The short version: write one message to ツamsterdam saying what you want to get rid of, and you get one name back. That person comes to pick it up. You agree on the price together and they pay you directly. No account, no photos to upload to a website, no listing to keep alive for weeks.
One thing first, honestly. Goods are new in ツamsterdam. We have no numbers on them at all: not how many sofas, not how fast, not for how much. So this is a guide to writing a good message, not a report on what sells.
What is the market group?
You know the neighbourhood group and the family group. The market group is the same habit, for asking and offering. It lives in the chat app you already have. You say what you have, ツamsterdam names one person who is looking for it.
What do you put in the message?
Think of what you would ask if you were the one coming to get it.
- What it is. "Sofa, three seats, grey fabric" is better than "furniture".
- The size. Width, depth and height in centimetres. For anything that has to go through a door, this is the most important line.
- The state. Say what is wrong with it. A cat scratched one arm, a drawer sticks. People forgive a flaw they knew about.
- Free or for a price. If you want money, name the amount.
- Where and when. Your neighbourhood, and the days someone can come.
A message that works: "Hi ツamsterdam, I have a grey sofa to get rid of in Oost, three seats, good state, one stain on a cushion. Free. Pick up this weekend."
Why do the stairs matter so much?
Because this is Amsterdam.
From our ad: "Sofa. Free. Carry it down three floors."
The line is invented. The staircase is real. Many homes here have stairs that are steep and narrow, with a turn halfway that was not designed with sofas in mind. Whoever comes for your things needs to know what they are walking into.
So say which floor you are on. Say whether there is a lift. Say whether the thing came in through the door or through the window. Many old buildings have a hoisting hook at the top of the façade for exactly this reason. If your sofa came in by rope, it is leaving by rope, and the other person should bring a friend.
Say also whether you can help carry. "I can help" and "I have a bad back" are both useful.
How does the pick up go?
You arrange it with the person ツamsterdam named. Three things make it smooth.
Agree on a time and keep it. Someone who borrowed a van for the afternoon has no patience for "running late".
Have it ready. Cushions off, drawers empty, wardrobe in pieces if it has to be. From our ad: "Wardrobe. Already in pieces. Good luck." That is the right spirit.
Settle the money at the door. You are paid directly, in whatever way the two of you agreed. ツamsterdam is not in between and adds nothing on top.
What price should you ask?
We do not know, and we will not guess. ツamsterdam does not see what people pay each other, and for goods there are no numbers at all yet.
What we can say is this. Free goes quicker than not free, in any city. And leaving in a week is a different situation from having all the time in the world. Pick your price with that in mind, and say it in the first message.
What if nobody wants it?
Then you hear nothing useful, which is also an answer. Try saying it differently. Add the size. Add the floor. Change "for sale" to "free". A winter coat in spring is a hard sell. From our ad: "Winter coat. My ex loved it. I don't."
Does it cost anything?
No. Offering costs nothing and asking costs nothing. Who gets named is not for sale either, so nobody paid to be first at your door.
In short
One message with what it is, how big, what state, which floor, free or not, and when. One name back. You arrange the pick up yourselves and get paid directly. We have no numbers on goods yet and we say so.
Read on: Sofa in Amsterdam and Stroller, wardrobe, winter coat: what Amsterdam wants gone.