Ikea is conducting a trial of its secondhand furniture marketplace, Ikea Preowned, in Madrid and Oslo, offering a new way for customers to buy and sell used Ikea items online.
This initiative, available until the end of the year, allows users to list items by uploading photos and setting a price, mimicking the look and feel of Ikea’s main website.
How Ikea Preowned Works
Ikea’s system detects the uploaded images and automatically adds original product photos and measurements, making the listings more informative. Buyers browse these listings and arrange directly with sellers to pick up the furniture at a mutually agreed-upon location. Sellers can choose to receive payments through:
- Bank transfer with no added fees.
- An Ikea gift card that offers a 15% bonus on the furniture’s sale price.
While listing items on the platform is currently free, Jesper Brodin, CEO of the Ingka Group, which manages most Ikea stores, hinted at the potential introduction of a “symbolic fee” in the future, as reported by the Financial Times. Brodin mentioned that using vouchers is not only an incentive for sellers but also a method to keep customers engaged with Ikea.
Regarding customer satisfaction, Ikea’s policy for Ikea Preowned states that buyers cannot return items that are damaged or do not meet their expectations. However, the platform allows customers to request a refund if issues arise.
The trial will continue through December, at which point Ikea will review the results and decide whether to extend or modify the program, Tolga Oncu of the Ingka Group told The Verge.
Growing Demand for Secondhand Furniture
Interest in secondhand furniture is on the rise in Europe, with a 2023 survey by YouGov showing that 53% of respondents in Sweden and 55% in Great Britain are inclined to purchase secondhand furniture. This growing trend towards sustainability and reusing resources aligns with Ikea’s broader goals of supporting a circular economy and reducing environmental impact.
The success of this pilot program in Madrid and Oslo will be pivotal in determining Ikea’s next steps in promoting sustainable practices and possibly expanding Ikea Preowned to other regions.
Featured Image courtesy of Paul Maguire/Alamy Stock Photo
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