Ikea will buy back your old furniture under a new scheme – here’s how the offer works

Ikea will buy back customers’ old and unwanted furniture to resell in its stores under a new scheme.
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The initiative – called ‘Buy Back’– will run in Ikea outlets in the UK and Ireland, including the branches in Sheffield, Nottingham and Manchester, and is billed by the Swedish retail giant as a way of ‘giving a second life’ to Ikea products that will ‘help people live more sustainably’.

It will launch on November 27, and in return for bringing back their items customers will receive a voucher to spend at Ikea. These will have no expiry date, and could be worth up to half of the original price depending on the condition of the furniture traded in.

How much voucher credit is on offer?

A man leaves with his goods after shopping at Ikea. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images.A man leaves with his goods after shopping at Ikea. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images.
A man leaves with his goods after shopping at Ikea. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images.

As new – no scratches: 50 per cent of the original price

Very good – minor scratches: 40 per cent of original price

Well-used – several scratches: 30 per cent of original price

Items will 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.

Shoppers in Ikea. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images.Shoppers in Ikea. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images.
Shoppers in Ikea. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images.

Which items are eligible?

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.

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How should items be given back?

Customers wanting to sell back their old Ikea furniture should visit IKEA.co.uk and submit items for consideration by filling out an online offer request. 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 and Exchanges desk in their nearest store, where they will then receive a refund card to spend in store. The refund card will have no expiry date ‘in order to encourage customers to only purchase new items when they really need something’, Ikea says.

What has Ikea said about the scheme?

Peter Jelkeby, country retail manager and chief sustainability officer for Ikea UK & Ireland, said the company was ‘committed to being part of the solution to promote sustainable consumption and combat climate change’.

Meanwhile Hege Sæbjørnsen, country sustainability manager at Ikea UK & Ireland, said the ‘climate crisis requires us all to radically rethink our consumption habits’, adding: “Currently, 45 per cent of total global carbon emissions come from the way the world produces and uses everyday products.”

The initiative is launching to coincide with Black Friday – an occasion when many retailers make special offers to kick off the Christmas shopping season. Ikea said it wants to ‘help its customers take a stand against excessive consumption this Black Friday and in the years to come’.

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