iCollector
iCollector is a privately held online live auction marketplace, founded in 1996, that connects North American auctioneers with collectors and investors across 20-plus collectible categories including coins, firearms, art, vehicles, and real estate, generating revenue from transaction fees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersCoquitlam, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What iCollector does
iCollector.com is a privately held online live auction marketplace founded in 1996 that connects third-party auctioneers with collectors and investors across North America. The platform hosts live auctions across more than 20 categories including collectibles, antiques, coins and paper money, firearms and military, art, memorabilia, vehicles, real estate, farm equipment, and benefit/charity auctions. Named auctioneer partners include Gold Standard Auctions, Stephen Album Rare Coins, Great Canadian Auctions, Cool Stuff Auctions, BidALot Coin Auction, Crown & Gavel Auctions, Colonial Acres Coins, The Auction Vault, Beck Auctions, and Silver City Auctions, operating from locations in the US (California, Texas, Florida) and Canada (British Columbia, Ontario).
The platform's core technology is built around integrations with two third-party vendors: Live Auction Group, which powers the real-time bidding engine, and Auction Management Software, which provides auctioneers with listing and sale management tools. The product surface is delivered as a self-serve online platform with account management, lot search, auction browsing, watch lists, and an auction news blog; there is no mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Marketing is conducted through organic social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), RSS feeds, and email newsletter, with no paid acquisition channels or formal sales force described.
iCollector generates revenue through transaction fees on auctions facilitated through the platform, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The company operates with 11-50 employees, is headquartered in Coquitlam, Canada (with US-oriented operations per the platform copyright), and is led by CEO Thorsten Bonn. No institutional investors, venture backing, parent company, or recent capital events are disclosed; the only historical funding on record is a 2000-era round of approximately $9.4M.
iCollector firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- iCollector
- Legal name
- iCollector.com Online Auctions
- Website
- https://icollector.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- iCollector is a privately held online live auction marketplace, founded in 1996, that connects North American auctioneers with collectors and investors across 20-plus collectible categories including coins, firearms, art, vehicles, and real estate, generating revenue from transaction fees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
iCollector industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Collectibles Auctions
- NAICS
- Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459), Art Dealers (459920)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online Collectibles Marketplaces & Auction Retail (CRALAGAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Collectibles, Trading Cards & Memorabilia Marketplaces (CRAFAGAE), Auction-based Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAC)
Keywords
Where iCollector is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Coquitlam
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
iCollector business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Auction Transaction Fees: iCollector generates revenue by facilitating online auctions for third-party auctioneers. The platform provides the technology infrastructure while auctioneers list items. Revenue comes from transaction fees charged on auctions conducted through the platform.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
iCollector product offering
Product offeringCore offering
iCollector operates an online live-auction marketplace that hosts third-party auctioneers selling collectibles, antiques, coins, paper money, firearms, art, memorabilia, comics, real estate, vehicles, and other specialty items. The platform provides real-time bidding tools, lot search, and account management for buyers, and listing/auction management tools for sellers, generating revenue through transaction fees on completed auctions.
Product overview
iCollector.com is a single unified online auction platform serving as a marketplace for live auctions across multiple collectible and merchandise categories. The platform connects auctioneers with bidders and provides tools for browsing auctions, searching lots, account management, and auctioneer services. The site hosts various auction categories including Collectibles, Antiques, Coins & Paper Money, Firearms & Military, Art, Memorabilia, Comics, Real Estate, Vehicles, and numerous other specialty categories. The platform supports auctioneers with tools like Auction Map, Auction Butler, and an Auctioneers List directory.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- iCollector.com Online Auctions Platform A live online auction marketplace that enables third-party auctioneers to list collectibles, antiques, coins, firearms, art, memorabilia, vehicles, real estate, and other specialty items, and enables collectors and investors to browse, search, and bid in real time.
Companies that use iCollector
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
iCollector technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
iCollector partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and regular.
- Live Auction GroupcoreLive Auction Group provides the live auction software technology that powers iCollector's real-time bidding functionality. This is a critical technology partnership enabling the core auction experience.
- Auction Management SoftwarecoreAuction Management Software provides auction management tools for auctioneers using the iCollector platform to create and manage their auction listings and sales.
- Gold Standard AuctionskeyGold Standard Auctions is a major auction house listing coins, currency, and bullion through the iCollector platform. Located in Dallas, Texas.
- Great Canadian AuctionskeyGreat Canadian Auctions lists memorabilia and collectibles through the iCollector platform. Located in Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada.
- Cool Stuff AuctionsregularCool Stuff Auctions lists autographed memorabilia across movies, TV, and music categories through the iCollector platform. Located in Palm Desert, California.
