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A used armchair is one of the best second-hand buys in the Netherlands: they are bulky to move, so sellers price them low just to clear space. Search for fauteuil rather than armchair, check the frame and the seat foam at pickup, and expect to pay EUR 30-150 for a solid everyday chair.
Dutch sellers almost never write armchair. The main word is fauteuil, with leunstoel for a more upright chair with arms and oorfauteuil for a wingback. A recliner is usually a relaxfauteuil or sta-op stoel (a powered lift chair, often from elderly households). Swivel chairs are draaifauteuil.
Add a material or style to cut the noise: fauteuil leer, fauteuil velours, fauteuil teddy, fauteuil vintage. Colour words help too: groen, cognac, okergeel.
Fabric can be cleaned or reupholstered. A wobbly or cracked frame is much harder to fix. Sit down, rock side to side and lean back hard against the backrest. Listen for creaks and feel for movement at the arm joints.
Seat foam is what wears out first. If you sink in and feel the frame, the foam is finished. New cut-to-size foam for one seat cushion costs roughly EUR 40-90 at an upholstery supply shop, so factor that in.
Smell the chair up close, including under the seat cushion. Smoke, pets and damp all soak into foam and do not come out with a spot cleaner. A chair that lived in a smoking household is rarely worth taking home, however cheap it is.
Solid wood frames with removable covers last for decades. Older Dutch and Scandinavian lounge chairs from the 1960s and 1970s often have teak or oak frames with loose cushions you can replace. IKEA's Poang and Strandmon show up constantly and are fine buys at the right price, since covers are still sold new.
Be wary of very cheap chairs with fixed fabric and a particleboard frame. They looked good in the shop photo but loosen quickly, and you cannot fix them properly.
Measure your door and stairwell before you go. Most armchairs are 75-95 cm wide, and a wingback can be taller than you expect. Many fit in a hatchback with the seats down; otherwise a rental van by the hour or a courier platform like Brenger is a common option for single items.
If you are hunting for something specific, a plain-language search on vindje.com can handle details like a velvet swivel chair under 100 euro within 15 km, so you are not scrolling through hundreds of dining chairs.
Use this when you are standing in someone's living room.
| Item | Typical asking price |
|---|---|
| IKEA Poang or similar basic armchair | EUR 15-40 |
| IKEA Strandmon wingback | EUR 60-120 |
| Mid-range fabric armchair, good condition | EUR 40-120 |
| Leather recliner (relaxfauteuil) | EUR 75-250 |
| Vintage teak lounge chair, original cushions | EUR 100-350 |
| Electric lift chair (sta-op stoel) | EUR 150-450 |
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:
Green velvet armchair or swivel fauteuil in good condition, no smoke or pets, under 120 euro, within 15 km of UtrechtSearch Marktplaats like this
Fauteuil is the most common word. Leunstoel and oorfauteuil (wingback) are also used, and relaxfauteuil means a recliner.
Usually yes, if you inspect it. Check for smells, stains and any sign of bugs in the seams, and skip anything that smells of smoke or damp.
Professional reupholstery of an armchair often costs several hundred euro, so it only makes sense for a chair with a good solid frame or a design piece. For a cheap chair, a new seat cushion or a loose cover is the better fix.
Rent a van by the hour, ask the seller if they can deliver for a small fee, or book a courier platform that handles single furniture items.