"Meubles Monaco", a new platform for selling or buying high-end second-hand furniture locally

A new player has just entered the online resale market: Meubles Monaco, a local platform for buying or selling high-end second-hand furniture.

The concept is the brainchild of Isobel Ridley, a 36-year-old British entrepreneur whose parents have been living in Monaco for almost ten years, and who has already been at the helm of Lavender Hill Clothing for 12 years, a sustainable ready-to-wear brand that is now well established online.

His new project responds to a simple observation. In the Principality and its surrounding areas, many temporary or international residents, when it comes time to leave their homes, find themselves with high-end furniture on their hands, with no way to quickly resell it.

A local project

"Some friends of my parents had to move and get rid of some very nice furniture, but there was no specialized site for that," explains the entrepreneur.

Knowing the codes of digital marketing like the back of her hand, she offers to help them.

"After a bit of research, I realized that there was no dedicated place to sell used premium furniture. There are Facebook groups and large French platforms, but nothing specific, structured and, above all, local, for high-end furniture," continues Isobel Ridley.

Launched last March, Meubles Monaco is more than just an ad interface.

The site supports the seller at every stage: putting the item online (with drafting of files based on the information provided, retouching of photos for greater uniformity), advice sheets for taking the best photos or evaluating the price of items for sale, securing transactions, communication with buyers.

Reserving an item, for 25 euros, guarantees buyers that the item they have their eye on will not be sold to another user. The amount is deducted from the final purchase price once the transaction is validated.

The site is paid through a 15% commission, payable by the seller. Please note that it is the buyer's responsibility to ensure the authenticity of the item they are purchasing, particularly in the case of signed furniture or works of art.

"Meubles Monaco is a facilitator. It connects sellers with buyers, who must view the item in person before confirming their purchase," explains Isobel Ridley.

An international ambition

With around a hundred pieces of furniture listed and several sales concluded, Meubles Monaco already seems to be meeting a real need.

And the model is also attracting international attention. The entrepreneur says that contacts in Dubai, Sydney, and even the south of France have expressed interest.

"Monaco is an ideal test market. Small but demanding. If it works here, we can easily export it," says Isobel Ridley.

Shaping a new way of consuming

At the heart of the approach: sustainability. "We live in a world where we have to stop throwing things away. These pieces of furniture are of such high quality, often little used – especially in second homes – that they can have another life. The second-hand market is estimated at nearly 30 billion euros in Europe by 2030," emphasizes the British woman.

With Meubles Monaco, she wants to shape a new way of consuming, more responsible, more sustainable and above all more local.

>> Find Meubles Monaco on Facebook, Instagram and on the official website: https://meublesmonaco.com/fr