Ikea is set to launch its own second-hand marketplace in the UK later this year, allowing shoppers to buy and sell pre-owned furniture directly from one another.
The peer-to-peer platform will be open to Ikea Family members and will connect buyers and sellers locally.
It follows Ikea’s testing of its resale proposition in Madrid and Oslo, before expanding the service further across Europe. By January this year, its second-hand marketplace was operating in Spain, Norway, Portugal, Poland and Sweden.
Ikea’s existing marketplace technology is designed to remove some of the friction involved in selling used furniture. In markets where the service is already live, sellers can create listings using pre-filled product information and suggested pricing, while choosing how and when an item is handed over to its new owner.
Some overseas versions also allow sellers to opt for payment by bank transfer or take an Ikea gift card with 15 per cent added to its value, although Ikea has yet to confirm whether the same incentives will form part of the UK service.
It said the UK launch would make it easier for customers to access affordable pre-owned Ikea furniture while extending the lifespan of products.
An Ikea spokesperson said: “With the launch of Ikea second-hand marketplace in the UK, we’re taking a meaningful step toward creating a destination that simplifies access to pre-owned Ikea furniture.
“Our goal is to make passing on beloved Ikea pieces as seamless as possible.
“We’re creating a trusted and vibrant space to make it quick and easy for our Ikea Family members to trade directly with one another. We want the process for buying and selling pre-owned Ikea products to be simple, accessible and rewarding.”
The marketplace forms part of Ikea’s wider effort to build circular services around its furniture business rather than relying solely on the sale of new products.
It already operates its Buyback service, which enables shoppers to sell eligible furniture back to Ikea for store credit, alongside second-hand areas in its stores. Its peer-to-peer marketplace takes that strategy a step further by allowing customers to sell directly to other shoppers.
Ikea first piloted the marketplace in Oslo and Madrid, with around 200,000 shoppers visiting the platform during its early testing period. Ingka Group’s then-chief executive Jesper Brodin said at the time that customer engagement had been strong and described second-hand as a lasting shift in consumer behaviour.
Ikea has not yet revealed an exact UK launch date or full details of how the British version of the marketplace will operate, with further information expected in the coming months.
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