Catawiki, the Dutch auction site that has been in operation since 2008, is expanding its reach with more than 2.5 million specialty items sold to date. The platform initially catered to collectors interested in old comics, stamp albums, antique jewelry, and furniture but now aims to attract a wider audience, particularly in France where it has over 500,000 customers.
To make shopping more convenient for customers, Catawiki has introduced a new feature called “Buy Now”. This allows sellers to offer an item at a fixed price before the auction ends. Customers can purchase an item with just one click without having to continuously bid on the platform.
A “Buy Now” button appears on the product image, indicating that the item can be purchased outside of the auction. Sellers have flexibility in pricing but can also seek advice from Catawiki experts on setting prices. The option expires 24 hours before the end of the auction, simplifying the buying process and reducing average selling time from 7 days to 3.5 days.
The live shopping feature was tested for over a year and a half before being fully rolled out this week with over 10,000 items already sold via this method on the platform. The new feature has proven successful as items such as a miniature Mercedes-Benz 300 SL coupe and a fossilized marine reptile were sold within seconds of being offered a “Buy It Now” option.