Ikea tests online buy-back in Iberia
Ikea to pilot online buyback service for secondhand furniture
Wednesday, 7 October 2026
Photo by Dan Burton on Unsplash
Warm-up
- Have you ever sold or bought a used item online?
- What furniture brand names do you know?
- What makes a good secondhand deal for you?
Vocabulary
- voucher
- a piece of paper or code you can use like money in a shop
- secondhand
- not new; owned or used by someone before
- marketplace
- a website or app where people buy and sell items
- launch
- to start a new product, service, or event
- membership
- being part of a group or programme with benefits
- fee
- money you pay for a service
- delivery
- taking goods to a buyer’s home or another place
- predict
- to say what you think will happen in the future
Reading
Listen to this story
American EnglishIkea will test an online buy-back service for unwanted secondhand furniture. The pilot runs in Spain and Portugal before the end of December. If the trial is successful, the company will launch it in the UK. Ikea already offers buy-back in stores in the UK, where customers get a voucher for old items.
At the same time, Ikea is launching a secondhand online marketplace in the UK this week. Shoppers with the free membership can list and buy Ikea pieces locally. At first it is free to use, but a buyer protection fee of about 5% will be added later. Buyers and sellers arrange delivery themselves.
Ikea predicts pre-owned homewares could reach 16% of the UK market next year. To help sales, the site gives pre-filled descriptions and price ideas. If you choose payment as an Ikea gift card, you get 15% extra. Greg Lucas, a sustainability manager, said secondhand shopping is now mainstream.
Comprehension
- Where will Ikea test the online buy-back service first?
- What do UK store customers get for old items under buy-back?
- When will the buyer protection fee apply on the marketplace?
- What share of the UK homewares market could pre-owned reach next year?
- How much extra can a seller get if paid by Ikea gift card?
Grammar focus
Zero conditional
Use the zero conditional for general facts and rules: If + present simple, present simple. It tells what always happens when a condition is true. (Examples constructed.)
- If you list an Ikea chair, buyers contact you.
- If a pilot is successful, the company launches it.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence with the correct present simple form.
- If you (choose) ___ gift card payment, you get 15% extra.
- If shoppers (have) ___ membership, they list pieces locally.
- If the test (succeed) ___, the company expands buy-back.
- If sellers (add) ___ photos, buyers trust the listing more.
- If it (be) ___ free to use, more people join.
Discussion
- Would you buy secondhand furniture online? Why or why not?
- What helps you trust a seller on a marketplace?
- Is a 5% buyer protection fee fair? Why or why not?
- What items are good to buy secondhand in your country?
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