Ikea Launches Peer-to-Peer Marketplace and Buy-Back Pilot

Ikea is expanding its secondhand furniture operations with the launch of a peer-to-peer online marketplace in the United Kingdom this week. The platform allows members to buy and sell pre-owned items locally. While the service starts as free, the company plans to implement a buyer protection fee of approximately 5%. To encourage sellers, Ikea is offering a 15% bonus for payments accepted as gift cards.

Simultaneously, the retailer is piloting an online version of its buy-back service in Spain and Portugal through December. This program provides customers with vouchers in exchange for unwanted furniture. If the pilot proves successful, Ikea intends to launch the buy-back service in the UK.

These moves place the company in direct competition with platforms such as eBay and Vinted. Greg Lucas, sustainability manager at Ikea’s UK and Irish division, noted that secondhand browsing and shopping has become mainstream and that the way people furnish their homes has changed.