Ikea will 'buy back' customers' old furniture – but is it a good deal?

The new 'buy back' initiative will launch in UK stores on Tuesday 27 November and will allow customers to get up to 50% of their item's original value, depending on its condition.

Items will then be resold as second-hand in the as-is area of stores (previously known as bargain corner).

See our Ikea MoneySaving tips & hacks, including how to avoid queuing during busy times and how to 'try before you buy'.

How will the initiative work?

Customers wanting to sell back their old Ikea furniture need to fill out an online offer request. The tool will automatically generate a preliminary offer, which will be as follows:

• As new – no scratches: 50% of the original price

• Very good – minor scratches: 40% of original price

• Well-used – several scratches: 30% of original price

After being given an offer, customers will have to bring the fully assembled product and preliminary offer to the returns and exchanges desk in their nearest store.

The item will then be evaluated by a member of Ikea staff, so the customer won't be guaranteed to get the exact value of their estimated offer. The customer will be given an Ikea refund card to spend in store, which won't have an expiry date.

The following items will be eligible for the initiative – dressers, office drawer cabinets, small structures with drawers, display storage and sideboards, bookcases and shelf units, small tables, multimedia furniture, cabinets, dining tables and desks, chairs and stools without upholstery, chests of drawers, children's products excluding baby items and PAX accessories.

Ikea will sell the items it buys for a "marginally higher" price than the value of the voucher given to the customer.

Is the initiative a good deal?

The initiative may be a good deal for some sellers, as it allows you to get a return on unwanted items relatively quickly and – if you can transport the item – conveniently. Though remember the voucher you'll be offered will only be available to spend in Ikea.

It's also worth seeing if you could sell the item yourself. See our eBay Selling Tips and Facebook Selling Tips guides for some inspiration. These options may be more convenient if you want someone to pick up the item instead of you having to deliver it yourself to an Ikea store, and you could make more of a profit.

If you're looking to buy Ikea furniture, picking up a resold item will be cheaper than buying the same item new. But you may be able to find cheaper second-hand furniture by going direct to sellers online, rather than going to Ikea – so it's worth checking these options first. See Cheap Online Shopping and 41 eBay and Second-Hand Buying Tips for more information.