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How to buy on Catawiki: bidding, fees and shipping explained

By Raquel · Updated 19 October 2026 · 5 min read

Catawiki is an online auction house where expert-reviewed collectibles go under the hammer every week. If you have never bid before, here is the whole process, explained by a seller who sees it every day from the other side.

What Catawiki is and how its auctions work

Catawiki started in the Netherlands in 2008 and has run weekly online auctions since 2011: art, watches, coins, jewellery, wine, minerals and much more. Before an object goes live, one of its experts (the platform mentions more than 240) checks that the listing has the information buyers need and places it in the right themed auction.

Every lot has its own countdown. When it reaches zero, the highest bidder wins, as long as the reserve price has been met if the seller set one. You never pay the seller directly: you pay Catawiki, which holds the money until your object arrives.

Step 1: create a free account

Signing up is free and takes a couple of minutes. Browsing, following lots and bidding cost nothing: you only pay if you win.

One thing that surprises many new buyers: if you bid on a high-value object and have never bought on the platform before, Catawiki may place a temporary hold on your card of up to €1,000. It is not a charge. If you don’t win, your bank releases it within a week at most; if you do, the amount is deducted from your invoice.

Step 2: read the listing carefully

Before you bid, check these points:

• Photos and description. For small objects such as a gold nugget, look for macro photos, the exact weight and the origin.
• The seller. Their score, number of reviews and badges, such as Top seller or Verified seller.
• The reserve price. The listing shows whether the lot has a reserve or sells with no minimum price.
• Shipping to your country, which the seller sets and which appears on the listing.
• The closing time of that particular lot.

If anything is unclear, you can message the seller from the listing before you bid. A good seller answers quickly and clearly.

Step 3: a normal bid or a max bid

There are two ways to bid. A normal bid offers the next amount above the current price. A max bid sets the most you are willing to pay, and Catawiki bids for you in the smallest possible increment every time someone outbids you, never going above your limit.

Your max bid is secret: neither the seller nor other buyers can see it. If two people set the same maximum, whoever set it first wins. And remember that bids cannot be cancelled or lowered, so decide on your limit before you start.

The last minute: why the auction gets longer

Last-second bidding does not really work on Catawiki. If someone bids in the final 60 seconds, the closing time moves back by 90 seconds, and so on, until nobody bids again. The rule gives everyone time to respond.

That is why the calmest strategy is to set your max bid in advance and let the system do the work, even if you are not in front of the screen when the auction ends.

What you pay in total

The final price has three parts:

• Your winning bid.
• Catawiki’s Buyer Protection fee: 9% of the bid plus €3 per order, according to Catawiki’s help centre in October 2026.
• The shipping cost shown on the listing.

An example: if you win a nugget for €100, the fee is €12 (€9 + €3), plus shipping. If you buy from outside the European Union, your country may also charge import duties or taxes when the parcel arrives.

Step 4: pay and wait for delivery

When you win, you have 3 days to pay from your orders page. The seller then has 3 working days to ship. Catawiki keeps your money and only releases it to the seller a few days after delivery, so you have time to inspect what you received. If the object is not as described, Catawiki helps you find a solution or get your money back.

If you don’t pay, the sale is cancelled and your account may be blocked from bidding, so only bid on things you really want to buy.

A seller’s tips for bidding well

• Set your limit before the auction and use a max bid, so you don’t get carried away in the final minutes.
• Compare the price per unit. For gold nuggets, divide the total (bid, fee and shipping) by the grams: it helps you compare lots of different sizes. We explain it in how much a gold nugget is worth.
• Save lots to your favourites so you have them at hand before they close.
• Check shipping and customs if you live outside the EU: not every country allows raw gold to be imported.
• Stay on the platform. If someone suggests paying another way, be wary: on Catawiki your payment is protected. More ideas in where to buy gold nuggets safely.

If you want to see an auction from the inside, our gold nuggets from Alaska, Australia and Lapland go up for auction on Catawiki every week, each with its exact weight and macro photos. And if you are wondering whether the platform can be trusted, read our seller’s review of Catawiki.

Written by Raquel, Gold Nuggets Minerals

Raquel selects, weighs and photographs every nugget we sell. Gold Nuggets Minerals S.L.U. is a small company in Zaragoza, Spain, specialising in native gold. On Catawiki we have sold more than 120 nuggets, with 100% positive feedback and the Top seller badge.