What is Catawiki?
Special objects, selected by experts. Bid on something special. For people with a passion. Catawiki is the perfect place for buying and selling truly special objects safely and securely. Bid on over 65,000 special objects every week, selected by 227 experts
Pros & Cons
Cons
- Poor customer service
- Lack of buyer protection
- Unfair seller treatment
- Unreliable shipping
- Counterfeit items
- Manipulative experts
- Technical issues
- Unresponsive customer support
- Debt collection for unpaid bids
- Favoritism towards big sellers
- No PayPal support
- Relisting sold items
Tool Details
| Categories | Marketplace sites |
|---|---|
| Website | www.catawiki.com |
| Became Popular | December 19, 2015 |
| Platforms | Web · iOS |
Recent Reviews (10)
Yesterday I bought a few Omega watches, or so I thought. After I won my auctions they actually re-opened the bidding process again for another 24 hours!! Their claim is there were "technical problems" but they didn't bother to specify what those issues were exactly. It surely didn't affect the possibility to bid since there was hefty bidding done last minute on the auctions I won. Also one auction that started around the same time but was much less valuable and from a different seller remained mine, while others more valuable got re-opened. The customer service I called was pretty much useless, they simply told me that there was a technical problem and they are aware of the situation. My guess is that this is their way to keep up the prices lots sell for. This was their reply on trustpilot, appearantly they have alot of time to respond to negative trustpilot reviews and appear friendly, and very little time to actually speak to customers themselves. Reply from Catawiki 12 minutes ago Dear Paul, We’re sorry to hear you are experiencing issues with an item you won and then got extended. We have identified a disruption impacting all live auction ending between 18:00-21:00 last night. Due to a large outage our platform was not available for the majority of our users, this has resulted in users not being able to place bids while they normally should have had this opportunity. Please rest assured that extending our auctions is not something we do easily, this is measure we only put in place when the auctions are greatly affected by an outage like last night. We're very sorry for your inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding! * This reply is simply untrue. One other item I bid on that was less valuable and by another seller did infact remain mine. If the others were impacted, so would this one have been. Also there was hefty bidding going on last minute on the items that I won, and there are other reviews that confirm the same thing has happened to them also. Not happy with the price? Just extend 24 hours and tell people there was a technical issue.
WORD OF WARNING FOR THOSE THAT WANT TO SELL ON CATAWIKI: I decided to sell Apollo 11 Nasa photographs and at the beginning it went ok but after a while I noticed Catawiki were not letting some countries see my entries but were sending another person's across all countries, because they sell far more items on Catawiki than the average seller so they pay Catawiki far more commission. Catawiki staff are obviously behaving in a corrupt manner. I have attached photographs to back up my point regarding their favouritism towards big sellers. If you look at the pictures its blatantly obvious how corrupt catawiki is and how they are breaking fair competition laws as laid out by the EU. They have made it a nightmare for the average seller, and this should be taken up by a legal official as the photos I sell are identical to the other sellers, but it is clear from the pictures attached that there is corruption. All of the high figures are for the other seller and their 'x' is inside the bracket. Catawiki have no problem with me buying from them but they block most of what I try to sell. Their experts, when questioned, know little about their specialist areas. They should hang their heads in shame. I have so much proof there can be little or no argument regarding corruption. There is no option to include the photos on this site but can be seen on Google reviews
COUNTERFEIT / FAKE items and appalling service Catawiki allowed counterfeit items on the platform which is against international regulations. After I received a counterfeit item and filed a dispute, Catawiki claimed that the item is a "replica" but the materials used are authentic. Laughable, disingenuous and dangerous excuse. Since Catawiki took zero responsibility for the counterfeit item, the dispute was escalated. Catawiki then stated that my account is suspended until I retract the dispute - essentially blackmailing me. Unprofessional, unaccountable and appalling behavior by Catawiki.
