In an era when ownership is becoming more fluid and consumption more circular, Ikea is extending its reach into the secondhand economy — not merely as a gesture toward sustainability, but as a strategic response to a profound shift in how people relate to their homes and their things. By launching an online buyback service across Spain and Portugal, with the UK in its sights, the Swedish giant is acknowledging that the life of a piece of furniture no longer begins and ends at the checkout. The secondhand homewares market, now worth billions and growing steadily, has moved from the margins of t
Ikea launches online buyback service as secondhand furniture market booms
Secondhand shopping is now mainstream
Mark
So Ikea is basically admitting that people don't want to buy new furniture from them anymore?
Mimi
Not quite. They're saying that people want options—new and secondhand. The market research shows 63% of UK consumers are already using resale platforms. Ikea is trying to keep those customers within its own system rather than losing them to Vinted or eBay.
Luke
But here's the thing: we don't know if Ikea's own marketplace will actually work at scale. They're testing it in Spain and Portugal first, and the UK launch is conditional. The buyback service is also just a pilot.
Mark
What's the actual financial incentive for Ikea here? They're buying back used furniture—doesn't that cannibalize new sales?
Mimi
They're offering vouchers, not cash. So the money stays in the Ikea ecosystem. Plus, they're adding a 5% buyer protection fee eventually. And they're betting that the secondhand market is growing so fast that they'd rather own a piece of it than watch customers go elsewhere.
Luke
The source says Ikea products are 9% of furniture sold on secondhand marketplaces in the UK. That's significant, but it also means 91% of the secondhand furniture market is other brands. So Ikea is playing catch-up here.
Mark
Is this actually about sustainability, or is it just marketing?
Mimi
The source doesn't really dig into Ikea's environmental claims. Greg Lucas talks about how shopping habits have changed, but he doesn't make a sustainability argument. It reads more like a business response to market demand.
Luke
Exactly. The story is about market share and consumer behavior, not about the planet. That's worth noting.
Mark
So what happens if the pilot fails in Spain and Portugal?
Mimi
The source doesn't say. But given how aggressively other retailers are moving into secondhand—AO buying MusicMagpie, eBay buying Depop for $1.2 billion—Ikea probably can't afford to sit this out.
Luke
And that's the real story: this isn't Ikea being virtuous. It's Ikea being competitive.
O Pulso
- A £4.5 billion secondhand homewares market — growing at 6.5% annually and projected to claim 16% of UK home furnishings by next year — is forcing even the world's largest furniture retailer to rethink where its products go after the first sale.
- Ikea's own designs already make up 9% of furniture traded on resale platforms, meaning the company has been fueling a secondhand economy it didn't control — until now.
- The new online buyback service and peer-to-peer marketplace represent a dual move: recapturing customer loyalty through vouchers and a 15% gift card bonus while keeping money circulating within the Ikea ecosystem.
- Competitors are closing in from every direction — Vinted expanding beyond clothing, eBay absorbing Depop, Facebook Marketplace entrenched in living rooms — making Ikea's timing both urgent and carefully calculated.
- With 63% of UK consumers now buying through resale platforms — up sharply from 51% the previous year — secondhand shopping has crossed the threshold from niche habit to cultural norm, and Ikea is betting it can be the trusted name at the center of that shift.
In an era when ownership is becoming more fluid and consumption more circular, Ikea is extending its reach into the secondhand economy — not merely as a gesture toward sustainability, but as a strategic response to a profound shift in how people relate to their homes and their things. By launching an online buyback service across Spain and Portugal, with the UK in its sights, the Swedish giant is acknowledging that the life of a piece of furniture no longer begins and ends at the checkout. The secondhand homewares market, now worth billions and growing steadily, has moved from the margins of thrift into the mainstream of domestic life.
Ikea is pushing further into the secondhand economy with a new online buyback service that lets customers exchange unwanted furniture for vouchers. The program will launch in Spain and Portugal before the year ends, with a UK rollout planned if the pilot proves successful — building on an in-store buyback scheme already operating in Britain but designed to reach far broader audiences.
The move reflects a genuine transformation in consumer behavior. The UK secondhand homewares market is now worth more than £4.5 billion, growing at around 6.5% a year, and Ikea estimates pre-owned furniture will account for roughly 16% of the UK homewares market by next year. Ikea's own products already represent about 9% of all furniture sold on secondhand platforms — a measure of both the brand's reach and the demand for its designs at reduced prices.
