IKEA to buy back and sell customers old & unwanted furniture

IKEA has announced that for the first time in its 77-year history*, it will be encouraging customers in 27 countries, to sell back their unwanted IKEA furniture to the retail store in an effort to contribute to a circular economy.  The furniture sold back to IKEA will then be available to buy as second-hand items in stores, to customers who can give them a new home.  

This new initiative called ‘Buy Back’ launches in the UK on November 24th, ahead of one of the busiest shopping days of the year, Black Friday. By making sustainable living easy and accessible, IKEA hopes that the initiative will help its customers take a stand against excessive consumption this Black Friday and in the years to come.  

Customers selling back an item will receive an IKEA voucher to spend in store, which will have no expiry date in order to encourage customers to purchase items when only they’re really needed. Depending on the condition of the furniture traded in, the item could be worth as much as 50 percent of the original price:  

As new – no scratches: 50% of the original price 

Very good – minor scratches: 40% of original price 

Well-used – several scratches: 30% of original price 

Items will then be resold as second-hand in the As-Is Area of stores (previously known as Bargain Corner). Anything that cannot be resold will be recycled.  

“Sustainability is the defining issue of our time and IKEA is committed to being part of the solution to promote sustainable consumption and combat climate change” said Peter Jelkeby, Country Retail Manager and Chief Sustainability Officer IKEA UK & Ireland. “With the launch of Buy Back we are giving a second life to many more IKEA products and creating more easy and affordable solutions to help people live more sustainably. It is an exciting step forward in our journey towards becoming a fully circular and climate positive business by 2030.” 

Hege Sæbjørnsen, Country Sustainability Manager at IKEA UK & Ireland, added:“The IKEA vision has always been to create a better everyday life for the many people, which right now means making sustainable living easy and affordable for everyone. Being circular is a good business opportunity as well as a responsibility, and the climate crisis requires us all to radically rethink our consumption habits.  

“Currently, 45 percent of total global carbon emissions come from the way the world produces and uses everyday products, so Buy Back represents an opportunity to address unsustainable consumption and its impact on climate change.”   

Products that are eligible for Buy Back include: 

Dressers, office drawer cabinets, small structures with drawers, display storage and sideboards; Bookcases and shelf units; Small tables; Multimedia furniture; Cabinets; Dining tables and desks; Chairs and stools without upholstery; Chests of drawers; Children’s products excluding baby items and PAX accessories.  

How will ‘Buy Back’ operate during the COVID19 pandemic?  

IKEA is fully aware that COVID19 has brought much uncertainy and challenges to people’s lives. It is difficult to know at this stage if the current restrictions in Ireland will be eased by November 24th. We want to reassure our customers that the ‘Buy Back’ scheme is here to stay. We are encouraging our customers, at all times, to adhere to the public health guidelines, stay safe and we look forward to welcoming everyone (including your old IKEA furniture) to our store in Ballymun, once the restrictions have been lifted.  

The health and safety of our co-workers and customers is IKEA’s top priority. Therefore, all old furniture returned to our store will be quarantined and sanitised before being placed back on the shop floor.  

Customers wanting to sell back their old IKEA furniture will simply need to visit IKEA.co.uk and submit items for consideration by filling out a simple online offer request, once the initiative launches in November. The tool will automatically generate a preliminary offer and customers will then be invited to bring the fully assembled product and preliminary offer to the Returns & Exchanges desk in store, where they will then receive an IKEA voucher to spend. The voucher will have no expiry date in order to encourage customers to only purchase new items when they really need something.    

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