Best photos for Marktplaats (and any secondhand marketplace)

You don't need a good camera or a lightbox. You need light, a clean background, and a habit of photographing exactly what you're selling — flaws included.

1. Light: window, not flash

Shoot near a window in daytime, with the light coming from the side or in front of the item — never behind it (that silhouettes the item and hides color/detail). Skip the flash; it flattens texture and creates harsh shadows that hide exactly the wear a buyer wants to see.

2. Background: plain and uncluttered

A plain wall, a bed with a flat sheet, or the floor works fine. Clear the frame of anything not for sale — buyers' attention goes to whatever's in the photo, so clutter competes with your item and reads as less trustworthy, not more "lived-in."

3. Angles: cover what a buyer would check in person

• Full item, straight on — the "is this actually what I think it is" shot.
• Close-up of any label/tag — brand, size, material, care instructions.
• Close-up of the main texture or detail — fabric weave, stitching, hardware.
• Any flaw, close up — a stain, scratch, missing button, worn sole. Non-negotiable.

4. Always photograph the flaw

This is the single highest-leverage habit in secondhand photography. A photographed flaw builds trust and heads off a return; an undisclosed one — even accidentally — reads as bad faith once the buyer receives the item. If you wrote it in the description, there should be a photo of it too.

5. Scale and sizing

For clothing, a photo laid flat with a tape measure across the chest/waist tells a buyer more than a size label ever will, since sizing varies by brand and era. For furniture or larger items, include something recognisable in frame (a chair, a doorway) for scale.

6. Order matters

Lead with your strongest, clearest full-item shot — it's what shows in search results and decides whether someone taps in at all. Save close-ups and flaw shots for after.