IKEA launches resale platform as survey finds 82% of Welsh adults shop second-hand
Nation.Cymru staff
More than four in five adults in Wales shop for second-hand goods, according to research commissioned by IKEA as it launches a UK furniture resale platform.
The survey found that 82% of Welsh adults buy pre-owned items. Among those who shop second-hand, 38% have bought furniture this way.
Respondents in Wales who estimated the value of unused home and garden furniture in their homes put it at an average of £222.
The findings come as IKEA launches a marketplace allowing members of its free IKEA Family scheme to buy and sell the retailer’s used furniture directly with one another.
The platform accepts current and discontinued IKEA home furnishing products, but excludes mattresses, appliances, food, modified items and recalled products. Products from other brands cannot be listed.
Sellers can receive payment in cash or choose an IKEA digital refund card with a 15% top-up.
The retailer says prices on the marketplace are, on average, 60% lower than those of comparable new products.
The launch follows IKEA’s in-store Buyback & Resell service, introduced in 2021, which allows customers to return eligible furniture in exchange for store credit.
The new platform provides suggested prices, product photographs and measurements to help sellers create listings. Buyers can also access assembly instructions and care information.
Greg Lucas, sustainability manager at IKEA UK and Ireland, said more customers were considering used furniture when moving home, redecorating or searching for a particular item.
He said: “The way people furnish their homes has changed. Whether they are moving, redecorating or looking for a particular piece, more customers are considering pre-owned furniture alongside new.”
The Welsh findings also showed that 18% of adults said a personal history or story would make a piece of second-hand furniture more desirable.
Separate UK-wide figures cited by IKEA suggest that 63% of consumers bought through resale platforms in 2025, up from 51% in 2024.
More than half, 52%, had sold something online in the previous 12 months, while 60% said they bought second-hand to stretch their budgets.
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