Answer:
Transporting them was extremely costly and/or dangerous.
Step-by-step explanation:
India was a major source of very coveted goods in Europe for most of its history. For hundreds of years, goods had to be shipped from India to Europe either by sea or land along very difficult routes. The land route, the famous Silk Road, was the most direct one. However, ferrying good across the Silk Road meant having to cross very harsh terrain across Central Asia and the Middle East, risk being assaulted, or face the numerous political entities that ruled the lands along the Silk Road. The sea route meant a lengthy voyage starting from Western Europe in the Atlantic, following the African coast down the Cape of Good Hope in modern day South Africa, and then north to India. These voyages were not only extremely long, but also very dangerous. For these reasons, export of carpets, woolen, dyes and gold was very costly and dangerous, thus these were very expensive goods. It was the search for an alternative route to India that led Christopher Columbus to embark on his fateful voyage that ended up with him setting foot in the Americas.: