Ikea, the multinational corporation dealing in ready-to-assemble furniture, announced to make its Buy Back & Resell program permanent in its 37 US stores from April 2022 following a pilot study last summer.

The company said it would offer the service only to personally-used Ikea furniture, which is fully assembled and functional and would not accept modified or tweaked items. The returnable items include sideboards, multimedia furniture, dining tables, office drawer cabinets, desk and chairs, small tables, bookcases, cabinets, and stools without upholstery.

The service does not apply to non-Ikea-branded products, sofas, home furnishing accessories, leather products, beds, lighting fixtures, mattresses, and called back Ikea products.

The company said it would inspect each item for its age, condition and functionality at participating stores. If it passes the muster, then customers will receive a store credit. Ikea said all "gently used" items for resale will be available in the "as is" section in stores at discounted prices.

In the UK and Ireland, the furniture seller already has a buyback service offer as part of its sustainability efforts. Customers can receive a store credit worth up to 50 per cent of the original price by trading in gently used Ikea products in "excellent condition". Meanwhile, items in "very good" condition can earn credit up to 40 per cent of the original price and items "well used" get 30 per cent.

The initiative is part of Ikea's efforts to become a "circular" business by 2030. The company's target is to help the business produce products that are 100 per cent made with recycled, refurbished, remanufactured, and reused materials.