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Ikea is turning its customers into sellers: What is behind its second-hand marketplace?

The Swedish furniture giant is preparing to bring its pre-owned marketplace to the UK, putting it in direct competition with platforms such as Vinted, eBay and Facebook Marketplace.

IKEA

Ikea is preparing to launch a marketplace for buying and selling pre-owned Ikea products

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  • Ikea plans to bring its second-hand marketplace to the UK.
  • Ikea Family members will be able to buy and sell pre-owned furniture directly to each other.
  • The move puts Ikea into a market already dominated by platforms such as Vinted and eBay.

Ikea is preparing to let its customers sell their old furniture to other Ikea shoppers, as the Swedish retailer moves deeper into Britain's growing second-hand market.

The company plans to launch its Ikea second-hand marketplace in the UK, although it has not yet given a specific launch date. It said more details would be announced in the coming months.


The platform will allow members of Ikea Family, the retailer's loyalty scheme, to connect with each other and buy and sell pre-owned Ikea furniture and homeware.

The idea is fairly simple: instead of an unwanted Ikea wardrobe, table or chair ending up unused or being thrown away, customers could pass it on to someone else looking for the same product.

But the move also puts Ikea into competition with established resale platforms including Vinted, eBay and Facebook Marketplace, where consumers already buy and sell second-hand furniture and household goods.

Ikea has been testing the idea abroad

The UK launch follows trials in other European markets.

Ikea first introduced its second-hand marketplace, Ikea Preowned, as a trial in Norway and Spain in August 2024. It expanded to Portugal and Poland in 2025, followed by Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden in 2026.

The company says the aim is to make buying and selling pre-owned Ikea products simpler and more accessible.

An Ikea spokesperson said the retailer wanted to create a “trusted and vibrant space” where Ikea Family members could trade directly with one another.

The company has not said whether the UK platform will operate in exactly the same way as its overseas versions.

The move comes as the second-hand market expands beyond clothing.

Vinted, which became widely known for used fashion, has expanded into categories including electronics and homeware. Other major retailers, including John Lewis and Currys, have also introduced pre-loved or refurbished products.

That gives Ikea a different reason to enter the market: it already has a huge base of customers who own its products, while many of those products are relatively easy to identify and resell.

A customer looking for a particular Ikea bookcase or dining table, for example, could potentially find it from another Ikea customer rather than buying it new.

What Ikea gets from the resale market

For Ikea, the marketplace could offer a way to keep its products in use for longer while creating another point of contact with customers.

It could also strengthen the relationship with Ikea Family members, who would be able to use the retailer's own platform rather than moving to a separate resale site.

Ikea says its wider ambition is to make it easier for customers to pass on products they no longer need.

The company has not yet revealed the commercial details of the UK platform, including whether it will charge sellers a fee or how transactions and delivery will work.

For now, Ikea is entering a market where shoppers already have plenty of choices.

The question will be whether the convenience of a marketplace dedicated to Ikea furniture and homeware is enough to persuade customers to sell their old Billy bookcases, sofas and kitchenware through Ikea rather than simply listing them on Vinted, eBay or Facebook Marketplace.

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