When you sell on Catawiki, your object can be seen, bid on and bought by people from around the world. If you use smart shipping, we guide you on when and how to add customs info to make shipping internationally as easy as possible.

How to declare customs with smart shipping

• Go to the relevant order to add customs info. Check any info we’ve added and add anything that’s missing.
• Once you’ve saved the customs info, print the shipping label and tape it to the package.
• Print 3 copies of each customs form, put them into a plastic or documents enclosed envelope and tape the envelope to the package. In some cases, you can skip this step. We’ll let you know when.
• Drop the package at a shipping point.
• You get paid 3 days after the order is delivered. Keep in mind, delivery can take longer when the package goes through customs.

Adding customs info

Once your object has sold and the buyer has paid, you’ll need to add customs info for the order. We’ll show you exactly what info is needed for customs. 

If it’s info you’ve already added in your account or when you submitted the object, we’ll pre-fill it so you won’t need to add it again. 

We recommend checking that all info is correct to avoid customs issues. If you spot something that’s incorrect when you’re adding customs info, you can edit it directly on the customs page. If you spot incorrect account info that can’t be edited on the customs page, go to your account to edit and save this info.

Customs info you’ll need to add or check can include:

HS code:

The HS code classifies your object based on specific characteristics, like what it’s made from and used for. This helps customs assess the object. You need to enter an HS code for all orders that require customs info.

You can find the HS code using this website. The more specific and accurate the HS code, the smoother the customs process will be. 

If you have multiple different types of objects in one order, contact us for support.

Description for customs:

Once you’ve entered the HS code, we’ll show a description of the object based on the code. You can edit or add to it to make it more detailed. 

This description is in English so customs authorities in the buyer’s country can understand it. If you don’t understand English, we recommend using an online translation tool to check the description and make any edits.

Descriptions like ‘one pair of cow leather shoes with double monk strap’ or ‘six bottles of red wine (0.75L) from Bourgogne, France’ give the right amount of detail for customs authorities. If you use more general descriptions like ‘antiques’ or ‘spare parts’, your package could be held up at customs, returned to you or confiscated and you might need to pay an extra fee.

Country of manufacture:

This is the country where your object was made or found, not where your object is being shipped from. If you’re not sure, we recommend researching your object and selecting the country that you feel is the most likely country of manufacture or discovery.

No. of objects and weight per object:

We’ll pre-fill the weight per object with the package weight. If there are multiple objects in your order, we’ll show the average weight per object by dividing the total package weight by the number of objects. 

So for example if the order contains 2 objects of 1 kg and 5 kg, the weight per object should be 3 kg.

EU EORI number:

Professional sellers within the EU can add an EU EORI number. If you don’t have one, you can apply for an EU EORI number. Applying for one is usually fairly quick and easy.

GB EORI number:

Professional sellers shipping to or from Great Britain need a GB EORI number. If you don’t have one, you can apply for a GB EORI number.

Applying for a GB EORI number takes a few minutes and the number is usually issued immediately. Keep in mind it can take 2 to 48 hours to be activated. In rare cases when the GB EORI number isn’t issued immediately, please contact the buyer to let them know about delays if you haven’t received your GB EORI number within 1 day.

Printing the shipping label and customs forms

Once you’ve added your customs info, you can print the shipping label and tape it to the package.

Printed customs forms

In most cases, we’ll create customs forms for you to download and print. You’ll need to print 3 copies of each of these forms. If you have issues downloading the customs forms, contact us for support.

The 3 copies are for the 3 authorities that need to check your forms - the shipping company in your country, customs authorities and the shipping company in the buyer’s country. Therefore it’s important to make sure the customs forms can be easily accessed by each party while still being securely attached for the next party to check. 

To do this, we recommend putting the 3 copies into a plastic or documents enclosed envelope and taping this securely to the package. If you want extra peace of mind, you can also print a 4th copy of the forms and put them inside the package, although this isn’t mandatory. 

If you don’t include customs forms with your package, you won’t be able to ship it.

No customs forms to print

If you don’t see any customs forms to download and print, it means your customs info has already been sent to the shipping company. In these cases, you only need to print and tape the shipping label to the package. 

Shipping

It’s important to ship the order within 3 working days. If for some reason you can’t ship within 3 working days, please message the buyer to let them know about the delay and when you expect to be able to ship the order. 

During the shipping process, customs authorities might need extra info from you so keep an eye on your email inbox (including the spam folder). If you don’t provide info customs authorities ask for, the order will likely be returned to you.

We recommend staying in contact with the buyer throughout the shipping process by messaging them from the order page. 

If you experience any issues, find out how to resolve common customs issues. If you need any additional help, contact us. 

Congrats on selling internationally!