Ikea is bringing its secondhand marketplace to the UK, giving shoppers a new way to buy and sell pre-loved Ikea furniture directly with each other.
Following a successful trial in Norway and Spain, the Swedish retailer is now launching its dedicated secondhand marketplace in the UK, designed to make finding a new home for unwanted Ikea furniture easier – and shopping for secondhand pieces more accessible.
Unlike Ikea’s existing Buy Back service, the marketplace will connect buyers and sellers directly, allowing customers to buy and sell pre-owned Ikea products locally.
It will join a growing number of UK resale platforms, including eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, Depop and Gumtree, where shoppers can already buy and sell pre-owned goods.
The new marketplace – which will be designed specifically for Ikea products – aims to offer a more tailored experience, making it just as easy to pass on an old favourite as it is to find a new one.
A spokesperson said: 'At Ikea, we are always looking for new ways to make life at home even better and help our customers discover products they love. With the launch of Ikea secondhand 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 launch forms part of Ikea’s wider push towards a more circular business, helping furniture stay in use for longer rather than being thrown away.
How is the Ikea secondhand marketplace different from Buy Back?
Ikea already offers its Buy Back initiative, which launched in the UK in 2021. Through the scheme, customers can sell eligible unwanted Ikea furniture back to the retailer in exchange for an Ikea refund card, with suitable pieces then resold through its Re-shop and Re-use offering.
The new marketplace works differently: rather than selling furniture back to Ikea, customers will be able to trade pre-owned Ikea products directly with one another.
It’s not Ikea’s first move into secondhand furniture, either. In November 2020, Ikea opened a standalone secondhand store in Sweden. Located in the ReTuna shopping centre in Eskilstuna – billed as the world’s first secondhand shopping centre – it was the Swedish retailer’s first store dedicated solely to secondhand furniture.
Ikea has continued to expand its circular services since then, with peer-to-peer marketplaces having already launched in Norway, Portugal and Spain. The new UK marketplace will make it easier for Ikea furniture to find its next home without returning it to a store.
When will Ikea's UK secondhand marketplace launch?
Full details regarding the official launch date and platform will be shared when the service officially launches later this year.
