The luxury goods and collectors items market is naturally hindered by geography and time constraints, which the company is attempting to overcome by bringing all parties together online, where they can negotiate terms and share more information before a sale.

1stDibs was founded in 2001, it set itself apart from the likes of Amazon, eBay and Etsy by dealing exclusively in the antique and luxury niche. Despite having only tens of thousands of active users, each user is extremely valuable. For example, in 2020, an average user spent $5,500 on the site and the average order was worth over $2,500.

The future looks bright for 1stDibs as it follows a growing number of formerly online-only marketplaces in extending its reach into the offline world. Its partnership with The Agency is a significant step into achieving this.