Ikea to pilot online buyback service for secondhand furniture

Ikea is preparing to pilot an online version of its furniture buyback service, offering customers vouchers in exchange for unwanted secondhand pieces, as the retailer looks to tap into a growing market for pre-owned furniture.

The online pilot will run in Spain and Portugal before the end of December. If the trial proves successful, Ikea has said it plans to extend the service to the UK, where the retailer already offers an in-store buyback option.

Expanding on an existing model

Ikea's existing buy-back program allows customers to bring secondhand furniture into physical stores, where staff assess its condition and offer a voucher in return. The new online version is intended to make the process more accessible, extending the service to customers who may not be able to easily transport furniture to a store.

The move comes as Ikea forecasts strong growth in the secondhand furniture market, predicting that pre-owned goods could account for as much as 16 percent of the UK homewares market within the next year. That projection reflects a broader shift among consumers toward reuse and resale, driven in part by cost-of-living pressures and growing interest in more sustainable approaches to home furnishing.

By testing the online format in Spain and Portugal first, Ikea appears to be taking a cautious approach to scaling up the buyback model, gathering data on demand and logistics before deciding whether to commit to a wider rollout.

A successful pilot could position Ikea to capture a larger share of the resale market it expects to keep expanding, as more shoppers weigh secondhand options against new purchases.