Catawiki, the online auction, requires that a winning bidder (Buyer) deposits a sum equal to the price of the item plus a set shipping charge; delivery to an island costs slightly more. I had winning bid for a sofa and two chairs. I paid Catawiki 700 Euros for the furniture, 350 for shipping, 66 for Catawiki commission for 1,116 total. Seller required to ship promptly but after several weeks the items were still in Italy with the Seller, Arrediantiquariato Napolitano Carmine. They claimed arrangements had been made but the transport was delayed because of the holidays. Catawiki offered to cancel the sale, but the Seller promised me that shipping was imminent so I declined to cancel. A month after the sale Seller notified me that he had just discovered that I lived on an island and he demanded more. I didn’t want to start over searching for furniture so I agreed to pay more directly to Seller based on Seller’s promise that there would be no additional charges. Catawiki was not involved. A week later the shipper claimed he needed to rent a special truck because of the road to my house, even though I drove over it every day in an SUV and I had never ever had a problem with a delivery. Seller demanded another 180 Euros and I canceled the sale. Seller put in a claim to Catawiki for Shipment costs in excess of 650 Euros. Catawiki ignored all my statements, which were supported by copies of Seller’s emails and texts, and they approved Seller’s request for payment. My demands for copies of Seller’s emails and invoices was refused by Catawiki and I have never been told by Catawiki how much they intend to give him from my deposits, which means I have no way of knowing whether Seller’s claim includes charges that I had already paid him directly. Furthermore, Catawiki should be limited to paying from my shipping deposit, 350 Euros, and not take from moneys I deposited for the items.
AVOID. I've bought a watch and in the ad it says that it have a 16cm strap. According to common sense the strap is the part that connects to the watch. So to calculate the diameter I added the size of the watch to the size of the strap and concluded that it fits ok. Once I received it I found that the 16cm was the total diameter. Reach out the seller and he told that my understanding was not correct. Opened a dispute in Catawiki (it took one month to get their supposed experts an answer) and at the end they said that a strap is the total watch, even after sending them several examples of sites showing how to measure a watch. They simply closed the dispute without any further response to my arguments. They only defend the sellers. It was my worst experience buying in an auction. Don't recommend at all. Now I understand why they don't accept PayPal. They might say that I missed a deadline to provide evidence. AMAZING!!! I never missed any dead line. I send all the evidences that were asked and this ends by the supposed expert saying that Strap is equal to the all diameter. I send several specialized sites where they show how to measure a strap and the diameter and Catawiki just invented a new definition of Strap and closed the claim. Just Amazing. AND ASKED HOW I COULD APPEAL AND GOT NO ANSWER. AVOID.
Blocked after raising concerns about bias with middle management - rotten company culture Despite initial challenges, I built a strong reputation as a high-frequency, high-volume seller with 100% KPIs, perfect customer feedback, and consistent sales performance. After noticing repeated basic mistakes by “Experts” relying on personal opinion rather than data, rejecting my lots while accepting identical submissions from other sellers, and communicating only via copy-and-paste Macro messages clearly built into their emailing system. I raised more serious concerns I'd witnessed to the Catagory Lead, notably internal bias and unfair treatment of submissions, with the goal of having a constructive discussion with management to improve processes. Instead, over nearly two weeks, the Category Lead for Music & Movies avoided engagement: first “travelling” for four days, then “sick” for another four, and repeatedly pushing to move the discussion offline via phone (avoiding any written record). Responses deflected from the issues entirely, focusing instead on my KPIs, which were flawless, rather than addressing the suspicious behaviour of their team. When I redirected the conversation to my original concerns and set a deadline for a meeting, my account was abruptly blocked. The official reason? A vague accusation of “insulting/harassing customers or staff,” with no examples. Catawiki claims to “have evidence” but refuses to share it, making it impossible to understand or respond. From my experience, their reactive non-engaging behavior reflects a culture lacking openness, accountability, and fairness, seemingly reinforced from the top down. Combined with other questionable practices, it has destroyed any trust the public has in the platform. My advice to anyone reading: avoid at all costs they are not operating ethically
Αγόρασα μία ασημένια λαβίδα για τη ζάχαρη αλλά δεν την έλαβα ποτέ. Ο πωλητής την έστειλε με τη φτηνότερη αποστολή εάν και η τιμή που ζήτησε για τα ταχυδρομικά ήταν υψηλή. Ο κωδικός δεν υπήρχε ούτε στο ταχυδρομείο όπου και αναζήτησα το αντικείμενο. Ζήτησα τα χρήματα μου πίσω από την Catawiki και παρά τα επανειλημμένα μηνύματα μου δεν απάντησε ποτέ. Ευτυχώς που το αντικείμενο ήταν μικρής αξίας. Εξυπακούεται ότι δεν θα ξανααγοράσω από την Catawiki.
