Customs best practices

The Canary Islands have a different tax system so all packages shipped there must be processed by the Spanish customs department. 

The company shipping your package may need the buyer's phone and ID numbers to complete the delivery. The buyer will send this to you in a message after paying for the object. If you have not received this info from your buyer, reach out to them and request it before shipping. 

Switch to manual shipping when delivering to the Canary Islands  

Smart shipping is not available for the Canary Islands yet. However, if the buyer of your object has accidentally marked their country as Spain despite living in the Canary Islands you will need to: 

• Find a company that will ship to the buyer’s Canary Islands address.

• Provide the shipping company with the buyer's phone and ID numbers as per customs requirements in Spain. The buyer will send these to you in a message after paying for the object. 

• Check with the shipping company if any additional info (besides phone and ID numbers) is required to complete the delivery. 

You are responsible for providing the correct info to the shipping company and for checking where the buyer's address is located before sending the package. 

The following provinces are part of the Canary Islands: Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro.

Calculating shipping costs for the Canary Islands

Shipping costs are usually specified for mainland regions, so if you have to pay extra to ship to an island, contact the buyer and share the shipping invoice that includes these extra charges as well as your IBAN or PayPal details to receive payment for the extra shipping fees. 

Additional charges should not exceed 'Worldwide’ shipping costs. 

Costs if the package fails to pass customs

If your package fails to go through customs because you have not provided the necessary info about the buyer, you will be responsible for any applicable return fees and the costs of a new shipment to the buyer.

Update your account if you buy and sell from the Canary Islands

If you live in the Canary Islands but you have an active Catawiki account with the country set in Spain, you will need to delete your existing account and create a new account with the correct address and country details. 

This is to make sure your object goes through the appropriate customs department and is shipped correctly.

If you ship your objects from the Spanish mainland, there is no need to change your account details.