vindje.com / Guides / Buying on Marktplaats
You can furnish a one-bedroom apartment second hand for around 800 to 1,500 euro if you are patient and have transport for a weekend or two. Buy the bulky, durable things used (sofa, table, wardrobe, appliances), buy the mattress new, and start with what you need to sleep, cook and work.
An inboedel is a household's contents. People moving abroad or into care sometimes sell everything at once, as 'complete inboedel' or 'inboedel wegens verhuizing'. You can get a sofa, table, chairs, kitchenware and a bed in one pickup for a few hundred euro.
The catch: you take what they have, and you need a van. Check what you do not want before agreeing, and whether you are expected to take everything.
Furnishing takes weeks if you do it one listing at a time. Get the basics first so you can live there, then fill in.
Used is best for things that are built to last, expensive new and easy to check at a pickup. New is best for anything where hygiene or hidden wear matters.
Transport is where the budget goes. Rent a van for one afternoon and plan four or five pickups in the same part of town. Message all the sellers in advance with a time slot. Even with a delay or two, a single van day costs less than three separate couriers.
Small things, such as lamps, kitchen items, cushions and chairs, fit on a bike or in a backpack and are easier to collect one at a time.
Before you buy anything, measure each room, the wall space for a wardrobe, the height under sloping ceilings, the stairs and the door widths. Note the alcove size for the washing machine; many Dutch apartments have a narrow space and a standard 60 cm machine needs a few extra centimetres. Take photos with the tape measure in frame, so you can check them later while scrolling listings.
Writing all your requirements into one search per item (size, condition, distance, budget) saves a lot of scrolling. vindje.com reads every listing against a plain description like that and drops the ones that do not fit.
Thrift stores (kringloopwinkels) have fixed prices and you can see everything in one place. Prices are often a bit above the best Marktplaats deals, but you skip the messaging and some stores deliver for a fee. They are good for kitchenware, lamps, plates and small furniture.
Some cities also have repair cafes, where volunteers help fix a lamp, a toaster or a wobbly chair for free or a small donation. That makes cheap broken items worth a second look if the fault is simple.
A sensible split for a one-bedroom place: about a third on the bed and sofa, a third on appliances, and the rest on tables, storage and small items. Leave 100 to 150 euro for van rental and the bits nobody thinks of, such as curtain rails, light fittings, an extension lead and a toolbox. A new mattress adds 150 to 400 euro on top, depending on size and type.
| Item | Typical asking price |
|---|---|
| Three-seat sofa, good condition | EUR 100-350 |
| Dining table with 4 chairs | EUR 80-250 |
| Wardrobe (e.g. IKEA PAX, 2 doors) | EUR 60-180 |
| Washing machine, under 6 years old | EUR 120-280 |
| Fridge-freezer | EUR 80-220 |
| Desk and office chair | EUR 50-180 |
Rough Marktplaats asking prices in the Netherlands. Condition, age and season move them a lot.
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:
Complete inboedel or several furniture items from one seller moving out: sofa, dining table and bed, under 500 euro total, near RotterdamSearch Marktplaats like this
Roughly 800 to 1,500 euro for a one-bedroom apartment, plus van rental. Doing it fast or picky pushes it up.
Better not. You cannot check hygiene, bedbugs or sagging properly. Buy the mattress new and the bed frame used.
The contents of a household. A 'complete inboedel' listing means someone is selling all their furniture and household goods together.
Kringloop thrift stores, local Facebook groups, and curbside giveaways around the end of the month.