Swedish brand IKEA has created an online marketplace for pre-owned furniture and products, which retail at around 60 per cent less than comparable items bought new.

Launched today, the UK and Ireland marketplace allows people to list and sell their IKEA products online, with the exception of mattresses, appliances and food.

Eligible items can be scanned by a seller to create a listing.

Recommended pricing, professional product photography and accurate measurements are then offered by the platform, as well as assembly instructions and care information for the furniture and products.

Once an item is purchased, the seller can choose to be paid directly or receive their funds as an IKEA voucher with 15 per cent additional credit.

Originally trialled in Madrid and Oslo in 2024, the marketplace was designed to significantly reduce waste and provide cheaper alternatives to new IKEA products amidst a global cost of living crisis, with the brand reporting average prices on the platform to be 60 per cent lower than comparable shop-bought products.

The marketplace also allows buyers to access discontinued IKEA designs, prompted by recent IKEA-conducted consumer research that revealed that 87 per cent of UK adults are now shopping for second-hand goods.

"The way people furnish their homes has changed," said IKEA UK and Ireland sustainability manager Greg Lucas.

"Our research found that more than one in four people said a personal history or story would make pre-owned furniture more desirable to them," he added.

"IKEA products are designed to be used, maintained and enjoyed over time, and the second-hand marketplace, as well as our in-store buyback service, gives people a straightforward way to pass on items as their needs change, with the practical information they need to buy and sell with confidence."

The brand's Buy Back and Resell service was introduced in 2021, which allows customers to sell eligible items back to IKEA in exchange for in-store credit.

Both the online marketplace and the buyback service are part of a wider push from the brand to make its products more sustainable and affordable.

In August, IKEA also launched the limited-edition Konstrunda collectible design collection, which brings together 22 pieces by seven designers all retailed at under £200.

The photography is courtesy of IKEA.