What Mearto does

Mearto IVS is a Copenhagen-based online appraisal platform founded in 2015 by Mads Hallas Bjerg and Johan Laidlaw that connects individuals and small resellers with a global network of human appraisal specialists who value fine art, antiques, and collectibles across 250+ categories. Customers submit items via a web form with photos and details, and qualified specialists return fair-market, insurance, or asking-price valuations, typically within 48 hours, based on comparable auction results from regional, national, and international houses. A differentiating platform feature allows direct communication between the customer and the reviewing specialist throughout the appraisal workflow.

The company monetizes through three streams: pay-as-you-go appraisal credits priced at $25 per single appraisal down to approximately $17 per appraisal in 10-item bundles, a monthly Premium Membership subscription that unlocks a searchable auction-price-results database, and referral fees from Catawiki when customers sell their appraised items on that platform. Distribution is product-led and direct-to-consumer globally, with a white-glove inside-sales tier for collections of 10+ items. In October 2023 the company spun off its fine-art authentication offering into a wholly-owned subsidiary, Signature Art Research (authenticate-art.com), targeting works valued at $1,000+, expanding into higher-ACV investigative research services. Lindsey Bourret joined as Managing Director in 2019 and leads daily operations and the Signature subsidiary. Stripe and PayPal handle payments, and the company lists no programmatic API, developer portal, or AI/ML-based valuation features in its current product surface.

Name

Mearto

Legal name

Mearto IVS

Website

https://mearto.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mearto is a Copenhagen-based online appraisal platform founded in 2015 that connects individual collectors and resellers with a global network of specialists to value fine art, antiques, and collectibles, delivering expert reports within 48 hours from $25 per item.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Art and Antique Appraisal Services

akta.pro primary industry

Appraisal, Authentication & Insurance Documentation (CRAKALAH)

Keywords

• Online appraisal services
• Fine art valuation
• Antique appraisal
• Collectibles valuation
• Auction price database

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Online Appraisal Credits: Mearto sells credits redeemable on the website for online appraisals. One credit equals one item appraisal. Price per appraisal decreases with volume purchases. Credits are non-transferable, redeemable once, and do not expire.
2. Premium Membership Subscription: Monthly subscription providing access to auction price database of recently achieved results. Cancelable at any time with access retained until end of calendar month.
3. Catawiki Referral Partnership: Referral partnership with Catawiki auction platform for selling appraised items. Mearto earns referral fees when customers sell through Catawiki.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mearto is an online appraisal platform that delivers expert valuations of fine art, antiques, and collectibles across 250+ categories within 48 hours. Customers submit items via an online form with photos and details; qualified specialists (with backgrounds at auction houses, universities, and museums) evaluate them using recently achieved auction comparables and return fair market, insurance, or asking-price valuations directly to the customer's inbox. A separate Signature subsidiary provides in-depth fine art authentication research.

Product overview

Mearto operates as a single online appraisal platform offering valuations of fine art, antiques, and collectibles through a web-based submission process. The core Online Appraisal Service provides fair market, insurance, and asking-price valuations within 48 hours. A related sub-brand, Signature Art Research (separate website at authenticate-art.com), handles specialized fine art authentication. An Auction Price Database is available via Premium Membership subscription. A white-glove service tier supports large collections. The company was founded in 2015 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Appraisal Service Web-based service allowing customers to submit photos and details of fine art, antiques, and collectibles for expert valuation; delivers fair market value estimates, insurance valuations, or suggested asking prices within 48 hours across 250+ categories.
• Signature Art Research Fine art authentication service operated through a wholly-owned Mearto subsidiary (authenticate-art.com) that provides comparative analysis, provenance research, and scientific analysis to determine attribution and authenticity for works of fine art with minimum estimated value of $1,000.
• Auction Price Database Searchable subscription-based database of recently achieved auction results enabling customers to research comparable sales data for valuation of fine art, antiques, and collectibles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 48 hours or less turnaround time for standard appraisals
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CatawikicoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic partnership with Catawiki, one of the world's leading online auction sites offering 600+ auctions weekly across collectibles, art, design, jewelry, watches and more. Mearto provides valuations and refers customers interested in selling to Catawiki. Catawiki conducts their own valuation before listing items.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ValueMyStuff: UK-based online appraisal service offering valuations of art, antiques, and collectibles by experts on a similar credit-based, self-serve model. Most direct comparable to Mearto's core offering, serving the same consumer and small-dealer customer base.
• WorthPoint: Online research and price-database platform for antiques, collectibles, and decorative arts with a subscription model and access to auction comparables. Comparable to Mearto's auction database product and its appraisal workflow, serving collectors and dealers.
• Barnebys: Swedish-founded aggregator of auction results and listings with a price-database subscription and editorial content for collectors. Overlaps directly with Mearto's auction-comparable-driven approach and content-marketing-driven SEO GTM.
• Catawiki: Online auction platform running 600+ weekly auctions across collectibles, art, jewelry, watches, and design, and Mearto's Core referral partner. Direct peer in the broader collectibles online marketplace category and the downstream monetization layer for Mearto's appraisals.

Broad incumbents

• Artnet: Established art-market data and analytics platform providing price databases, auction records, and gallery networks globally. A broader incumbent in the art price-database and appraisal-research space that competes for the same data-driven valuation use cases Mearto addresses for consumers.
• MutualArt: Online art-market research service with an auction-results database and artist-price analytics, targeting collectors and advisors. Comparable as a subscription data product adjacent to Mearto's Premium Membership database offering.
• Artprice by Artmarket: Global art-price database and indices provider covering auction results and artist-market metrics. Comparable to the data-asset dimension of Mearto's business and competes for the same collector/insider subscription use case.
• Sotheby's: Global traditional auction house with online appraisal, valuation, and authentication services through Sotheby's Institute and related channels. A broad incumbent providing overlapping appraisal capability as part of a much wider auction and advisory portfolio.
• Bonhams: International traditional auction house offering valuation days, online estimates, and authentication through specialist departments. Competes with Mearto at the high end for serious collectors needing certified valuations.
• Heritage Auctions: Major US auction house covering art, antiques, jewelry, and collectibles with appraisal and authentication services for estates and collectors. A broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities for the appraisal and authentication customer segments Mearto serves.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mearto_com
• Facebookfacebook.com/mearto

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mearto