Abstract: The apparatus (10) serves for transporting and stacking goods (12), in particular in the form of plates such as metal plates or the like, and includes a feed transport device (14), which is connected to a stacking device (16). In this apparatus an overhead transport device (18) is provided which is disposed at least partially in a stacking area (20) above the stacking device (16) and which has a holding system (22) which can be activated and deactivated, where a delay system is provided for time-delayed activation of an effective holding force of the overhead transport device at a point in time when the front, seen in the direction of transport, area of the goods overlaps the stacking area in the direction of stacking.