Wallapop: from plant cuttings to furniture, second-hand as a business

Wallapop: the bargain that hooks you and the scam that drives you mad

A plant cutting no nursery would sell, bought for three euros in shipping and collected at the pickup point on the corner. The experience of a Wallapop newcomer sounds like a revelation. Reality, as almost always, has two sides: the niche market that works and the shop window of hustlers asking 95 euros for something that costs 100 new. Even so, the platform moves hundreds of items a day and has turned the digital flea market into a business for some.

The business is real, but there's fine print

Selling seeds and cuttings, it's noted, is viable as long as they're not edible or prohibited substances. Beyond the vegetable garden, some people claim to make a living from buying and selling. That said, once you reach a certain turnover you have to declare it and even register as self-employed. Tax rules draw the line between a side income and a professional activity.

Furniture, motorbikes and the cost of what doesn't sell

The experience of selling three motorbikes and two bikes in a day contrasts with that of a cabinetmaker's piece of furniture that simply wouldn't shift. The radical solution: announcing that if it didn't sell within 24 hours it would go to the recycling centre. A buyer showed up within two hours. Taking it to the recycling centre would have cost 300 euros in dismantling; the actual outcome was two people spending three hours getting it out. Second-hand rewards those who know how to filter, and punishes those waiting for impossible bargains.

Wallapop isn't a miracle, it's a market with friction and transaction costs. For those who know how to filter, it works; for those hoping to find bargains, patience runs out. And sellers take on costs nobody sees, until it's time to take the furniture to the recycling centre.