Ikea is set to test an online version of its furniture buyback service as it continues its push into the booming second-hand market.
It will trial integrating its existing buyback service into its second-hand marketplace in Spain and Portugal by the end of December, with a UK rollout expected to follow if the test proves successful.
Under the pilot, customers listing eligible pre-owned Ikea products will be able to receive an offer directly from the retailer while their item remains on the marketplace.
Sellers can then choose whether to sell the product to another customer or accept Ikea’s offer and take the item to a store to complete the buyback process.
Ikea recently launched its second-hand marketplace in the UK and Ireland, allowing Ikea Family members to buy and sell used products directly with each other.
The platform, which began testing in Madrid and Oslo in 2024, is now available across eight European markets, with Germany set to follow on 14 October. It has attracted 15m visits and generated 95,700 listings across its first six markets up to the end of August.
Ikea said around a quarter of marketplace users are either new or reactivated Ikea Family members, while second-hand products listed on the platform are on average 60 per cent cheaper than their new equivalents.
Sellers can list products for free and receive either a bank transfer or an Ikea digital refund card carrying 15 per cent extra value when an item sells.
Ingka Group development and transformation manager Emily Birkin said: “The data tells us there is clear interest.”
She added that connecting Buyback with the marketplace and testing delivery partnerships were the next steps in making it easier for shoppers to buy and sell used Ikea furniture.
The retailer is also exploring ways to make transporting second-hand furniture easier, including a delivery trial with TippTapp in Portugal and Sweden aimed particularly at larger items.
Ikea’s expansion comes as demand for pre-owned homewares continues to rise. The UK second-hand home products market is worth more than £4.5bn and is growing at around 6.5 per cent a year, while Ikea estimates its products account for roughly nine per cent of furniture sold through second-hand marketplaces.
The furniture giant predicts pre-owned goods could account for 16% of the UK homewares market by next year as resale platforms such as Vinted, eBay and Facebook Marketplace increasingly compete for shoppers looking for cheaper and more sustainable alternatives.
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