What Michael's does

Michael's is a family-owned luxury consignment retailer founded in 1954 and headquartered in New York City. The company operates a flagship store at 1125 Madison Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side and a second retail location in Katonah, NY, serving Westchester County and the surrounding affluent suburbs. Its core function is curating and reselling authenticated pre-owned designer apparel, handbags, shoes, and accessories from over 100 luxury and contemporary brands including Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Dior, Gucci, and Christian Louboutin. The company emphasizes a "100% authenticity guaranteed" position, supported by what it describes as seven decades of in-house authentication expertise and direct relationships with top design houses. The business employs 11-50 people and is privately held with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, or institutional ownership.

Michael's revenue model is a consignment commission structure. The company lists pre-owned luxury items on behalf of consignors and retains a percentage of each sale, with consignors receiving 50% of the sale price for items under $5,000, 60% for items between $5,000 and $7,499, and 70% for items over $7,500; consignors can opt for store credit with an additional 10% bonus. The company claims most items sell within four weeks of arrival, and unsold items are reduced by up to 20% every 30 days. Distribution is dual-channel: brick-and-mortar retail in Manhattan and Katonah, plus a Shopify-powered e-commerce platform offering free domestic shipping and international shipping to Canada and the United Kingdom. The technology stack is intentionally standard: Shopify for the storefront and checkout, ResaleWorld for the consignor portal, and conventional payment integrations including PayPal, Apple Pay, Affirm (BNPL), and major credit cards. There is no evidence of proprietary AI/ML, APIs, SDKs, or differentiated technology assets; authentication is performed by trained human merchandisers.

The customer base spans three personas: luxury fashion consumers seeking authenticated designer pieces at 20-80% below retail, luxury consignors (including estate sellers) looking to monetize designer wardrobes, and a smaller segment of men's luxury gift buyers purchasing accessories such as Hermès ties and designer watches. Marketing is multi-channel but modest in scale, centered on organic social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), a blog titled "Life's Little Luxuries," email newsletters, SEO, and customer testimonials. The business has shown measured geographic and channel expansion (second physical store, e-commerce, international shipping, consignor portal, Affirm integration) but no acquisitions, partnerships, or leadership changes are documented.

Name

Michael's

Legal name

Michael's Consignment NYC

Website

https://michaelsconsignment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Michael's is a family-owned luxury consignment retailer founded in 1954, operating two New York metropolitan stores and a Shopify e-commerce platform that sells authenticated pre-owned designer apparel, handbags, shoes, and accessories from 100-plus brands to luxury consumers and consignors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Consignment Retail

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Used Merchandise Retailers (4595)

SIC

Retail-Women's Clothing Stores (5621), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury Consignment Boutiques (Online/Offline) (CRAKAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Managed Consignment & Authentication-led Resale (CRAFAGAN), Luxury & Designer Resale (CRAFAGAB), Luxury Fashion Resale, Vintage & Pre-owned (CRAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Luxury consignment services
• Pre-owned designer fashion
• Authenticated designer apparel
• Luxury resale retail
• Designer handbag consignment

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consignment Sales Commission: Michael's earns commission on each item sold through consignment arrangement. Sellers receive 50-70% of sale price depending on item value, with Michael's retaining the remainder. Items over $7,500 pay consignors 70%; items $5,000-$7,499 pay 60%; items under $5,000 pay 50%. Most items sell within four weeks of arrival.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Michael's is a family-owned luxury consignment retailer that curates and resells authenticated pre-owned designer apparel, handbags, shoes, and accessories from brands including Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Dior, and Gucci. The company accepts consigned items from sellers, authenticates them, and sells them in its Madison Avenue flagship, its Katonah (Northern Westchester) boutique, and through a Shopify-powered e-commerce site that ships domestically and to Canada and the UK.

Product overview

Michael's is a family-owned luxury consignment business operating since 1954, offering authenticated pre-owned designer fashion through both brick-and-mortar boutiques in New York City and Katonah, NY, and a Shopify-powered online platform. The company specializes in curating and selling high-end women's designer clothing, handbags, shoes, and accessories from over 100 luxury brands including Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Dior. Michael's core offering combines consignment services (purchasing items from consignors at commission rates) with an e-commerce platform enabling global customer purchases, complemented by expert authentication services, a consignor portal for tracking sales, and financing options through Affirm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Most items sell within four weeks of arrival
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vestiaire Collective: Global peer-to-peer luxury resale platform with direct shipping from U.S., Europe, and Asia. Competes with Michael's for both consignors and buyers in the authenticated pre-owned luxury category, with a much larger international buyer base.
• The RealReal: The largest U.S. online luxury consignment marketplace, offering authenticated pre-owned luxury fashion, handbags, shoes, and accessories. Directly comparable to Michael's in product category, authentication-led model, and consignment economics, but at vastly greater national scale.
• Tradesy: Online peer-to-peer luxury and designer resale marketplace offering authenticated pre-owned handbags, clothing, and accessories. Comparable in product mix and target buyer, with a C2C consignment model and national reach.
• What Goes Around Comes Around (WGACA): Authenticated pre-owned luxury retailer with both brick-and-mortar stores (NYC, Beverly Hills, Hamptons) and a strong e-commerce platform. Highly comparable in curated luxury assortment, vintage focus, and authenticated resale value proposition.
• Fashionphile: U.S.-based luxury handbag and accessory resale platform specializing in high-end brands like Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. Direct overlap with Michael's handbag and accessories assortment, with a buyout (rather than consignment) model and national e-commerce reach.
• LXR and Co. Online luxury handbag and accessory consignment retailer specializing in authenticated pre-owned Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. Directly comparable product focus and authentication-led positioning, with a national e-commerce presence rather than physical stores.

Broad incumbents

• Christie's: Major international auction house with a luxury handbag and accessories auction category. Competes for the same high-value consignor supply and authenticated luxury buyer base, particularly at the top end of the price spectrum where Michael's pays out 70% to sellers.
• 1stDibs: Online marketplace for luxury items including fashion, jewelry, and home goods from vetted dealers. Overlaps with Michael's in authenticated high-end designer resale but operates as a broad marketplace for many dealers rather than a single curated consignment house.
• Sotheby's: Global auction house that sells authenticated luxury items including Hermès, Chanel, and other designer goods. Comparable in authentication expertise and ultra-high-net-worth buyer relationships, though its primary channel is auction rather than fixed-price consignment.

Emerging players

• Resee: Paris-based curated peer-to-peer luxury resale platform backed by Kering. Comparable in authenticated vintage and pre-owned luxury assortment, particularly for high-end designer pieces, and represents the emerging European-centric competition for consigned inventory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Michaelsconsignment
• Facebookfacebook.com/michaelsconsignment
• Instagraminstagram.com/michaelsconsign/?hl=en
• Xx.com/michaelsconsign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Michael's