Digital marketplaces are extremely popular. Marktplaats.nl is by far the best known, but there are many websites where you can search for cheap items and services in a much more targeted way.
Worldwide: eBay
Marktplaats is the most famous place in the Netherlands to buy and sell stuff online, but eBay.nl is worldwide. Although this website advertises products with fixed prices, the emphasis is more on bidding than with Marktplaats. eBay started out as an online auction and you can still hunt for bargains by making the right bid at the right time. The official language is English on eBay and both individuals and companies are active there, Dutch and international. If you import something from outside the EU, there is a chance that you will have to pay import duties; something to keep in mind with this global player. on www.douane.nl you can find more information about this.
One advantage of eBay is that it offers buyers a degree of protection. If you have any problems with a purchase or sale, the service department will help you.
Cost: Placing ads on eBay is free up to 150 units per month, but for each sale you pay a 10 percent commission on the sale price. Different rates apply for offers in the Cars and Motorcycles section.
Homemade: Etsy
Etsy.com focuses specifically on buying and selling handmade items and second-hand products.
Costs: For selling your homemade items you will have access to a digital market stall, where you pay a fixed commission of 20 cents plus 5 percent transaction costs per product you want to sell. Problems with transactions should initially be resolved between the seller and buyer, but Etsy can mediate.
Clothing: Vinted
Vinted.nl is an online marketplace that specializes in second-hand clothing and fashion accessories. It is a great place to get cheap all kinds of clothes or to sell your unnecessary clothes.
Fees: Vinted charges 70 cents per transaction plus 5 percent of the sale price and claims to offer anti-fraud measures, support and buyer protection.
Jobs: Work spot
It’s not just stuff that’s traded over the internet; for services it is also a place where supply and demand can meet. Werkspot.nl has become a household name for plasterers, plumbers and carpenters. The experiences are variable: some people are very satisfied with a job well done at a competitive price. Other users complain about less well-done work and sometimes scams. You can read about the experiences of others on Werkspot, but they cannot always be trusted. So you have to pay attention, but it can also just be the place where it is still possible to find someone quickly in the current market.
Costs: If you are looking for someone for a job, that is free on paper, but Werkspot does charge the handymen costs — which are of course included in the price. These costs vary, because they consist of, among other things, a fixed rate and a price per ‘lead’ (request). According to a rough estimate, the costs per job quickly add up to several tens. That can make a small job relatively expensive.
Collectors: Catawiki
A special auction website is Catawiki.nl, which contains no ordinary advertisements, but products on which you have to bid from a starting price. Catawiki distinguishes itself from eBay by its specialization in collections and special products: from a DeLorean sports car to a unique first Tintin comic album. This marketplace is therefore mainly intended for experts and collectors who want to expand their collection or who want to sell it for a nice price.
Cost: Registering is free, but there is a 9 percent commission on the purchase price and 12.5 percent on the sale price. On the other hand, Catawiki takes reliability very seriously and carries out notarial supervision to prevent fraud.
Belgian second hand
Secondhand.net contains a large amount of advertisements for affordable second-hand items in all kinds of categories. New products, calls and personal ads can also be found there. The website is somewhat reminiscent of the advertisement sections from the newspaper. The website is simple and well-arranged, with handy filter options for what you are looking for. It is striking that Tweede.net focuses on the Netherlands and Belgium. This way you have a better chance of finding what you are looking for, or selling what you want to sell.
Cost: Placing ads is free.
Secure payment
Payment must of course be made when purchasing. The safest way is the old-fashioned ‘cross the road straight away’ when you pick up your product. But that does not apply if you have the purchase sent to you. Online marketplaces offer various payment options. iDEAL is available at Dutch marketplaces, but this is not the case on an international website such as eBay. PayPal and credit cards are almost universally accepted and have the advantage over iDEAL that refunds for failed purchases are guaranteed under certain conditions. Bank transfer is also possible, but at your own risk.
For free!
There are also many websites with stuff that people want to get rid of quickly, without asking for anything:
Cost: None.
cars
In addition to the general marketplaces where you can buy or sell many different items, there are also specialized sites that focus entirely on one type of merchandise. The best-known category is the car marketplace, where there is a lively trade in used cars. If you want to put your car up for sale or if you are looking for an affordable four-wheeler, a car marketplace is the right place. There are several in the Netherlands, on which hundreds of thousands of cars of all makes are now for sale.
Costs: On AutoTrack (at least €10) and Auto Scout24 (free) you can put your car for sale as a private individual. At Autotrader, private individuals can only buy a car; selling there is only possible for car companies. If you want to buy, we tip gas pedal.nl as a handy help. Here you can search all car marketplaces at once.
Bicycles
Many bicycles are sold online with shops acting as intermediaries; including trade-in bicycles from private individuals. The seller ensures that a bicycle is refurbished where necessary and offers a short warranty on the bicycle. Good examples of these types of marketplaces are www.tweedehandsfietsen.nl and www.viabovag.nl/fiets† Buying or selling bicycles outside a bicycle shop is possible www.bikaroo.nl†
Near
There are also local market places. The advantage of this is that you don’t have to travel far to pick up a purchase. You pay directly at the door and do not have to wait and hope that your items will actually arrive by post after payment. Local marketplaces are also popular because the contact between buyers and sellers is perceived as more personal and familiar.
An example of a local marketplace is the neighbor platform Nextdoor. In the Free and for sale section you will find advertisements in your immediate vicinity. You can read how to become a member at www.plusonline.nl/nextdoor.
Facebook also has a separate section for advertisements: Marketplace. They are automatically selected for your environment. In addition, there are also many local groups, especially aimed at offering free and paid items. Search Facebook for the name of a place. You will then see an overview with various local groups.
Don’t buy a cat in the bag
Scammers are lurking everywhere for an opportunity to make easy money. Unfortunately, some online marketplaces are perfectly suited for this. Quite a few buyers have already entered the ship because their purchase turned out to be worthless after receipt. Sellers are also regularly victims of fraud, due to payments that are not made.
Therefore, before trading on a marketplace, always first check the help information, the terms and conditions and the instructions for buyers and sellers. Also put as little personal information as possible in your advertisement or profile. Above all, avoid giving out your phone number and email address, because that’s what scammers love. If possible, use the options on the website itself for communication.
More about well-known scam tricks on Marktplaats: www.plusonline.nl/marktplaats