The 6 Best Second-Hand Shops in Amsterdam

Nowadays, almost every neighbourhood in central Amsterdam has its own Episode and the stores have even started appearing in other major cities around western Europe, including Paris, Brussels and Copenhagen. These stores collectively house an almost unfathomable amount of high-quality vintage clothing, ranging from printed t-shirts to worn-in Doc Martens boots. Though there are many wardrobes to scour through in each of the four Episodes in Amsterdam, the chain’s largest store is found on Waterlooplein and probably has the widest selection of vintage wares.

While it may appear rather small from the street, once inside Zipper, shoppers will discover one of the largest second-hand stores in Amsterdam featuring two cavernous floors crammed full of vintage clothing, separated by a mezzanine level dedicated to accessories. The store regularly updates its collections in response to current trends and changes its stock according to the season. Even though its selection moves with the ebb-and-flow of contemporary fashion, Zipper always keeps its shelves stocked with evergreen items such as jeans, army jackets and flannel shirts.

Rather than labelling items with price tags, this vintage clothing store on Waterlooplein weighs items in order to determine their value. Customers can also check given items’ prices by weighing them at several scales spread around the store. The store has two entrances that each lead onto its menswear and womenswear sections. Both of these departments feature whole areas dedicated to specific types of clothing, including knitted sweaters, jeans and vintage leather jackets. It is pretty common to find high-end, branded clothing stashed among Kiloshop’s wares, including items made by Levi or Ralph Lauren, so get rummaging!

Bis! has three storefronts on Sint Antoniebreestraat, that are almost located next to one another. Each store centres its collection around specific types of clothing, namely menswear, womenswear and military surplus. The collections tends to lean towards older strains of vintage fashion and revolve around classic, smart-casual items such as turtleneck sweaters, straight-legged slacks or tailored jackets. There are also many hardy, ex-military items available at Bis!, including camouflage jackets and brand-new striped Russian telnyashka t-shirts.

We Are Vintage has two stores in Amsterdam that are located on the western and eastern sides of the city centre, on streets called Kinkerstaat and Eerste Van Swindenstraat, respectively. Although the stores have different collections that depend on their current stock, both usually feature a wide range of clothing from the 1970s to 2000s. The stores’ selections changes by the season and always include secondhand sportswear, formalwear, streetwear and accessories.

This two-level store on Damstraat always has an incredible selection of high-end denim items, including Levi 501s, western shirts and jean jackets. While every secondhand store in Amsterdam sells preloved jeans, Mood Indigo goes the extra mile when it comes to denim and stocks many items that look almost brand new. Mood Indigo also sells other vintage classics that only look better with age, including leather jackets, printed tees and overalls.