'Voting pencil' searched over 300 thousand times on Markplaats

Due to the pandemic, voters were allowed to take the pencils they used in the parliamentary election on Wednesday home with them for the first time. On Marktplaats, voting pencils have been searched for around 300 thousand times. Since Friday, there have been over 1500 offers on the advertising site, a spokesperson of the webpage told the ANP.

“Media attention definitely contributed in spreading the message that the pencils are for sale”, the spokesperson said. “Normally ‘free’ is the most popular search at 50 thousand hits per day but on Wednesday it had to make way for the voting pencil.” Martktplaats cannot see how many of the pencils have already been sold.

A user from Leidschendam under the name “Rod” offered the first red pencil on Monday with the description “unique, used once” and the staggering price of 25 thousand euros. Asking prices for voting pencils normally are a couple of euros or a few tens. Many people are also giving them away for free.