6 Places DIY Pros Are Finding IKEA’s Best Resale Deals (It’s Not Just Facebook!)

Surprise, surprise: Tariffs are affecting just about every aspect of American life. And when it comes to sourcing pieces and design elements from your home, this can prove to be an extra difficult time. So many beloved decor brands come from overseas, and if you’ve been in the market for fresh furniture or you’re trying to upgrade what you currently have, it can feel pretty cost-prohibitive to buy new.

Enter an old favorite: IKEA. Many experts and DIYers love the Swedish brand for its affordability, and the fact that they make streamlined pieces that are practically begging for a DIY upgrade. And buying those affordable pieces secondhand can save you even more. You’ll avoid tariffs, knock a hefty sum off of the original price tag since it’s used, and, of course, you can feel good knowing that you are designing your home the environmentally friendly way.

If you’re interested in sourcing secondhand IKEA pieces for your future projects, read on. I tapped DIY experts to explain the best ways to find high-quality used pieces and which IKEA designs stand the test of time.

When you’re searching for secondhand IKEA online, there’s a trick to getting the best results.

“Set your location [on Facebook Marketplace] to the nearest college town,” says Rachel Mae Smith, DIY expert and founder of The Crafted Life. College students are usually the first to dump new-like quality pieces in the rush of their moves. You might have to travel farther to get your treasures, but the selection will be better.

Additionally, make sure to vary your keywords. “Look for vague search terms like “cabinet” or “wardrobe” as well as the specific item name ‘PAX wardrobe,’” Smith suggests. “Not all sellers will remember the IKEA item name, so you might have to sift through other listings to find exactly what you’re looking for.”

Here are a few places worth perusing if you’re looking for secondhand IKEA pieces.

Facebook Marketplace is like a real-life treasure hunt; you never know what you’re going to get, and that can be half the fun, or make up half the stress. If you’re looking for a specific item, you can set up alerts by keywords, and Facebook will notify you if anything is posted. 

Craigslist is an oldie but goodie. The benefit to using it is that you can communicate with the seller through a hidden email until you’re ready to actually make the purchase. That means you can always bow out if something feels a little suspicious. 

These are often found on Facebook. Join a Buy Nothing group located close to your neighborhood to see what’s for grabs or what you can trade your own personal items with. 

Going in person can be a lot of work, but if you have a thrift store near you, it could be worth checking out if you have your eye on a certain item. Don’t forget that clearance warehouses like Goodwill’s “Bins” are an option, too.

The IKEA as-is section is online and in-store, and usually sells slightly defective or recently returned items “as is.” You can score savings over 50% if you’re lucky.

IKEA also has its own buyback program, where shoppers can fill out a questionnaire to get a quote estimate, and then bring fully assembled pieces back to participating stores for instant payment.

The buyback program is different from returning an item during a return period for a full refund. In the buyback program, you can “recycle” your item that’s way past the return window for a future IKEA store credit, worth up to 50% of the original amount you paid. Factors like the condition of the item will be under consideration for the amount of credit you receive for each item.

“Those items are then resold in IKEA’s As-Is section, with a view to promote sustainability by extending the life of products,” explains Melina Manasse, interior designer at MKubed Designs. “Consumers can then reserve gently used products online, with pick-up available at participating stores.”

Of course, the only downside to an IKEA-run resell platform is that prices will be fixed.

The benefit of shopping on eBay is that items can usually be shipped to you. However, it could be at a large cost depending on where you’re sourcing from.

Jasmine Gurney, DIY expert and home renovator, shares her top picks for IKEA items that are great to purchase secondhand for your DIY projects.

The KALLAX is a great unit to look out for because it’s so common and is typically in rotation in spaces such as apartments and dorms. “They can be turned into practically anything from bed bases to storage benches, to media units and fitted wardrobes. A quick hack with new legs or trim can completely elevate them,” Gurney says.

To get you started, peek through these 19 brilliant KALLAX hacks.

Gurney calls the MALM dresser a blank canvas. “Their clean lines make them perfect for paint, hardware swaps, shaker style framing or fluted overlays,” she says. “They instantly go from basic flatpack to bespoke furniture with very little effort.”

An extra benefit of buying these used: They’re no longer made by IKEA (though the STORKLINTA dresser is a close match), so the only way to get your hands on one is on the secondhand market. Check out this IKEA MALM hack to get an idea of just what you can do with this versatile dresser.

“I call HEMNES the ‘posh’ dresser,” Gurney explains. “It’s solid wood, so it sands back beautifully and feels more premium, even secondhand. You can strip, stain, or paint it and it’ll last for years, which makes it one of my absolute IKEA favorites to upcycle.”

Need more evidence? Scroll through these 16 clever HEMNES hacks.

IKEA’s classic BILLY bookshelves are endlessly versatile and easy to rework into benches, wardrobes, or built-ins. (For more inspo, check out these brilliant hacks for BILLY bookcases.)

The IVAR line gets Gurney’s vote because of the construction. “It’s solid pine, and usually under $100 each, but I don’t see them often enough, so if you see one, grab it,” Gurney says. “You can sand these, stain them, or paint it easily for a real wood, fitted look on a budget.”

Here, you can see 14 IVAR hacks that will work for any room in your home.

Gurney says TROFAST units are perfect for children’s rooms like this one, since they’re also made of real wood. They’re not only sturdy; they’re also easy to paint and stain in any color of your choosing. (And TROFAST works for other purposes, too, like sorting laundry.)