It’s a truth universally acknowledged that you can’t go into an Ikea and come out with just one thing. We’ve all been there: you only pop in for a bookshelf, but before you know it, it’s three hours later and you’re the lucky owner of two chairs, a fetching throw, several scented pillar candles, three enormous cushions, a bottle of GLӦGG and a kitchen gadget you never knew you needed. 

But, what happens next time you want to go back and your house is already full of BILLY bookcases and LACK side tables? Fortunately for us all, Ikea seems to have wised up to its unsavoury reputation as a retailer of throwaway goods and is now fighting for a more sustainable image. 

Ikea’s “Second Chance” project buys unwanted goods

Accordingly, all 53 Ikea stores in Germany are now taking part in its “Second Chance” project, a scheme that ensures that unwanted furniture can continue to be used by other people. You can now sell your used goods back to Ikea, who will then resell them at discounted prices in their “treasure trove”. 

On the Ikea Germany website, you can find the Second Chance (Zweite Chance) portal, which contains a catalogue of over 1.000 products eligible for the buyback scheme. The list includes only Ikea original furniture, and focuses on particularly popular products such as dining tables, chairs, chests of drawers, coffee tables and side tables to increase the chances of resale. Products not listed in this directory cannot be resold. 

How does the scheme work?

To sell your unwanted items, you can submit a request via Ikea’s Second Chance portal. Only items that have been looked after will be eligible for resale, although a little bit of wear and tear is perfectly acceptable. The item’s overall condition will be used by Ikea to calculate a price offer, ranging from 30 to 50 percent of the original purchase price. 

Once you’ve completed the online steps and accepted the offer, you can bring your item into your local Ikea store to be checked over and exchanged for a voucher that can be spent in-store. We only hope it’s valid for the meatballs…