How to buy second hand in the Netherlands: a guide to Marktplaats

What Marktplaats is and how to start

Marktplaats is a classified ads website and app where individuals and businesses sell almost anything: furniture, bikes, appliances, tools, clothes or cars. You can browse without an account; to message sellers, pay or sell you need a free account with your email.

• Search by word and category, and filter by afstand (distance from your postcode) and prijs (price).
• Choose between ophalen (collect in person) and verzenden (delivery).
• Check whether the ad is from an individual or a business: your rights are not the same (see below).
• Save searches to get alerts for new ads.

Useful search words

How to read the condition

The seller chooses the condition: nieuw (new), zo goed als nieuw (as good as new), gebruikt (used) or broken. It is their opinion, not a guarantee: ask for photos of any defects, the age and whether it works, and check it when you collect.

Contacting and negotiating politely

Write through the Marktplaats chat, briefly and to the point. If the ad says “t.e.a.b.” or “bieden”, you can offer less; if the price is fixed, ask politely. Do not make a very low offer without having seen it.

Example message:

Hallo, is de fiets nog beschikbaar? Ik ben geïnteresseerd. Kan ik hem zaterdag komen bekijken? Zou 80 euro ook mogelijk zijn? Groetjes, Ana

Translation: “Hello, is the bike still available? I'm interested. Can I come and see it on Saturday? Would 80 euros also be possible? Regards, Ana”.

Collecting in person or delivery

• Collect (ophalen): you see and try it before paying. Take someone with you if it is at a home, and bring measurements and transport for large furniture.
• Delivery through Marktplaats: you pay with the payment request (betaalverzoek) inside Marktplaats; the money is held by a payment intermediary until delivery, and buyer protection (kopersbescherming) applies for a small fee.
• According to Marktplaats, buyer protection covers cases such as a parcel that never arrives, arrives empty, or an item that differs from the ad or is counterfeit. It does not cover items you collect in person, damage already visible in the ad or changing your mind, and some categories are excluded. Check the conditions and claim deadlines before paying.

Safe payments and suspicious ads

• Do not pay strangers in advance by bank transfer unless you collect in person or use Marktplaats payment.
• Never pay through a link sent by WhatsApp, text message or email: payment happens inside the Marktplaats app.
• Be wary if the price is very low, there is pressure to be quick, the seller wants to move to WhatsApp or “is abroad”.
• Check the bank account, phone number or website with the Police “Check de (ver)koper” tool. No reports does not guarantee anything; a foreign account always shows a warning.
• Triangle fraud (driehoeksfraude): a scammer makes you pay someone else for an item that does not exist. If the account name does not match the seller's, stop.
• If you are scammed, report it to the police: after several reports about an account, the bank can act.

What to check on a bike or an appliance

Bike

• Ask for the frame number and check it on Stop Heling (a police database). If it is listed as stolen, do not buy it and tell the police.
• Be wary of a very cheap bike, one without lock keys or one sold in a hurry on the street.
• Test brakes, gears, chain, wheels and lights.
• Ask for the lock keys (there are often two).

Appliance

• Ask to see it working: the washing machine should spin and drain, the fridge should cool.
• Ask its age and look at the energy label.
• Measure the space, the door and the stairs at home first.
• Look for leaks, rust and smells.
• Plan how you will transport it.

Buying from an individual or a business

Kringloop shops

Kringloopwinkels are second-hand shops, many of them non-profit, with donated furniture, household goods, clothes, books, bikes and appliances. Prices are fixed and low, the stock changes every day and you can see everything before buying. Search for “kringloopwinkel” and your town; some also collect or deliver furniture for a fee.

Other second-hand or free options

• Buy-and-sell and “gratis af te halen” groups for your town on social media: take the same precautions.
• Vinted, for clothes and small items.
• Free ads (“gratis af te halen”) on Marktplaats: ideal for furniture if you can transport it.
• Repair Café: volunteers who help you repair what you have instead of buying.

How to furnish your first room or flat for less

Before buying, check in the contract whether the home is kaal (empty, sometimes without flooring or lamps), gestoffeerd (with flooring, curtains and lamps) or gemeubileerd (furnished).

• Prioritise: bed and mattress, a table and chairs, a wardrobe or clothes rail, basic kitchenware and, if missing, lighting.
• Buy the mattress new if you can: it is the hardest thing to check second hand.
• Start with “gratis af te halen” and kringloop shops; complete on Marktplaats with a short distance filter.
• Group several collections on one day and rent a van (busje huren) only once.
• Measure walls, doors and stairs: Dutch staircases are narrow and steep.
• Keep the messages and payment receipts for each purchase.