To ensure a smooth delivery experience for buyers and avoid delays to your payout, all sellers – regardless of shipping method – must follow these rules:

Understand your responsibilities as a seller

When you ship an object, you ship under your own contract with the shipping company. This applies whether you use smart shipping or buy your own label. You remain responsible for following both our Seller Terms and the shipping company’s requirements.

• You are responsible for the full execution of the shipment, including loss, damage and compliance with shipping company rules.
• Keep buyers informed through the message centre and respond to their messages. 
• If something goes wrong in transit, update the buyer so they know what to expect.

Ship promptly

• After the buyer has paid, prepare and send the package within 3 working days of buyer payment.
• If you need additional handling time for a valid reason, such as resizing, cleaning or shipping company constraints, proactively inform the buyer using the ”Shipping date extension” feature through the Sold orders page in your account.
• An order is only considered shipped once the package has been handed over to the shipping company and a valid tracking event is available.
• Shipping late will negatively affect your seller scores in the Performance dashboard and may limit your ability to sell on Catawiki.
• Repeated delays or failures to ship can result in cancelled sales and recovery of any related costs under the Seller Terms.
• If you do not ship the object at all and the order is cancelled as a result, this may negatively impact your seller performance score and could lead to buyer complaints or account restrictions in line with our Seller Terms.

Using manual shipping?

• You must add a valid tracking code and take your package to a shipping company within 3 working days of buyer payment. Delayed tracking validation can lead to delayed payouts.

• Entering a tracking code isn’t enough:

  • Make sure the package is handed over to the shipping company so buyers can track their order and follow the delivery progress. Buyers will be concerned if they cannot track their delivery.
  • The tracking code must be valid. Invalid tracking codes can lead to buyers reaching out to you for shipping updates and will prevent us from automatically sending your payout 3 days after the shipping company’s delivery event.
• If anything happens during delivery, contact the shipping company yourself to resolve it. For example to arrange a new delivery or retrieve the object.

Using smart shipping?

• With smart shipping, the buyer automatically receives the tracking code after payment. 
  • Generating a label isn’t enough. You must ensure the package is handed over to the shipping company within 3 working days.
• You must provide the correct size and weight of the package. Incorrect details may lead to surcharges from the shipping company.

Can I extend my shipping deadline?

The Shipping Date Extension feature lets you inform the buyer when you need more time to ship an order for a valid reason.

• You can use this option if you’re unable to ship within 3 working days because of a valid reason, such as customisation, preparation, cleaning, specialist packaging or shipping company collection schedules.
• You can only update the shipping date once per order. The new shipping date can be up to 9 working days after the buyer paid. You’ll need to provide a reason for the delay.
• The buyer will be notified automatically of the new shipping date. You should still hand over the package to the shipping company as soon as possible.
• If you do not ship by the updated shipping date, this may negatively affect your seller performance score. Repeatedly missing shipping deadlines may also lead to buyer complaints, cancellations or account restrictions in line with our Seller Terms. 

How to ship safely and successfully

1. Only use shipping companies that offer tracking 

• When using manual shipping, always choose a reliable shipping company that provides tracking and proof of dispatch.
• We don’t accept shipping methods without tracking. Using a company without tracking will delay your payout as we won’t receive a delivery event from the shipping company.
• If you use smart shipping, the tracking code is provided automatically. You still need to hand over the package to the shipping company so the order can be marked as shipped.

2. Insure valuable objects

• We recommend adding insurance to your package, particularly for high-value or fragile objects. 
• When using smart shipping, you have the option to add shipping insurance, provided by our partner, during submission or before dispatching your object. You may wish to consider this option when shipping high-value or fragile items.

3. Comply with international laws 

• Follow all customs regulations and shipping restrictions when sending objects across borders.
• Pro sellers must also provide all required documentation for customs clearance.

4. Package securely

Ensure your object is well-packed to avoid damage during shipping. Check out our packaging tips.

5. Use the correct buyer address 

Sellers must always ship to the address provided in the Catawiki order unless mutually agreed otherwise with the buyer. Note that not using the address provided on the order page can lead to delivery issues or disputes which may affect the outcome of a case.

6. Declare non-EU shipments correctly 

Make sure customs duties, VAT and import taxes are declared correctly.Incorrect declarations can cause delays, fines or object seizure.