Can’t stand that old bookcase and dining table with the mismatched chairs you once thought looked so cool? If you bought them at Ikea, the retailer will pay you to get them back.
The Swedish furniture and home goods chain said Thursday it is making its Buy Back & Resell program permanent across its 37 US stores on April 1 after piloting the offer last summer.
The company said the service applies only to personally-used Ikea furniture that is fully assembled and fully functional. Ikea won’t accept items that have been modified, or altered in any way.
Here is what’s included on the list of returnable items: office drawer cabinets, sideboards, bookcases, small tables, multimedia furniture, cabinets, dining tables, desks and chairs and stools without upholstery.
The program doesn’t extend to non-Ikea-branded products or beds, sofas, mattresses, home furnishing accessories, leather products, lighting fixtures or chests of drawers. Any recalled Ikea products also are excluded.
Ikea said it will inspect each item for its condition, age and functionality at participating stores, and if it passes muster customers will get a store credit. The company said all “gently used” items approved for resale will be available in a designated “as is” section in stores at discounted prices.
The furniture seller already offers a buyback service in the United Kingdom and Ireland as part of its sustainability push. Customers there can trade in gently used Ikea products in excellent condition and get a store credit worth up to 50% of the original sale price. Items in “very good” condition earn a 40% credit, and “well used” goods get 30% of the original price.
Ikea has 465 stores worldwide, and said the initiative is part of its effort to become a “circular” business by 2030. The goal, it said, is to eventually produce products that are 100% made with materials that are recycled, remanufactured, refurbished or reused.