Alongside the buyback service, Ikea is also launching a peer-to-peer marketplace in the UK this week, where members of its loyalty scheme can buy and sell pre-owned Ikea items locally. The platform already runs in Spain and Portugal, where pieces like the Kallax shelving unit and Malm chest of drawers are among the most traded. The UK version launches free of charge, though a buyer protection fee of around 5% is planned for the future. To ease the selling process, Ikea provides pre-filled descriptions and price suggestions, and offers sellers a 15% bonus for accepting payment as a gift card — a mechanism that keeps spending within its own ecosystem.
Sustainability manager Greg Lucas described the shift as a direct response to changing habits, noting that secondhand browsing has become mainstream rather than marginal. The data supports him: 63% of UK consumers used resale platforms in 2025, up from 51% the year before. The competitive field is crowded — Vinted is moving into homewares, eBay acquired Depop, and Currys and AO have both entered the pre-owned space. For Ikea, the buyback service and marketplace together represent a deliberate wager that the secondhand furniture market will keep growing, and that customers will prefer to trade within a familiar, trusted name.
Ikea is moving deeper into the secondhand furniture business with a new online buyback service that will let customers trade in unwanted pieces for vouchers. The Swedish retailer will test the program in Spain and Portugal before the year ends, with plans to bring it to the UK if the pilot succeeds. This is an expansion of Ikea's existing in-store buyback program, which already operates in the UK, but the online version is designed to reach far more people across wider geographic areas.
The timing reflects a seismic shift in how people shop for home goods. The secondhand homewares market in the UK alone is now worth more than £4.5 billion and growing at roughly 6.5% each year. Ikea estimates that pre-owned furniture will capture about 16% of the UK homewares market by next year. The company's own products already account for roughly 9% of all furniture sold on secondhand marketplaces in the UK, a sign of both the brand's ubiquity and the appetite for its designs at lower prices.
But Ikea is not simply launching a buyback service in isolation. This week, the company is also rolling out its own secondhand marketplace in the UK—a platform where customers who belong to Ikea's membership scheme can buy and sell pre-owned Ikea items directly to one another locally. The marketplace already operates in Spain and Portugal, where bestsellers include the Kallax shelving system and Malm chest of drawers. The UK version will launch free of charge initially, though Ikea plans to introduce a buyer protection fee of around 5% of an item's sale price down the line. For now, buyers and sellers will arrange their own collection or delivery; Ikea is exploring ways to streamline that logistics in the future.
To make selling easier, Ikea is providing pre-filled product descriptions and price suggestions for items listed on the platform. The company is also offering sellers a 15% bonus if they accept payment as an Ikea gift card rather than cash—a mechanism that keeps money within the Ikea ecosystem. Greg Lucas, Ikea's sustainability manager for the UK and Ireland, framed the shift as a response to changing consumer behavior. "The secondhand market is growing and growing," he said. "It is now really significant. Secondhand browsing and shopping is now mainstream." He noted that customers are increasingly considering pre-owned furniture alongside new items when they move, redecorate, or hunt for pieces that feel personal to their homes.
The numbers back this up. In 2025, 63% of UK consumers bought products through reselling platforms, up from 51% in 2024. This mainstream adoption has created a crowded competitive landscape. Vinted, which started as a clothing resale platform, is now expanding into homewares and electronics. Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, and upmarket sites like Vinterior are all active in the space. eBay recently acquired the UK fashion reseller Depop for $1.2 billion, signaling the financial stakes involved. Preloved items now represent about one-tenth of global fashion sales.
Other major retailers have already moved into secondhand. Currys and AO both sell pre-owned goods. AO expanded its secondhand business by acquiring MusicMagpie, which sells refurbished electronics and secondhand video games, in 2024, and more recently bought Jessops, the camera specialist that controls the Camera Jungle secondhand site. For Ikea, the buyback service and marketplace represent a calculated bet that the secondhand furniture market will only grow—and that the company can capture a meaningful share by making it easier for its own customers to buy and sell within a trusted ecosystem.
Citações Notáveis
The secondhand market is growing and growing. It is now really significant. Secondhand browsing and shopping is now mainstream.— Greg Lucas, Ikea sustainability manager for UK & Ireland
More customers are considering pre-owned furniture alongside new and are actively searching for items that can help create a home that feels personal to them.— Greg Lucas, Ikea sustainability manager for UK & Ireland
Quer a matéria completa?
Leia o original em The Guardian ↗
Economy & Finance