1stdibs, with the tag line “Shop the Most Beautiful Things on Earth”, is a marketplace aiming to connect the world’s best dealers, finest shops and most important galleries with the world’s most sophisticated collectors, designers and curators.
Starting with the few dealers that were hand-selected by founder Michael Bruno at Paris’s legendary antiques market, Marché Aux Puces, in 2001, they have become a global destination for those who must have ‘first dibs’ on treasures — from around the world — that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Now, having just closed $76 million in Series D round funding, 1stdibs is valued at over $500 million as the continue their aim to be the go to venue for exclusive art and collectibles. They say that they sell an average of 50 items a day valued at $5,000 and 15 of these sell for in excess of $10,000.
“Over the past six years, we have transformed 1stdibs from a listing site to the leading global luxury marketplace for the design world. Having established that ecommerce platform, we are now in a position to accelerate growth through investment in the core business as well as attractive adjacent categories.”
– David Rosenblatt, CEO, 1stdibs
There are plenty of items way in excess of a few thousand dollars though, Santa on a Train is offered at £3.36 million and if you’re in the market for a diamond engagement ring then there’s one with a 6 Carat fancy purple pink diamond for £4.1 million.
For those with more modest budgets, there’s art for a couple of hundred pounds and you’ll find fashion at prices affordable to those with relatively modest budgets.
Selling to both consumers and interior designers, 1stdibs offer concierge services such as verifying the authenticity of every item and handling shipping especially useful for heavy, bulky and ultra-valuable items.
1stdibs isn’t a marketplace for the masses, they say that they select only prestigious dealers and galleries to bring their merchandise to their highly targeted, global audience. If you’ve got the right products however, they claim 1.5 million registered users, with 3 million site visits, over 15 million page views and 15 thousand sales each month.