Ikea has introduced a new secondhand marketplace, allowing customers to purchase and sale pre-owned Ikea furniture. This pilot marketplace, called Ikea Preowned, aims to compete with established resale platforms like eBay in the U.S. and Gumtree and Finn internationally.
Currently, the service is available only in Madrid and Oslo, but Ikea is considering expanding to other markets in the coming year.
“This has been a dream in the making for a while. We are in a place in Ikea where we can do more advanced and cool stuff. There is an incredible confidence in the company evolving on digital,” said Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka, Ikea’s primary store operator, in an interview with a media house.
Sellers can list their pre-owned Ikea products on the marketplace by uploading photos and setting their own prices. The site’s AI-driven database then automatically adds details like dimensions and promotional images to the listing.
A spokesperson for IKEA said, “With this marketplace we want to enable people to connect and support each other to fulfil the needs and dreams of a home and have access to an even more affordable IKEA range.”
The spokesperson also noted that the global secondhand furniture market is rapidly growing, with an expected annual growth rate of 6.4% in 2024. Currently, Ikea products make up 10% of the secondhand home furnishing market. The new platform, being tested in Madrid and Oslo, is designed to streamline and enhance the experience for both sellers and buyers.
For now, listing items on the marketplace is free, but Brodin mentioned that Ikea might introduce a “symbolic” fee in the future. Sellers can choose to receive payments in cash or as an Ikea voucher with a 15% bonus.