Ikea is bringing its second-hand marketplace to the UK, giving Ikea Family members a new way to buy and sell pre-owned furniture directly with one another.
The Swedish furniture retailer said the platform will aim to make trading pre-loved Ikea products “as seamless as possible”, although it has yet to confirm a specific launch date. Further details are expected in the coming months.
The move puts Ikea more directly into competition with established peer-to-peer marketplaces including eBay, Vinted, and Facebook Marketplace, as demand for second-hand goods continues to grow.
Ikea first began testing its dedicated Preowned marketplace in Madrid and Oslo in 2024. The initiative has since expanded into further European markets as the retailer looks to develop new ways of keeping its products in use for longer.
The original trials formed part of Ikea’s wider circularity strategy, with the retailer positioning resale alongside repair, reuse, and recycling as ways of extending the useful life of its products. Green Retail World reported at the time the marketplace would allow buyers and sellers to arrange transactions and furniture collection between themselves, while sellers could choose between receiving money or an Ikea voucher with an additional 15% value.
Ikea said the UK marketplace will provide a “trusted and vibrant space” where Ikea Family members can trade directly.
“At Ikea, we are always looking for new ways to make life at home even better and help our customers discover products they love,” 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.”
They added: “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 will build on an existing second-hand infrastructure in the UK. Ikea already operates its Buyback & Resell service, through which customers can return eligible used furniture in exchange for an Ikea refund card. Items that meet its resale requirements are subsequently offered through its Re-shop and Re-use operation.
The retailer also allows customers to reserve second-hand and discontinued products online through its Re-shop and Re-use service, before collecting them from participating stores.
The new marketplace represents a different approach, however, by allowing customers to trade directly with each other rather than selling their furniture back to Ikea.
For Ikea, the expansion is another step towards its ambition of becoming a more circular business. The retailer says its circular approach is designed to make it easier for customers to reuse, repair, resell and recycle products, helping to reduce waste and keep products and materials in use for longer.
The UK launch also comes as second-hand retail becomes increasingly mainstream, with platforms such as Vinted expanding beyond fashion and into categories including homeware.
[image credit: Ikea/Ingka Group]