Warning: Fake product. I received an item that was presented as authentic, but clear signs indicate it’s a counterfeit. Materials, branding, and serial number do not match the original standards. Not recommended. ⸻ Attention : Produit contrefait. J’ai reçu un article présenté comme authentique, mais plusieurs éléments prouvent qu’il s’agit d’une contrefaçon : matériaux, marquages, et numéro de série sont incorrects. Je déconseille fortement ce vendeur. ⸻ Achtung: Gefälschtes Produkt. Ich habe einen Artikel erhalten, der als authentisch angeboten wurde, aber eindeutige Anzeichen einer Fälschung zeigt. Materialien, Logos und Seriennummer stimmen nicht mit dem Original überein. Nicht zu empfehlen. ⸻ Waarschuwing: Nepproduct ontvangen. Het artikel werd aangeboden als origineel, maar is overduidelijk een vervalsing. Materialen, merktekens en serienummer wijken sterk af van het origineel. Deze verkoper is niet aan te raden. ⸻ Advertencia: Producto falsificado. Recibí un artículo que se anunciaba como original, pero claramente es una falsificación. Los materiales, logotipos y número de serie no coinciden con los estándares auténticos. No recomiendo a este vendedor. ⸻ Attenzione: Prodotto contraffatto. Ho ricevuto un articolo presentato come autentico, ma ci sono evidenti segnali che si tratta di una copia. Materiali, marchi e numero di serie non corrispondono agli standard originali. Sconsiglio questo venditore.
I am a seller and unfortunately 2-3 times an item wasn’t paid by the bidder, but their system reoffererd the item without us aware and someone bidded 2 euros and won without our knowledge, this item we sold before because people kept not paying. The issue is now the person left negative review which affects our reputation, I think they should offer more protection against such cases as this is not fair. We even offered the customer another free fossil, but they are not responding. This is very unfortunate and a lack of customer service from catawiki. Really disappointing as I’ve been on Catawiki for 4-5 years and got 100% positive feedback and we are a small business that cares for customers. Really shameful on catawikis part. As it was their systems issue, and we have checked and AGAIN, their system has uploaded the item again when I’ve told atleast 3 representatives that this item wasn’t available and sold already???? At very best they should neutralise the review. 95726514
Catawiki refuses to issue a refund for lost shipment, blames the buyer! BEWARE! Catawiki now refuses to issue refunds for lost shjpments! They blame buyer's "Customs" while there are NO Customs between EU countries! Also, the Seller must submit search for lost shipment, but Catawiki blames Buyer and asks the Buyer must submit search or lost shipment. According to commerce rules the Seller and the Catawiki is responsible delivering shipment to the buyer. Catawiki states otherwise. They say the Buyer is responsible, which is wrong! The issue is, the seller is Dutch and the Catawiki is Dutch too! The only way to receive your money back from Catawiki is to force a chargeback with your card provider or Paypal. Do not ever pay Catawiki with a bank transfer!
Frequently Asked Questions about Catawiki
When did Catawiki become popular?
Catawiki became popular around December 19, 2015.
What are the disadvantages of Catawiki?
Some reported disadvantages of Catawiki include: poor customer service, lack of buyer protection, unfair seller treatment, unreliable shipping, counterfeit items.
What is Catawiki's overall user rating?
Catawiki has an overall rating of 1.0/5 based on 15 user reviews.
Is Catawiki available on mobile devices?
Yes, Catawiki is available on iOS (App Store).
What type of tool is Catawiki?
Catawiki belongs to the following categories: Marketplace sites.
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