Whether it’s a Kallax unit, a Billy bookcase or the Malm drawers, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a home in the UK that doesn’t own a single piece of IKEA furniture. But did you know there’s a way to get brand new IKEA furniture by returning your old ones?
Whether you’re a student moving from your university pad into a new home, or just fancy a furniture refresh, a little-known scheme could save you a fortune - and all of the hassle of selling on Facebook marketplace.
One shopper, Jess Ricci, shared the money-savvy hack on TikTok earlier this week, and we were seriously impressed at how easy it is to do.
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In the video, which has racked up more than 88,000 views, Jess showed her followers how to trade in their old furniture via the recycling scheme, The Mirror reports.
Jess said: "I went to the website and used the buy back estimator tool to input the names of furniture I already own. I selected the condition and got an estimation report which I took in-store where they inspected everything and gave me a gift card which I then used to buy some food and some cute new stuff".
She added: "The perfect way to recycle your old IKEA furniture and get new stuff for free!"
Many people in the comment section were surprised as they didn't know about IKEA's recycling scheme. However some did point out that you technically wouldn't really be getting items for free, as you're returning an item you originally purchased.
Even so, many were thankful to know about the scheme, with one person saying: "I NEEDED TO KNOW THIS! Thank you." Another said: "Queen of hacks."
According to IKEA's website, their Buyback and Resell scheme exists to "give chairs, shelves or chests of drawers as many lives as possible."
It continues: "With Buyback & Resell, you sell us used IKEA furniture you don't need in a safe, streamlined way year-round. You'll get IKEA in-store credit to refresh your home.
"Someone else buys your old stuff second hand from us and gives it a new home. It's one little action that can have a big impact on your wallet and the planet."
How much money you'll get for your old items depends on its condition – for example whether it's like-new or not.
First you have to find out if the item you want to sell is on IKEA's list of eligible items.
Then you can use the Buyback estimator tool to see how much you are being quoted for the item. An IKEA employee will also need to inspect the item when you bring it in-store.
All you need to do is bring it, fully assembled, with your estimation number to your nearest store within 30 days. You can spend your refund card online or in-store whenever you want.
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