Ikea trials resale website to rival eBay and Gumtree

Ikea is venturing into the realm of second-hand sales with the introduction of its new online marketplace, Ikea Preowned. This platform is designed to enable customers to buy and sell used Ikea products directly, providing an alternative to traditional buy-and-sell websites like eBay and Gumtree. Currently, Ikea Preowned is being piloted in Madrid and Oslo, with plans to expand the service globally by December.

The move comes amid a growing interest in the second-hand market for furniture, clothing, and other goods. This initiative aligns with Ikea’s commitment to sustainability by promoting the reuse of products, thereby reducing waste and preventing items from ending up in landfills. Additionally, it provides a new revenue stream for Ikea through the resale of its own products.

A spokesperson for Ikea noted, “After December we will evaluate and decide on the next steps. We start in Oslo and Madrid, yet our ambition is higher.” The company is clearly aiming to establish a robust platform that could potentially reshape the way customers interact with their furniture.

The popularity of used Ikea furniture is already evident on various online platforms. For example, a search for “Ikea” on eBay yields over 25,000 results. Similarly, on Gumtree in the UK, there are more than 10,000 listings for Ikea products. Local resale platforms like Shpock and Facebook Marketplace also feature numerous pages of Ikea-related listings.

The launch of Ikea Preowned addresses growing concerns about environmental sustainability. Environmentalists have long criticized furniture manufacturers for contributing to plastic pollution and other environmental issues. The rise of inexpensive furniture has encouraged a culture of disposability, where consumers often opt to discard old items rather than repair or repurpose them.

Green advocates emphasize the importance of a circular economy, which aims to extend the life cycle of products through reuse and recycling. By managing its own resale platform, Ikea could incentivize the production of more durable and less disposable products, aligning with broader sustainability goals.

This new initiative also represents a strategic shift for Ikea, potentially reducing its reliance on traditional brick-and-mortar stores, which come with high operational costs. By focusing on online sales and assembly services, Ikea can tap into the growing e-commerce market while maintaining a commitment to sustainability.

On the Ikea Preowned platform, sellers list their items, and Ikea’s algorithms automatically generate details about the products, including measurements and the original retail price. This feature simplifies the selling process and ensures that buyers have accurate information about the items they are purchasing.

In addition to the new online marketplace, Ikea has already experimented with selling pre-owned items in some of its stores. This initiative is part of the company’s broader effort to embrace circular economy principles and reduce its environmental footprint.

Overall, Ikea’s move into the second-hand market signifies a significant step towards integrating sustainability into its business model while adapting to changing consumer preferences. By creating a dedicated platform for used items, Ikea not only supports environmental goals but also enhances its market presence in the competitive resale sector.