For something that costs one euro, we pay ten centsFrom Olympic soft toys to Blokker's shipping containers

If Blokker goes bankrupt and 202 sea containers full of toasters, blenders and drying racks are left over, one man in the Netherlands will not turn his hand to such a lot: Eric Kooistra from Leeuwarden. He buys everything that is loose and stuck.

By: Jurriaan Nolles (Article Algemeen Dagblad, Saturday 20 September 2025)
https://www.ad.nl/economie/blokkerspullen-opkopen-was-de-deal-van-eric-kooistras-leven-wij-betalen-snel-en-de-chinezen-moesten-er-vanaf~ab1f5604/

'Paris 2024' is on the plush cuddly toys. Eric Kooistra doesn't even have to go there, but as a result he has a tangible memory of the Paris Olympics, because the sports summer required production. But the retail chains are sometimes less interested in that afterwards, even though those toys sporting events are already made and paid for. 'If you celebrate a party like that, its value is largely used up,' says Leeuwarden wholesaler Eric Kooistra (46), who specialises in buying up batches of leftover stock and reselling them.

Because of that appeal, hugs from the Paris Olympics ended up in Friesland. But Kooistra has already sold off many of them via Facebook and Marktplaats. Because companies like Blokker, V&D and other retail chains are regularly left with leftover lots they want to get rid of. When Kooistra gets wind of such deals, he jumps on top.

On a Thursday morning, he walks into his shed in Leeuwarden. It is a canon job, with boxes, stacks, shelving throughout, a drab grey industrial site in Leeuwarden, but filled with a huge amount of stuff.

Quick deal

Whether it is a batch from Blokker, Action or a French sports shop, Kooistra is lightning fast. Within a few days he arranges the purchase and takes the whole lot in one go.

'That is also exactly my way of working,' says Kooistra. 'I am always accessible, always on the air. While other traders are often difficult to reach or take a long time, I make decisions quickly. As a result, I often get the deal. With me, you know: it will work out.'

Blokker's 202 shipping containers, for example, full of toasters, deep fryers, blenders and drying racks: Kooistra bought them in one deal. 'After that, you have to switch gears immediately. Where are you going to put those things?'

Moreover, the factory in China faced a problem when Blokker was no longer there, but the items had already been ordered. 'What do you do then? Then you call Kooistra. 'We don't order ten pieces, we order 20,000 right away.'

'The factory in China faced a problem when Blokker was no longer there but the stuff had already been ordered'

Passport

Eric Kooistra (46) was born on 25 October 1978 in Dokkum. He and his partner Tjitse Lawerman (49) are the owners of Kooistra.com, a wholesaler of leftover stock. They previously bought bankruptcy stock from V&D, Miss Etam and Kijkshop, among others.

Eric Kooistra is married and has three children.

The deal, brokered by his associate Tjitse Lawerman within a few days, was really only the beginning of the work. Because where do you get the space to store 202 sea containers of stuff? And who is going to sell all that stuff?

'Sometimes we just open two containers and see. It's always a surprise what comes out. There can be anything in it: from sports equipment to toys and furniture. You never know exactly how things will turn out. But we see bread in everything,' says Kooistra.

It ensures his shed is packed. 'We do everything ourselves, with our team. That often means working through evenings, unpacking pallets, distributing, reselling. Sometimes a container goes away like this in a day. But sometimes it takes weeks. That's part of the job.'

Kooistra works with hundreds of resellers at home and abroad. From small traders working via Marktplaats to large parties buying entire pallets at once. 'What others no longer want, we buy. And then it goes around the world.'

'There are so many people in the world happy with what we throw away'