Furniture giant and unofficial sponsor of every share house ever IKEA has just announced a furniture buy-back scheme, so I guess it’s time to redecorate your room.
The new program works out well for both buyers and sellers, with the brand buying back your old flat-packs in return for gift vouchers, then selling the second hand goodies for a cheaper price. Everybody wins.
Basically, you can return old, fully-assembled furniture such as chairs and tables, then use your fancy new gift voucher to buy new stuff. Honestly, it sounds like an excuse to redecorate your whole house every two weeks.
All of the returned goodies will get added to the ‘As Is’ section of the store, aka the treasure trove of slightly-damaged goods that you can snap up for a few bucks.
The programme is being rolled out nationally this week after a year-long trial at Sydney’s Tempe Store saw 1,600 items returned.
“The reception for the buy-back scheme in Tempe has been so positive. To see this service now being offered to IKEA customers nationally, and maybe one day all around the world, is incredible and beyond what I could have imagined,” IKEA Sales Manager David Hawthorn said.
This scheme sounds like it’s just solved every young adult’s moving woes. Most of the time, you sell or donate furniture because it doesn’t fit your new place or new aesthetic, but it’s usually still in good nick. This can often result in you making no cashola off your pre-loved goods. But now you can trade ’em in for a glorious IKEA voucher to spend entirely on those delicious $1 hotdogs.
Now, you’re not going to make a profit off the scheme, with Fabian Moodley telling 9 News he returned a $119 chair for a $30 voucher during the trial.
“That’s something that is really cool – some people get to enjoy things I’ve already loved and pre-owned,” he said.
IKEA introduced the programme as part of their ethical goal of being 100% climate positive by 2030. The program keeps excess, perfectly good furniture out of landfill while allowing people to snap up a bargain.
According to IKEA, the programme looks to save 15,000 pieces of furniture from landfill.
“This initiative is actually about IKEA trying to work with our customers to tackle the problem we have with unsustainable consumption,” IKEA spokesperson Renea Robson said.
The initiative excludes:
• Non-IKEA products
• Home furnishing accessories including Lighting and Textiles
Add on units, and componentry
• Products that have been used outside including outdoor furniture
• Mattresses & Bed Textiles (such as Blankets and Mattress toppers)
• Kitchens including bench tops, cabinets and fronts
• Modular Wardrobes and accessories
• Electrical Appliances
• Children’s and Baby products (such as cots, mattresses and change tables)
But other than those exclusions, you’re in the clear as long as your product is structurally sound, not modified and in resalable condition.
