Mebelkart
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | E-commerce, Furniture retail |
| Founded | November 2012 |
| Founder | Rahul Agrawal, Ranjeet Vimal, Nikhil Saraf |
| Defunct | 2017 |
| Headquarters | Bangalore , India |
Area served | India |
| Products | Furniture, home décor, interior design services |
Mebelkart was a Bangalore, India-based online marketplace specializing in furniture and home-related products.
Overview
Functioning as a curated marketplace, Mebelkart facilitated connections between sellers and buyers of furniture, home décor, and associated items. In November 2015, the platform broadened its scope by integrating interior designers with customers, aiming to expand its interior design services beyond just furniture sales.
History
Established in November 2012 by Rahul Agrawal (IIT Kanpur), Ranjeet Vimal (IIT Bombay), and Nikhil Saraf (BITS Pilani), Mebelkart focused on serving India's home and living sector. The company enhanced its group purchasing capabilities in 2015 through the acquisition of 53central, a crowd bargaining service. In August of the same year, AskMe.com acquired a substantial equity share by investing $20 million. Despite these strategic moves, Mebelkart discontinued its operations in early 2017, primarily due to challenges in raising additional capital.
Controversies
In April 2016, Housefull International initiated legal action against Mebelkart, alleging the sale of counterfeit merchandise and non-payment issues. Although Housefull had terminated its partnership with Mebelkart several months prior owing to significant unpaid dues, it asserted that counterfeit Housefull products were still available on the platform.
According to a June 2016 report by DNA India, numerous vendors accused Mebelkart of delaying payments, which prompted them to stop offering their products through the marketplace.