Sell or swap your plants

Is your windowsill full of cuttings, or has one of your houseplants outgrown the living room? You can sell it or swap it. This page covers where to do that, how to make your listing look good, and which rules apply once you start selling more.

Where can you sell plants?

Most people start on a second-hand site or in a Facebook group. Those get plenty of visitors, but most of them aren't looking for plants. On a platform built for plant lovers, like Plantative, you reach people who want your plant much sooner.

If you want to sell on a bigger scale, you could open your own web shop or Instagram shop, or run a stall at a market or plant swap. A market is a nice way to meet other plant people, but setting up your own sales channel takes a lot of time before you've sold a single plant.

How selling works on Plantative

The app keeps track of your plants in your own collection. You add a plant by taking a photo, and the app recognises the species and fills in its name and care details. When you want to part with a plant, you put it up for sale straight from your collection, so there's no separate shop or listing to set up.

Interested buyers make you an offer or propose one of their own plants in exchange, and you arrange the rest in the chat. You decide whether the plant is pickup only or can be shipped. Buyers can sort by distance, so people near you see your listing early.

You can also list seeds, cuttings, produce from your vegetable garden and garden tools. Your collection holds your care tips and watering reminders too, so everything about your plants is in one place.

Tips for selling your plants faster

• Take your photos in daylight without a flash. Make sure the leaf pattern is sharp, and for cuttings, show the roots as well.
• Mention how much light and water the plant needs and whether it likes humid air. Buyers trust a listing more when they know what they're getting into.
• Check what similar plants are selling for before you set a price. Prices vary a lot: a mature, healthy Monstera deliciosa or a rare Philodendron can sometimes fetch €200 or more.
• You'll stand out more if you focus on one kind of plant, such as variegated houseplants, vegetable plants or organically grown outdoor plants. Growing your own cuttings is the cheapest way to build up that stock.

What sells well, and when?

Most people buy plants in spring and early summer, when everything starts growing again. Cuttings also root faster then, so it's a good time to build up some stock.

Easy houseplants like pothos or monstera almost always find a buyer, especially among beginners. Rare and variegated plants sell more slowly but fetch more. Vegetable plants and seeds go best in early spring, just before planting season. Autumn and winter are quieter, and houseplants are what mostly sells then.

Shipping a plant safely

If you can, let the buyer pick the plant up. If it has to go by post, a bit of preparation usually gets it there in one piece.

• Don't water the day before shipping. Slightly damp soil is enough, and a wet plant rots faster in a dark box.
• Put a plastic bag over the pot and tie it around the stem so no soil ends up loose in the box.
• Wedge the pot in with scrunched-up newspaper so nothing can move, and write 'fragile' and 'this way up' on the box.
• Wrap cuttings without a pot in a damp paper towel, then put them in a small bag.
• Ship early in the week so your parcel doesn't spend the weekend in a sorting centre. When it's freezing, wait a few days or add a heat pack.

Rules once you sell more

If you sell plants professionally in Belgium, you have to follow the FASFC (FAVV/AFSCA) rules on plant health, and many plants need a plant passport. These rules exist to stop diseases and pests from spreading. The FASFC website explains which rules apply to you.

Swapping or giving plants away

You don't always have to ask for money. Plantative also lets you swap: if someone has a plant you want and you have one they want, you meet up and trade. Outside the app, you can go to a plant café or a local swap event. And if a plant is struggling or has grown too big, a plant rescue can find it a new home.

Frequently asked questions

How do I set a price?

Start by looking up what the same plant in the same size is selling for. A rooted cutting is worth more than an unrooted one, and a plant with lots of leaves more than one with a single leaf. You can ask more for variegated and rare plants, and a nice decorative pot adds to the price. If you really don't know, set your price a little high and let buyers make an offer.

Are there plants I'm not allowed to sell?

Yes. Some invasive species are on a European list and can't be sold, swapped or given away, such as water hyacinth and giant hogweed. Once they get into the wild, they crowd out native plants. If you're unsure about a plant, look it up on that list before you list it.