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Is Catawiki legit? An honest review from a professional seller

By Raquel · Updated 19 October 2026 · 5 min read

It is one of the questions we are asked most. We have been selling gold nuggets on Catawiki since July 2026, and here we share, plainly, what we have seen: what works well, what to watch out for and how to buy with peace of mind.

The short answer

Yes: Catawiki is an established platform and it is safe when you use it within its rules. It was founded in the Netherlands in 2008, has run weekly auctions since 2011, and its system is designed so that neither buyer nor seller has to trust the other blindly: the money always goes through the platform and only reaches the seller after delivery.

That does not mean every lot is the same. As in any marketplace, your experience depends a lot on the individual seller, and there are costs and rules worth knowing before you bid. Let’s take it step by step.

How Catawiki protects buyers

• Payment held. You pay Catawiki, not the seller. The platform keeps the money and releases it up to three days after delivery, so you have time to inspect the object.
• Help if something goes wrong. If what you receive does not match the description, Catawiki helps you find a solution or get your money back.
• Review before the auction. An expert reviews each object before it goes up for auction and decides which auction it belongs in.
• Identified sellers. Sellers verify their identity through payment providers such as Stripe or Payoneer, and listings show badges such as Verified seller.

All this is funded by the Buyer Protection fee: 9% of the bid plus €3 per order, according to Catawiki’s help centre in October 2026. It is the price of that peace of mind, so add it to your bid in your head.

What we see from the seller’s side

The rules are strict for sellers too. We have 3 working days to ship every paid order, we are only paid once the buyer has the piece, and every buyer can leave a public review that stays on our profile for good.

In our case, since July 2026 we have sold more than 120 nuggets, with 100% positive feedback and the Top seller badge, which Catawiki gives to sellers with over 100 orders completed with top ratings. We don’t mention it to show off, but because it explains how the system works: doing things badly is expensive for a seller.

Something else we have seen: if a buyer doesn’t pay, the sale is cancelled, that buyer is blocked from bidding and the lot goes back to auction. That keeps joke bids in check.

What to watch out for

• The buyer fee. The bid you see is not the final price. Always work out bid + 9% + €3 + shipping.
• Bids are binding. They cannot be cancelled or lowered, so don’t bid “just to see”.
• Each seller sets their own shipping costs. Check them before you bid, especially for small objects.
• The expert review is remote. The expert works from the seller’s photos and description and does not hold the object. That is why good photos and precise data (weight, size, origin) matter so much.
• Customs. If you buy from outside the EU, duties and taxes may be due on arrival, and some countries restrict certain objects, such as raw gold.

Signs of a good seller on Catawiki

• A high score backed by a reasonable number of reviews, not just a couple.
• Badges such as Top seller or Verified seller.
• Their own detailed photos, with a scale or measurements, and exact data in the description.
• Quick, clear answers when you message them from the listing.
• Shipping costs that make sense for the size of the object.

If you are looking for gold nuggets, how to tell if a gold nugget is real explains what information the seller should give you.

How to buy without nasty surprises

1. Never pay outside Catawiki, even if someone suggests it by message. Off the platform you lose all protection.
2. Decide your limit before you bid and use a max bid.
3. Film or photograph the unboxing if the object is valuable. If there is a problem, it will help.
4. Report any issue from your order as soon as possible, before the payment is released to the seller.

We explain it step by step in how to buy on Catawiki.

Our verdict

For collectibles such as gold nuggets, we think Catawiki is a good place to buy and to sell: it brings together collectors from many countries, protects the payment on both sides and makes sellers describe every piece properly. The buyer fee is its main drawback, but in exchange the seller doesn’t get the money until the piece is in your hands.

If you own collectibles and wonder whether it is worth selling them there, read how to sell on 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.