Ikea is testing out a new website, Ikea Preowned, through which people can purchase or sell used Ikea furniture between themselves. It has already been launched in Madrid and Oslo, serving two goals—reducing waste and increasing Ikea’s earnings from resale while working toward global expansion scheduled by December.

Ever wanted to put your old Ikea furniture up for sale? Well, now you might just get your chance! The world-renowned furniture company is trying something rather new in its business. This is an online marketplace called Ikea Preowned, where people can purchase and sell used Ikea furniture.

Imagine something like a web-based garage sale, but one that is only selling Ikea products. That’s what Ikea Preowned does. No more frustrating, patchy listings in the likes of eBay or Gumtree; this new website looks only to help people sell their old Ikea chairs and tables, amongst other products. It’s like a little club for Ikea fans!

Right now, testing for Ikea Preowned has been done in two locations: Madrid and Oslo. It’s like Ikea is giving the site its test run to check out how it will work. If everything goes well, they intend to expand the site to other parts of the world by December this very year. This would mean that pretty soon, everyone would have the ability to sell or buy pre-loved Ikea items on Ikea Preowned.

The concept of Ikea Preowned is simply part of this whole big idea that Ikea has initiated in the global scheme to make it more conscientious about the environment. People don’t throw old furniture away; most of the time, it heads off to landfills. Instead, it just gave their Ikea furniture a second chance. It reduces waste and is good for the planet, and perhaps it could even help Ikea figure out how to make more money on selling used goods.

“‘After December, we will just evaluate and decide the next steps. We start in Oslo and Madrid, yet our ambition is higher,’ says Ikea” – meaning Ikea is so really raving about this project and, if it will enable them to, in fact, be successful in these two places, they are already sure it can be somewhere else.

Now, if you’re looking to acquire some Ikea furniture second hand at the moment, then you would trawl options such as eBay or Gumtree. As it stands, there are currently over a thousand items listed under “Ikea” on eBay, and there is also plenty of Ikea stuff on Gumtree. Shpock and Facebook Marketplace also gain popularity as trading means of second-hand things locally.

The new site by Ikea is actually a step in helping customers deal with ease; a process made easier and convenient. Instead of surfing for hours to pinpoint all that you require, you can easily find your desired material on Ikea Preowned. It’s kind of like a special place owned by Ikea for buying and selling second-hand furniture.

The environmentalists have many words to say about the problems caused by cheap furniture to be thrown at the garbage and new items to be purchased that are again similarly priced so that all over again a pile of waste will be added to the already environment-threatening place. Now, here imitating the concepts of a circular economy, where items are reused rather than thrown away and Ikea Preface, wants to be part of the solutions.

If Ikea is responsible for the reselling of its products, then maybe it would also be in their best interest to make durable furniture. They would, after all, want to sell it again and then resell it again. In its interests, at least, the company should ensure that whatever it makes will last for a long time. Maybe this way the furniture industry, or at least Ikea’s range, would be sustainable and in favor of the environment.

A further benefit of Ikea Preowned is that it could provide Ikea with more focus on its online sales and services. Operating physical stores is a really costly venture, therefore the creation of this online marketplace could enable Ikea to put more attention into the increasing world of online shopping. This will make the company more modern and adjustable to changing shopping habits.

When listing on Ikea Preowned, the seller just needs to put up a listing, and Ikea’s special algorithms handle the rest by adding important details of the item, including its dimensions and original price.

Ikea has been selling second-hand furniture at some of its stores for years. At Ikea Preowned, it is taking the concept to the next level. With an exclusive online section for second-hand furniture, the brand seeks to make the exchange of obsolete furniture easier for all parties and, therefore, help in the ease of giving products a second life and contribute to the reduction of waste.

So, the next time you intend to sell or make a purchase of used Ikea furniture, look no further than Ikea Preowned. It just might be your new favorite place to shop sustainably while you get a sweet deal on the side. Who knows? Your old Ikea sofa might just find a new home where it will be loved as much as you loved it!

This week, Ikea pushes further into the circular economy with the rollout of its online marketplace, Ikea Preowned, to buy and sell used Ikea furniture—all in a bid to make life easier for people and the environment. If successful, this move could revolutionize how we think of buying and selling secondhand furniture.