vindje.com / Guides / Buying on Marktplaats
Marktplaats has a steady supply of free furniture, plants, appliances and moving boxes, listed as 'gratis' or 'gratis af te halen' (free, collect it yourself). The good items go within an hour or two, so the trick is a saved search close to home and being able to collect the same day. Expect to carry it yourself and to take it as it is.
Filter on price type 'gratis' where the category allows it, and also search the words, because not every seller sets the price field correctly. Some list a free item for 1 euro so it shows up in price-sorted results.
Combine 'gratis' with the thing you want: 'gratis kast', 'gratis bank', 'gratis wasmachine'. Also try 'moet weg' and 'voor niks' (for nothing). Sort by newest, not by relevance.
Free listings spike around moves. The last days of the month, when rental contracts end, are busy. So are the weeks when students leave in June and July, and the period around the end of the year when people clear out before visitors. Weekends see the most new listings and the most competition.
Bulky items that are hard to move, such as sofas, wardrobes, beds and pianos, are the ones most often given away. The seller would otherwise pay for a waste collection or a trip to the recycling yard, so free is cheaper for them.
Free listings get dozens of replies. The seller wants the item gone with the least effort, so make it easy: say you can come at a specific time today or tomorrow, that you have transport, and that you will carry it yourself.
One clear message beats ten 'still available?' ones. 'Hoi, ik kan vandaag om 18:00 ophalen met een busje. Ik draag het zelf naar beneden.' (Hi, I can collect today at 18:00 with a van. I'll carry it down myself.) Then show up on time. Sellers of free stuff get many no-shows.
Free is not free if you have to rent a van, then pay to throw it away. Ask yourself whether you would pay 20 euro for it.
Bring the tools to take things apart if needed (a screwdriver set and an Allen key set cover most flat-pack furniture), and blankets or straps to protect it. Do not haggle about extras or ask the seller to deliver. A small thank-you, like a bar of chocolate or 5 euro for something nice, is appreciated but not expected.
If you change your mind, tell the seller. Free-item sellers often hold a list of backups, and a quick 'sorry, I can't make it' lets the next person have it.
Outside Marktplaats, local Facebook groups called 'gratis af te halen' plus a town name are active in many places, and in many neighbourhoods items left on the curb with a 'gratis' sign are fair game. Kringloop thrift shops sometimes give away items they cannot sell. When you search for a specific free item across a wide area, vindje.com can check each listing for size and condition so you only see the ones worth the trip.
Describe what you want in your own words and vindje.com searches Marktplaats in Dutch, then reads every listing and keeps only the real matches. For example:
Free bookcase or desk, solid wood, gratis af te halen, within 5 km of Utrecht OvervechtSearch Marktplaats like this
Search for 'gratis' or 'gratis af te halen' together with the item, set a small radius, and sort by newest. Save the search so you get alerts.
Usually they are moving and do not want to pay for transport or a waste collection. Free is cheaper for them than getting rid of it.
Generally yes. Free listings assume you collect. Offer to pick up at a time that suits them.
Better not. You cannot check hygiene or bedbugs, and a cheap new mattress is a safer choice.