Advertisement

The little-known hack to get cheap IKEA furniture

IKEA is giving old furniture a second life and shoppers the opportunity to replace it at a low cost with a buy-back scheme to stop it going to landfill.

If customers are feeling their furniture has become a little drab, the homewares giant will buy it back and give shoppers an IKEA refund card to spend in store.

The scheme is part of the company's commitment to becoming more sustainable, with IKEA revealing a number of environmental initiatives ahead of World Environment Day on June 5.

People who take old furniture to any IKEA Australia store at any time will have it assessed by a worker before being quoted the buy-back price.

However, there are only certain items that are eligible.

People walk into an IKEA store.
IKEA's buy-back scheme is giving furniture a second life. Source: Getty

What WON'T be accepted:

  • 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)

  • Kitchen furnishings including bench tops, cabinets and fronts

  • Modular wardrobes and accessories

  • Electrical appliances

  • Children’s and baby products (such as cots, mattresses and change tables).

What WILL be accepted:

  • items that are structurally sound and safe

  • are in resalable condition

  • are of acceptable quality and fit for the purpose the products are or were advertised for

  • Are owned by you and not carrying any hidden debts or security interests

  • match our descriptions of the products and have not be modified from their original state

  • meet the promises we make or propose to make about performance, condition and quality of the products.

New research from IKEA Australia released on Friday found that 85 per cent of people were concerned about climate change and three in five believe action needs to be taken immediately the lessen the impact.

Over the past year, IKEA claims it had introduced 30 sustainability-focused initiatives, including the buy-back scheme and an Australia-first clean energy storage initiative.

It has also been a year since the company launched its home solar range.

In the past 12 months alone, IKEA has been able to give a second life to 178 tonnes of furniture that was returned by customers and potentially diverted from landfill.

Furniture in the showroom of an Ikea store.
IKEA has launched a number of sustainable initiatives in the past year. Source: Getty

IKEA Australia Country Sustainability Manager Melisa Hamilton said in a statement the company had an ambition to inspire a billion people around the world to live more sustainably.

"We are continuing to transform what we do and how we do it as we work to become climate positive, and create a positive social impact across the IKEA value chain and communities we operate in," she said.

“While sustainability has always been deeply embedded in IKEA’s DNA, we recognise there is still a way to go to meet our goals and drive collective action for environmental, social and economic sustainability with government, businesses and the public."

The research, forming part of IKEA Australia’s Annual Sustainability Report, found nine in 10 Australians thought businesses could do more the reduce emissions.

IKEA said it was committed to delivering on the expectations of customers by supporting people to do their bit in their own homes to reduce waste, water and energy.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.