At Catawiki we comply with international and national legislation. This includes trade regulations for specific items.

Below we have pointed out some of the most relevant international regulations.

Endangered animal and plant species

At Catawiki we comply with the CITES legislation, which governs the worldwide trade in endangered wildlife and plant species, including all parts and derivatives (i.e. items made from them).

To help you find out if your object falls under the trade regulations of endangered species, we have put together a set of guidelines that explain in detail what CITES is and the rules and regulations they adhere to, including what kind of items we do and do not accept for our auctions.

Here you can read our CITES Guidelines.

Elephant Ivory

African species, particularly elephants and rhinoceroses, are often seen as worst affected by poaching and sadly still killed for their ivory.

We recognise that continuing to list ‘modern day’ ivory for sale at auction could be viewed as in some way contributing to the pressure for poaching. 

For this reason, and to maintain a safe buying and selling community, Catawiki has taken the decision to no longer accept any post-1900 elephant ivory in our auctions.

To further explain what kind of ivory items we do and do not accept, we have put together the following guidelines. These guidelines have been carefully drafted to guarantee that only certifiably pre-1900 items are listed at auction.

Read our ivory guidelines here.

Antiquities considered cultural goods

The Antiquities Trade is governed by a number of national, and international regulations.

The 1970 UNESCO Convention relating to the illicit trade in antiquities is a worldwide set of rules dedicated to halting the illegal trafficking of cultural objects and antiquities.

Sellers and buyers are expected to take all reasonable steps to guarantee the lawfulness of what they buy and sell, so as not to contravene the Convention.

At Catawiki, our experts select each item to be listed in our auctions, and aim to verify each lot’s provenance to ensure legally compliant trade.

The import and export of cultural objects requires, in most cases, a licence and is closely monitored by customs. 

Customs focuses on cultural goods that might have been stolen or that have been exported illegally

from a non-EU country. If cultural objects are not accompanied by the required licence, the export will be stopped.

Please see more information in the submission guidelines for our Archaeology category