The online auction house Catawiki, that specialises in unique and unusual items, has been declared as the fastest growing company in Europe by Deloitte and late last year it reported it has made its 3 millionth sale. So what is the secret of its success and why might you never have heard of it?
Our growth in Europe especially accelerated after we received the investment of €75 million in 2015. This investment allowed us to work on our international expansion. This enabled a lot of diversity in the offered lots and this was essential for our fast growth.
Every week, it’s a surprise to see which unique objects can be found amongst the 35,000 offered lots. People from all corners of the world are offering their lots on Catawiki. In the last weeks, we’ve auctioned off the old Mercedes of the Spanish King Juan Carlos, a document with a signature of Napoleon, a fossilised nest with dinosaur eggs and one of the rarest comic books in the world. Every object that can be found on Catawiki comes with a fascinating story; sometimes because of its monetary worth, but often it has emotional or historical value.
At Catawiki, you can buy objects in the price range of €75 up to €1 million. We also auction off a lot of art made by unknown or upcoming artists. This allows people to buy unique pieces by artists whose works might be unaffordable in a couple of years for little money. And this makes Catawiki fun for everybody
– Ilse Kamps, CEO of Catawiki.
In terms of operations, they have two offices in the Netherlands, their home country, and also offices in Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Sweden. There is no word on whether the UK or elsewhere is of interest for further expansion as they seek growth and greater success. Catawiki auctions start every Friday, with each one ending on a particular night of the week. The auctions are supervised by specialised auctioneers, guaranteeing varied and high quality lot listings.
Have you used Catawiki as a seller or buyer? It’s an interesting marketplace, especially honed to people interested in curios and quirky goods. And it’s good looking too. It’s certainly an interesting marketplace worth watching. Share your experiences.
4 Responses
No use if you are based in UK. Better off using eBay. You can’t pay with Paypal so there is no protection if your goods don’t arrive & it costs a fortune in customs charges.
The Bottom Line.
Auction costs: 12.5% commission fee, excluding VAT, of the winning bid.
So, thats 15% FVF for mostly 8-10% categories on ebay.
They may be growing fast, but not one person I know, all regular online buyers, has ever heard of them let alone seen advertising for them.
So, No thanks.
Catawiki is indeed one of the fastest growing auction marketplace in Europe. It is I guess the world’s best curated auction website – have been selling on it since 5 months and is amazing with results. They have a good support team – and are a good marketplace if you want to increase your reach in Europe specially using auction style format.