Thousands of homes have had a makeover during the pandemic.
While confined to our houses, as a nation we took out the paintbrushes, planned our upgrades and upcycled furniture. But what about those pieces that no longer fit into our home design or needs?
Ikea announced that it would buy back its furniture as part of its sustainability policy, but how practical is that and how much is the retailer offering for those unwanted items?
The Swedish home furnisher said: "Our buy-back and resell service is just one of the ways we're making it easier and more affordable to live more sustainably.
"We’re committed to being a fully circular business by 2030.
"When we look to improve our homes, we all need to consider how to reduce our impact on the planet. Does a piece of furniture really need replacing? Could it be given a second life?"
Selling back to IKEA has instant appeal. However, there are a few things to consider.
How the 'buy back' scheme works
The item obviously needs to be an Ikea product for a start and it has to still be in good condition and be unmodified.
Then you need to go online and get an estimate of how much the firm thinks your item is worth to them and whether they are happy to accept it. For instance, you can't bring back outside furniture, items containing glass, kitchens, PAX wardrobes or baby products.
As an example, we put in a SVARTA metal bunk bed, which we said was in good condition, so only with minor scratches. The new price for this is £179. Our offer price was £46.
However, depending upon what it is and its condition, the store says it can offer up to 50% of the original value.
You generate an estimate by ticking the terms and conditions boxes on the online estimate form, search for the item and tick its condition - 'as new', 'good' or 'well used' pick the store you'd like to return it to and the date and time you'd like to go.
Then take your clean, assembled furniture with the estimate to the store where a representative at the firm will assess the furniture and give you the final agreed value in the form of an IKEA refund card which can be spent in-store.
Your furniture will then be resold to a new home via the bargain corner department.
Of course, depending upon what you are returning you do have the issue of getting it to the store, which given our example of a fully assembled bunk bed could be a problem.
