Flea markets and second-hand shops are popular in Sweden, and visitors can join in easily. Three things decide how it goes: how you pay, who is selling to you, and whether the thing you found is allowed to leave the country.
When you need this
You’re on a summer drive and a hand-painted “Loppis” sign points down a farm track. You reach an unstaffed table with a Swish-only sign and no cash in your pocket. A lamp you bought at a market turns out to be cracked. Or you’ve found an old Swedish chair and want to know whether you can fly home with it.
The four kinds of second-hand shopping in Sweden
Loppis, short for loppmarknad (flea market), is the umbrella word. It can be run by anyone, often from a garage or outbuilding, with a hand-painted sign at the roadside. Garden and garage sales are often unstaffed or run by one person: prices on the items, a box or jar for money, and a Swish number on a sign.
| Type | What it is | How you usually pay | Haggling? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden, garage or car-boot loppis | Private people selling their own things | Cash or Swish | Yes, politely |
| Indoor flea market | Many sellers, some private, some traders | Bring cash | Yes, politely |
| Charity and second-hand shops | Large stores run by charities and non-profits | Card | No |
| Auction houses | Furniture, art and household goods, in the room and online | On the house’s own terms | No, you bid |
Charity shops are large stores selling furniture, homeware, books, clothes and shoes; some have a café. They work like any other shop. Vintage and antique dealers are businesses, which matters for your rights, as the next sections explain.
Paying: cash beats Swish at a loppis
Swish is the phone payment nearly everyone in Sweden uses: 91% of Swedes had used it in the past 30 days. That is why a Swish number is often the only payment option at a garden table. Swish requires a Swedish bank account and BankID, so most visitors cannot use it. The full explanation is in Swish for tourists.
A private seller has no duty to take cash or card. Sweden’s only legal duty to accept cash, since 1 July 2026, covers grocery stores and pharmacies. So the practical rule is simple: carry small notes and coins whenever you might stop at a loppis. How much cash to carry is covered in cash in Sweden. Charity shops and dealers usually take cards.
Your rights depend on who is selling
This is the part most visitors never think about. The same cracked lamp gives you strong rights or weak ones depending on whether a business or a private person sold it.
| Business (shop, dealer, charity shop) | Private person (garden loppis) | |
|---|---|---|
| Law that applies | Konsumentköplagen (2022:260), second-hand included | Köplagen (1990:931) |
| Can the terms be agreed away? | No | Yes |
| Complaint window for a fault | 3 years; tell the seller within 2 months of finding it | Reasonable time, at most 2 years |
| Right to return a non-faulty item | No, unless the shop offers it | No |
| Withdrawal right when buying in person | No | No |
Buying from a business, the consumer purchase act covers used goods. A used item is faulty if it is not as described, is in markedly worse condition than the price justified, or the seller kept quiet about a serious defect they knew of. You must expect normal wear. A fault that shows up within two years is presumed to be the seller’s, unless the seller shows otherwise or the presumption does not fit the item or the fault.
Buying from a private person, the general sale of goods act applies, and the seller can set other terms. Befintligt skick (as is) still leaves you some rights. The item is faulty if it contradicts what the seller told you, if the seller hid something essential, or if it is in much worse condition than the price justified. What you cannot do is claim a fault you should have noticed when you examined it, or when the seller asked you to look and you didn’t. The consumer agency, Konsumentverket, can give only basic guidance in disputes between private people.
Not every market seller is private. Anyone selling for purposes connected with their own business counts as a business. Konsumentverket’s advice is to find out which kind of seller you are dealing with.
Returns: no law requires any shop, charity shops included, to take back an item that isn’t faulty. If a second-hand shop offers öppet köp (money back), that’s its own policy. Ask before you pay. The wider return rules are in shopping in Sweden.
Auctions: the starting price sets the bar
Swedish auction houses sell in the room and online. The law treats a public auction, one you could attend in person, differently from an online-only sale.
- At a public auction of used goods, the item counts as faulty only if it is in worse condition than you could expect from its utropspris (starting price), and you cannot claim a price reduction.
- No withdrawal right applies if you could have attended in person, even when you bid online.
- An online-only auction run by a business does give the ordinary 14-day withdrawal right.
Haggling: markets yes, shops no
Haggling is a market custom, not a retail one. At a loppis a polite offer is normal, especially late in the day or when you take several items. At an unstaffed table with an honesty box, pay what is marked. In charity shops, second-hand stores and antique shops, the price on the tag is the price.
