It is highly important for us to be able to provide a reliable and safe experience for both buyers and sellers. In order to do so, we provide our buyers the possibility to give reviews related to their purchases. Furthermore, we understand our sellers value reviews that reflect the services they deliver as it shows them they are doing well or where they can still improve. In this light, we allow sellers to react to reviews, and if the review is not in accordance with this review policy, sellers may request that we remove or adjust the review in question. 

In light of the above we will display a seller’s reviews and score with all of their listings on our online marketplace. To prevent users and/or third parties from posting fake reviews, we make sure that all reviews are provided by users who have actually purchased an object from the relevant seller.

To ensure review is both constructive and fair, we expect both our buyers and sellers to stick to the below review rules and take note of the conditions for the removal, adjustment or neutralisation of reviews and/or reactions.

Giving and responding to reviews

Leaving a review about your purchase is not mandatory. We do encourage our buyers to leave reviews so other users can see how a seller is performing. When both leaving and responding to a review, we expect buyers and sellers to respect the following:

Do’s:

• Use a friendly and polite tone.
• If you’re a buyer, contact the seller directly if you have an issue before leaving a negative review. The seller may be able to resolve the issue with you. Find out how to contact the seller here.
• If you’re a seller, contact the buyer directly to resolve any issues as soon as possible. Find out how to contact the buyer here.

Don’ts:

• Don’t use any insulting, harassing, discriminating or otherwise inappropriate language. 
• Don’t include any personal data (such as name, address or phone number) of others in your review. 
• Don’t give any reviews or respond in a way that goes against our Terms of Use.

1. When can I leave a review as a buyer?

Time frame to leave and respond to reviews

Buyers have the option to leave a review about their purchase and/or the seller within 60 days of the latest of:

• the order being paid;
• the order being cancelled;
• the order being delivered;

When these 60 days have passed, it’s no longer possible for buyers to give a review.

Buyers have the option to give a positive (thumbs up), neutral (thumbs up/down) and negative (thumbs down) review. It’s helpful for sellers if buyers also add a comment. Buyers’ comments should match the symbol used, for example, if a buyer writes a positive review they should not use the thumbs down symbol.

The review score of a seller is calculated by the amount of the positive reviews minus the negative reviews. Neutral reviews do not add to a seller’s score.

2. How and when can I respond to a review as a seller?

We strongly encourage our buyers and sellers to resolve any issues between themselves by communicating through our internal messaging system. To support this, it’s possible for buyers to adjust their review for 90 days after writing it to reflect the final outcome. Sellers can also politely request buyers to amend their review if an issue was resolved.

If you can’t resolve the review issue with the buyer, as a seller, you have 90 days to react to a buyer’s review. We strongly encourage the seller to reach out to the buyer to resolve the issues the buyer reports in the review. 

In relation to shipment issues, we strongly encourage the seller to open an investigation with the shipping company to resolve the situation (manual shipping). In case the seller used smart shipping, we will open a claim with the shipment company through a third party if contacted on time.

Read more about shipping & delivery here.

3. Does Catawiki adjust buyer reviews/seller reactions?

In general, we do not change or remove any reviews or reactions. However, we reserve the right to, at our discretion, either remove, neutralise or adjust reviews and reactions on request. We do so only if the situation justifies this in accordance with this review policy and will always inform users if we do so. 

A request to look into a review or a reaction can be sent to our customer support through the “contact us” button below. 

In some cases we will immediately address the complaint, for example in cases where there is enough proof provided by the seller to remove, update or neutralise the review, or if the buyer was too late in raising the complaint in accordance with our Terms of Use.

In most cases, when we receive a request to adjust or remove a review, we temporarily hide and neutralise reviews for the duration of the process of reviewing and validating the information of the complaint. If this happens, we will communicate with the seller and buyer that we are in the process of investigating the issue. 

We will not investigate or address a seller complaint regarding a review if it’s shared with us after 90 days after the review was provided by the buyer.

4. Outcome of the investigation

After the investigation, we will always inform both users of the outcome of the investigation.

In the cases mentioned below, Catawiki might remove, adjust or neutralise the review of a buyer

1. A user is violating our Terms of Use (for example, using profane language).
2. The review relates to an error or issue that is not caused by the seller but caused by us or a third party (for example; customs issues, delivery time by the carrier, the buyer was absent at the time of delivery, parcel lost by shipping company or a case of force majeure).
3. The review relates to a different purchase or to the activities of another seller.
4. The review represents a complaint, which should be investigated through our claim process. However, the buyer has not communicated (through any form of communication including, for example, the feedback they shared) this to us or the seller in the established timeframes, or their complaint could not be validated/concluded unjustified after the investigation process.
5. The buyer’s review or seller’s reaction contains inappropriate language or personal information of others. In this case we only edit/ remove the unwanted content.

We will in any case adjust a review if it contains personal data or inappropriate language, or if it’s otherwise in violation of our Terms of Use.

In the cases mentioned below, Catawiki will leave the review of the buyer as is

1. The review relates to delivery errors that are considered to be within the seller’s control (e.g. shipping later than within 3 business days of payment, insufficient packaging, unreasonable shipping costs*).
2. The review is related to a claim opened with us which has been investigated following our claim process and has been concluded as justified.**
3. The buyer’s review or the seller’s reaction in question was given more than 3 months ago.

*The seller is allowed to calculate the costs for shipping, which can include (but are not limited to) additional insurance and/or (special) packaging requirements.

**A review related to a purchase that is under investigation by our claim process will only be removed or adjusted after the claim has been resolved. In the meantime it can be hidden and neutralised (see above). 

Does Catawiki provide an explanation if any action was taken?

We will communicate to buyer and seller if we remove, adjust or leave the review as is and also in case a review is being temporarily hidden and neutralised. 

We might add a public comment with further actions done by the buyer, seller or us. For example in cases where:

1. The claim is valid but the seller and buyer have found a solution.
2. There is a solution offered but the seller or buyer did not respond.
3. We solved the complaint.

If you do not agree with any of the actions taken by us, you can always object to such a decision if, for example, you have new information in respect of the review and/or reaction.

We hope to have informed you sufficiently. Please contact us if you have any more questions.