. However, I think this would be bad role playing and the character should have no reason not to go back unless the rug proved to be worthless, or a rip off, or not what is was purported to be. Now, the hero returns to the rug store and complains, perhaps the merchant zaps him again with some other tale about the care and feeding of rugs.
I see the best RW analogy to be to stores offering guarantees, doing advertising, loyalty cards etc. These are a form of marketing "magic" that one might choose to ignore, avoid or feel unaffected by - but it works, else no one would do it. It helps that Issaries is the god of fair trade, so his worshippers are almost honour bound to not deliberately scam customers. Their moral objective is to bring the benefits of trade both parties. Another analogy might be a business deal between a supplier and a manufacturing company where it would not be unreasonable to have prepared details of what is wanted, lead times, delivery terms, quality specificiations, payment terms. Both sides want the deal to work out, both expect the other to want the deal to favour themselves, both expect to have consulted other suppliers for competitvie quotes. This sort of stuff is not cheating, but is in a way "magic" of a sort. Compare it with for example, a guy turning up with raw materials speculatively trying to negotiate a deal to sell it to you at the factory gate, negotiating a price there and then, going away if the price is wrong etc (ie the IMO bizarre way that Traveller star-trade supposedly works)
I think I've gone on a bit of a supply chain/logistics ramble there but the way trade apparently works in most fantasy RPG seems unrealistics to me. (if it is realistic, then at least very inefficient and in need of magical solutions)
Keith
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