- BidALot Coin AuctionregularBidALot Coin Auction lists coins through the iCollector platform. Located in Port Orange, Florida.
- Crown & Gavel AuctionsregularCrown & Gavel Auctions lists militaria and collectibles through the iCollector platform. Located in Waterdown, Ontario, Canada.
- Colonial Acres Coins Ltd.regularColonial Acres Coins Ltd. lists coins, currency, and bullion through the iCollector platform. Located in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
- Stephen Album Rare CoinskeyStephen Album Rare Coins is a notable auctioneer listing rare coins through the iCollector platform. Located in Santa Rosa, California.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
iCollector competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Invaluable: Invaluable operates a live online auction platform focused on fine art, antiques, and collectibles from global auction houses. Comparable seller-side SaaS-plus-marketplace model and bidder community make it a direct peer, particularly within iCollector's art and antiques verticals.
- Stack's Bowers Galleries: Stack's Bowers is a major numismatic auctioneer using live online bidding for rare coins and currency. It competes and partners inside iCollector's coin vertical, making it both a potential supply partner on iCollector and a direct alternative for bidder eyeballs.
- Proxibid: Proxibid runs live online auctions for heavy equipment, vehicles, farm machinery, real estate, and government surplus — a substantial overlap with iCollector's trucks/trailers, farm equipment, and real estate categories. Similar marketplace thesis and bidder experience.
- LiveAuctioneers: LiveAuctioneers is the closest direct peer: an online marketplace aggregating live auctions from thousands of auction houses across art, antiques, jewelry, and collectibles. Identical two-sided model, same bidder/auctioneer mechanics, and directly overlapping categories make it iCollector's main head-to-head competitor.
Broad incumbents
- eBay: eBay is the broad incumbent in online collectibles and auctions, hosting coins, memorabilia, art, and antiques across fixed-price and auction formats. While much larger and broader, it competes for the same collectibles buyer and competes for attention against iCollector's auction listings.
- Heritage Auctions: Heritage Auctions is one of the world's largest collectibles auctioneers, running live online auctions in coins, comics, sports, fine art, and memorabilia. Overlaps directly with iCollector's coin, comics, and memorabilia categories as both supply-side competitor and platform partner.
- Bonhams: Bonhams is a global auction house running live online sales in art, antiques, jewelry, and collectibles. Comparable live-online auction format and overlapping categories establish Bonhams as a broad incumbent peer for iCollector's higher-end art and antiques bidders.
- Sotheby's: Sotheby's operates live online auctions across fine art, jewelry, watches, and luxury collectibles, increasingly via digital channels. Relevant as a broad incumbent shaping bidder expectations that iCollector's platform auctioneers must satisfy.
Emerging players
- EstateSales.NET: EstateSales.NET is a directory and marketplace for estate sales, many of which are increasingly run as online auctions. It overlaps with iCollector's estate-sale auction category but focuses more on local advertising, making it an emerging complementary channel.
- Whatnot: Whatnot is a mobile-first live commerce marketplace for collectibles, trading cards, coins, and memorabilia. It overlaps with iCollector on coins and memorabilia but differs via mobile-native live streams and a younger collector demographic, making it a fast-moving emerging competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
iCollector social profiles
Digital presenceiCollector financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
iCollector leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
iCollector funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
iCollector M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about iCollector
What does iCollector do?
iCollector operates an online live-auction marketplace that hosts third-party auctioneers selling collectibles, antiques, coins, paper money, firearms, art, memorabilia, comics, real estate, vehicles, and other specialty items. The platform provides real-time bidding tools, lot search, and account management for buyers, and listing/auction management tools for sellers, generating revenue through transaction fees on completed auctions.
Is iCollector a public or private company?
iCollector is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was iCollector founded?
iCollector was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is iCollector based?
iCollector is headquartered in Coquitlam, Canada, in the North America region.
How does iCollector make money?
One revenue line is on record: auction Transaction Fees.
Who are iCollector's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Invaluable, Stack's Bowers Galleries, Proxibid and LiveAuctioneers. Broad incumbents are eBay, Heritage Auctions, Bonhams and Sotheby's. Emerging players are EstateSales.NET and Whatnot.
Does iCollector have an API?
No public API is recorded for iCollector.
What industry is iCollector in?
iCollector's product category is Online Collectibles Auctions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAGAO, Online Collectibles Marketplaces & Auction Retail, with a secondary code of CRAFAGAE, Collectibles, Trading Cards & Memorabilia Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 459510 and its SIC code is 5945.