Taking antiques home: the export permit
Most second-hand finds leave Sweden with no paperwork. Some older objects cannot. Under kulturmiljölagen, the Cultural Environment Act, cultural objects that may have been in Sweden for at least 75 years and matter greatly to the heritage may not leave the country without a permit. This applies whatever the destination, EU countries included. The government ordinance lists which objects need one:
| Object | Needs a permit if |
|---|---|
| Furniture, mirrors, chandeliers, lanterns, light fittings made in Sweden | Older than 75 years and worth more than 50,000 kr |
| The same, made abroad | Older than 100 years and worth more than 100,000 kr |
| Paintings | Older than 100 years and worth more than 100,000 kr |
| Objects of wood, bone, ceramic, metal or textile made in Sweden before 1650 | Always, whatever the value |
| Gold and silver jewellery | Older than 100 years and worth more than 100,000 kr |
| Sami objects | Older than 75 years and worth more than 5,000 kr |
Applications go to Riksantikvarieämbetet, the Swedish National Heritage Board, which has an English form. Decisions usually come within two weeks, and can take longer in summer. A permit is valid for one year. Leaving the EU can also require a separate EU export licence, and the heritage board advises checking whether you need one, the other, or both. Taking a permit-requiring object out without a permit is punishable under the smuggling act, by fines or up to two years in prison.
Ivory is a separate problem. Processed ivory needs a CITES re-export permit to leave the EU. Since EU guidelines of 19 January 2022, antiques made before 3 March 1947 also need a CITES certificate to be traded, and export is allowed only in narrow cases. Leave ivory pieces where you found them.
Your home country’s import rules apply when you arrive. Rules for bringing goods into Sweden are in customs allowances. Non-EU residents can reclaim VAT only from shops that offer tax-free; see VAT refunds.
Practical information
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Complaint, business seller | Free; 3 years, notice within 2 months of discovery |
| Complaint, private seller | Free; within reasonable time, at most 2 years |
| Export permit, Swedish-made furniture over 75 years | Value above 50,000 kr |
| Export permit, foreign-made furniture over 100 years | Value above 100,000 kr |
| Export permit, Sami objects over 75 years | Value above 5,000 kr |
| Export permit application | Riksantikvarieämbetet; no fee stated; usually decided within 2 weeks |
| Loppis season | Garden and car-boot sales mostly summer weekends; shops and auction houses all year |
FAQ
What is a loppis in Sweden?
A loppis is a flea market, short for loppmarknad. It can be a household selling off belongings from a garage or barn with a hand-painted sign at the roadside, a car-boot market, or a large indoor market. Garden sales are mostly a summer weekend activity. Charity-run second-hand shops, open year-round, are the other everyday form of second-hand shopping.
Do I need cash at a Swedish flea market?
Yes, bring small notes and coins. Many garden sellers take only cash or Swish, a phone payment that needs a Swedish bank account and BankID, so visitors cannot use it. A private seller has no duty to accept cash or card; Sweden’s cash duty covers only grocery stores and pharmacies. Charity shops and dealers usually take cards.
Can I haggle at a loppis in Sweden?
At a market, yes, politely. A modest offer is normal at a loppis, especially near closing time or when you buy several things. In charity shops, second-hand stores and antique shops the price on the tag is the price. At an unstaffed table with an honesty box, pay what is marked. Haggling is a market custom, not a Swedish retail habit.
What rights do I have when buying second-hand in Sweden?
It depends on the seller. From a business, the consumer purchase act covers second-hand goods: you can complain about a fault for three years, although normal wear is expected. From a private person, the general sale of goods act applies, the terms can be agreed away, and the limit is two years. There is no legal withdrawal right in either case when buying in person.
Can I return something I bought at a charity shop or loppis?
Not unless it is faulty or the seller agrees. No Swedish law requires any shop, charity shops included, to take back a non-faulty item, and buying from a private person carries no withdrawal right. A faulty item is different: from a business you can complain for three years; from a private seller, if it is worse than described or than the price justified.
Can I take Swedish antiques out of the country?
Usually yes, but some older objects need an export permit whatever the destination. Swedish-made furniture older than 75 years and worth over 50,000 kr needs one, as do objects of wood, metal or textile made in Sweden before 1650. Apply to Riksantikvarieämbetet; decisions usually take up to two weeks. Leaving the EU may also require an EU export licence.
What if something I bought at a Swedish auction is faulty?
At a public auction you could attend in person, a used item counts as faulty only if it is in worse condition than you could expect from its starting price, and you cannot claim a price reduction. There is no withdrawal right even if you bid online. An online-only auction run by a business does give the 14-day withdrawal right.
Related guides
- Shopping in Sweden: returns, VAT and the withdrawal right across all shops
- Swish for tourists: why the loppis payment app is out of reach and what to use instead
- Cash in Sweden: where cash still works and how much to carry
- Customs allowances: what you may bring into Sweden
- Swedish souvenirs: what is worth taking home, new or old
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Konsumentverket (the Swedish Consumer Agency), Sveriges riksdag, Riksantikvarieämbetet (the Swedish National Heritage Board), Jordbruksverket, Sveriges Riksbank, Tullverket, Visit Sweden. Full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.