IKEA WILL NOT physically inspect furniture sold through its new second-hand marketplace in Ireland, instead relying on sellers to accurately describe the condition of their items.

The Swedish furniture giant launched the service on Wednesday, allowing customers to buy and sell pre-owned Ikea furniture directly with one another.

The move puts Ikea into a second-hand market already served by sites including DoneDeal, Facebook Marketplace and Adverts.ie, where its furniture has long been bought, sold and given away.

There are currently more than 8,300 furniture listings on Adverts.ie featuring the word Ikea, including more than 400 free items.

Among the items being offered for collection are old potties, egg chairs, lamps and cots.

Under Ikea’s new system, sellers are responsible for describing the condition of their furniture and uploading photographs of the actual item.

Products must be classified as ‘As new’, ‘Used’ or ‘Very used’, and all items must be fully functional.

Recalled or modified products, mattresses, appliances and food cannot be listed.

Greg Lucas, sustainability manager at Ikea UK & Ireland, told The Journal that the company reviews listings before they go live but does not inspect individual items in person.

He explained that only customers who have signed up to Ikea’s free Family loyalty scheme can sell furniture through the marketplace.

Payments are processed through the platform, with Ikea holding buyers’ money for 48 hours after they accept an item.

During that period, buyers can report products that are significantly different from their listings and seek a refund.

After the 48-hour window, disputes are generally left to buyers and sellers to resolve themselves.

How does Ikea make money?

From Billy bookcases to Kallax shelving units, Ikea furniture has long found new homes through Facebook Marketplace and Adverts.ie.

Unlike some resale platforms, Ikea will not take a commission from sellers at launch.

Instead, the company hopes to encourage customers to keep spending with Ikea by offering a 15% bonus to those who accept payment in the form of a digital refund card rather than cash.

Someone selling an item for €100 could therefore receive €100 in cash or €115 to spend at Ikea.

A picture of Ikea's store in Ballymun. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Lucas said the credit could also be used to purchase second-hand furniture through the company’s existing Buy Back & Resell service, as well as other products and food.

While buyer protection is currently free, Ikea’s Irish policy provides for a mandatory fee of 5% of the purchase price.

The company says this fee is waived until 1 January 2027.

As purchases are made from private sellers rather than Ikea itself, the usual statutory right to cancel an online purchase from a business does not apply.

What about sustainability?

Ikea says the marketplace is intended to extend the life of furniture and prevent usable items from being discarded.

However, the large number of Ikea products already being given away for free on second-hand sites highlights how some owners regard the furniture as something to dispose of rather than resell.

The company has also faced criticism over the environmental impact of its supply chain.

In 2024, Greenpeace linked seven manufacturers supplying Ikea to the destruction of old-growth and other high-conservation-value forests in Romania.

Ikea disputed aspects of the investigation and defended its timber sourcing standards.

Lucas said the company wanted to make it easier for customers to repair, reuse and resell furniture rather than throw it away.

“By helping customers buy and sell pre-loved Ikea furniture, we’re supporting a more circular approach to home furnishings and challenging the idea that furniture should be disposable,” Lucas said.

Ikea claims products sold through its marketplace are priced, on average, 60% below comparable new items.

The marketplace is available online to members of the free Ikea Family loyalty programme.

Journal Media Ltd has shareholders in common with DoneDeal Ltd and Adverts Marketplace Ltd