Berlin move-out guide · Updated 8 October 2026
Where to give away or donate furniture in Berlin
A good chair that did not sell can still have a next home. Berlin has several free ways to pass furniture on — they just differ in what they accept and in who does the carrying. Here is which one to try first.
The short version
Offer furniture that fits the flat to the next tenant, with the landlord’s agreement.
Post the rest on the free BSR swap and giveaway market and in your building or neighbourhood chats.
Take well-kept, resaleable pieces to NochMall, or ask it for a paid pickup.
Check the berlin.de and BSR donation directories for charities, and call before you go.
Never leave furniture on the pavement — a “zu verschenken” sign does not make it legal.
Five ways to give furniture away in Berlin
The next tenant, your building and your neighbours
Best for: Beds, wardrobes, shelves and lamps that already fit the flat.
Nothing beats furniture that never has to leave the building. Offer it to the next tenant first, then post a short list with photos in the building chat or on a neighbourhood network such as nebenan.de. If something is meant to stay in the flat, tell your landlord or property manager and get their agreement in writing, so it is not treated as something you forgot to clear at handover.
BSR swap and giveaway market (Tausch- und Verschenkmarkt)
Best for: Any usable piece you are happy to give away for free and can hand over at your door.
Berlin’s city cleaning company, BSR, runs a free online board where Berliners give away or swap things. There is a furniture and household category (Möbel/Hausrat). You do not need an account: you fill in a form, add a photo and a short text, and keep a password to edit or extend the ad later. Only private offers are allowed, and every ad is checked before it goes live. Once someone gets in touch, collection is up to the two of you, so say the floor, whether there is a lift and when you are home. BSR swap and giveaway market
NochMall, the BSR secondhand department store
Best for: Well-kept furniture and household goods that someone could buy again.
NochMall in Reinickendorf (Auguste-Viktoria-Allee 99) is a secondhand store run by BSR. It accepts donated goods that are in resaleable condition. You can bring things in during its goods-acceptance hours, or request a pickup: you send photos, your address, the floor and whether there is a lift, and NochMall replies with a proposed date and the transport cost, which you pay on the day. Furniture with holes, cracks, stains or a smell does not qualify, and items that do not match the description can be turned away at the door. Donations are not paid for. NochMall pickup service
Charities and donation projects
Best for: Furniture, kitchenware, clothes, bikes and electronics that should go to people who need them.
Two official directories list organisations that take used goods. The Berlin state environment portal’s “Verschenken statt Wegwerfen” directory can be searched by keyword and by distance from your address; among its entries are furniture-focused projects such as the Deutsche Möbel-Stiftung. BSR’s “Spenden statt wegwerfen” list is sorted by district and notes what each organisation accepts and whether it collects. Both say the entries come without guarantee — call or email before you carry a sofa across town.
The giveaway corner at a BSR Kieztag
Best for: Small furniture, bikes, crockery, toys and other things you can carry.
Kieztage are free collection days that BSR runs with the district offices, and each one has a swap and giveaway area for well-kept items, including small furniture. You have to arrive on foot or by bike — cars and small vans are not accepted — so this works for a side table, not for a wardrobe. The same day also takes broken bulky items for free. Kieztag dates by district
Who carries it?
Pickup or drop-off at a glance
Without a car, the question that matters is not “who wants it?” but “who moves it?”. Pick the route that matches your stairs and your calendar.
Make it easy to say yes
Whoever takes your furniture — a neighbour, a charity or a stranger from the giveaway board — decides from the photo and the logistics. Clean it, photograph it in daylight and give the width, depth and height. Say whether it is assembled, which floor it is on and whether there is a lift. If you take it apart, tape the screws in a bag to the largest piece.
Not on the pavement
Berlin treats furniture left on public ground as illegally dumped bulky waste, even with a friendly “zu verschenken” note. The Senate raised the fines and its campaign page cites up to €4,000 for a sofa left on the pavement. If nobody takes an item, use one of the routes in our bulky-waste guide.
Before you give it all away
Some of it is still worth selling.
If you have a few weeks, list the better pieces first. Garage Sale turns a batch of photos into draft item names, descriptions and suggested prices in one catalogue you can share with friends and groups. It is free to list, but still early — buyer demand is growing, so share it where your buyers already are.
Start with photosFrequently asked questions
Can I leave furniture on the street with a “zu verschenken” sign in Berlin?
No. Furniture left on the pavement is treated as illegally dumped bulky waste, sign or no sign. Berlin raised its fines for this; the city’s own campaign page cites up to €4,000 for a sofa left on the pavement. Use a giveaway route or a legal disposal route instead.
Who picks up donated furniture in Berlin?
NochMall offers a pickup service for well-kept furniture, but you pay the transport cost it quotes. Some charities in the berlin.de and BSR donation directories collect too — the BSR list says which. On the BSR giveaway market, the person taking the item collects it from you.
What if nobody wants it?
Then it is waste, and Berlin has cheap or free routes for it: BSR recycling centres, Kieztage and booked bulky-waste pickups. Our bulky-waste guide covers costs and lead times.
Should I give away or sell?
If an item has real resale value and you have more than a week, list it first. Giving away is the right call when the deadline matters more than the money — usually in the last week or two before handover.
Selling first?
Where to sell furniture in BerlinNobody wants it?
Getting rid of bulky furniturePlanning the weeks ahead?
Move-out sale checklist