Swedish Furniture Giant Launches Secondhand Marketplace

Ikea is testing an online platform where customers can sell their used furniture, aiming to expand its digital business and compete with major U.S. companies like eBay.

The furniture retailer Ikea is reportedly trialing an online secondhand marketplace where customers can buy and sell used furniture from each other. This news was first reported by the “Financial Times” (FT).

The platform, named “Ikea Preowned,” will be piloted in Madrid and Oslo by the end of the year. The test phase aims to introduce the buying and selling platform globally, according to Jesper Brodin, the CEO of Ingka Group, the primary operator of Ikea stores.

“This has been a dream for quite some time,” Brodin stated in the “FT” report. “Ikea has reached a point where we can do more advanced and cooler things. There is incredible trust in the company’s digital development.”

Ikea Already Offers Secondhand Options

With this new marketplace, Ikea is set to compete with platforms like eBay, Craigslist, and Gumtree, where customers can already buy and sell used furniture.

Currently, Ikea offers customers the option to sell their used furniture back to the company, which then resells it in stores. The new platform, however, will enable direct sales between customers.

On Ikea Preowned, customers will be able to list their products, upload their own photos, and set a selling price. Ikea will likely enhance the listings with advertising images and dimensions using artificial intelligence (AI). Buyers can then pick up the furniture directly from the seller. According to the “FT,” sellers will receive either cash or a 15% discount voucher.

Germany as the Largest Single Market

According to the “FT,” the new marketplace is part of the transformation Ikea has undergone in recent years. The company has evolved from a retailer where customers collect and assemble their own furniture to one that offers online sales, urban stores, and services such as assembly