What Does IKEA Do With Returned Furniture?

IKEA is best known for its stylish and affordable furnishings, and perhaps its food court, but there are a couple of other lesser-known aspects of the brand that also make its stores worth visiting. Their generous return policy is definitely one of them. Most new and unopened items can be returned up to 365 days after purchase, and you can get a refund for all sorts of opened products if you return them within 180 days, too. There are a few exceptions, of course, such as house plants and custom countertops. But in most cases, all you need to do is go to the store's returns and exchanges area with your receipt, a photo ID, and of course, the item you want refunded. 

But you might be wondering what happens to all of these items that go back to the big blue-and-yellow warehouse? The answer varies significantly depending on the type of return and the condition of the product. Items that customers return undamaged and unopened may go back on the shelf for immediate resale. Furnishings that have already been assembled or were otherwise pre-owned are sometimes inspected and repaired, and then sent to the as-is section of the store, where they are sold again at a discounted price. This section is often near the registers in the warehouse area. In a scenario where the returned product is truly unusable, it's either recycled or thrown out. This is at least easy for buyers; figuring out how to dispose of furniture can admittedly be quite a hassle.

There's a second way in which IKEA furniture can make its way back to the retailer, and that's via the brand's buyback and resell service. If you have old IKEA furniture that you want to get rid of, but that's still potentially usable, participating IKEA stores will sometimes purchase it from you in exchange for store credit. Those who want to take advantage of this program first have to fill out a form online to get an initial quote for their furniture. Once they have the quote in hand, they can take their furniture back to the store. It'll receive a final price assessment after an in-person inspection, and the credit will be granted in the form of a refund card. If you've got one of these, it's time to shop all the new IKEA finds worth checking out this year.

The furniture that goes back to IKEA in this manner usually goes to the aforementioned as-is section of the store. Other shoppers can pick it up there at a discounted rate and give it a new life in their home. If IKEA decides that the furniture can't be sold again, they unfortunately won't give any store credit for it. However, they'll offer to recycle it instead. 

Interestingly, IKEA will sometimes save small spare parts from the products that are about to be recycled, so that they have them on hand in case customers ask for replacement components. Even if you're repairing discontinued furniture or vintage IKEA pieces that are now collector's items, there's a chance the brand can help.