The secret way to score discounted IKEA furniture – and no, it's not Facebook Marketplace

We're letting you in on a little secret to bag a bargain for your IKEA favourites – and hear us out, it's not through the typical trawl of scouring through Facebook Marketplace or eBay. Shocking, right? In fact, it's sitting right at the heart of the flat-pack hero themselves: their circular hub.

IKEA hacks don't just end with upcycling and DIYing the cult classics, but they also include scoring a bargain or two, both in their summer sale and beyond it – and considering that IKEA is already synonymous with affordable, who are we to say no to yet another budget decorating idea?

IKEA Circular Hub

Okay, so while it might not be a secret per se – considering it's signposted in-store – nine times out of ten, we guarantee you've completely missed it during your IKEA trip. We sure have, we'll tell you that much.

We first mentioned the IKEA Circular Hub in IKEA's Buyback & Resell offer that ran earlier this year, which encouraged customers to trade in and recycle their old IKEA pieces. Although that specific Buyback offer might not be active anymore, the circular hub is still very much available to use, whether it be to trade in your own pieces, or to find your own discounted gems.

The circular hub, both online and in-store, is where IKEA keep a special selection of products that just failed to make the cut of being 'perfect' – whether it's because of the smallest imperfection, having previously been a floor product, or is a customer return.

Although they may not be brand-spanking-new, IKEA still deems these products 'perfectly good' and undeserving to be thrown away, so they offer these pieces at discounted prices in hopes to give them a second lease on life.

In fact, IKEA is so confident in these items that they even offer the same guarantees on them as their new counterparts – with the exception of appliances, which will only have a one-year guarantee.

The selection of items in the circular hub varies from store to store, but you can check online to see what's in stock at your local store before popping in. To give you even more peace of mind, you can even reserve your selected items online for up to 48 hours before picking them up at your selected store.

Here are just a couple of our picks from IKEA's Hammersmith branch to give you an idea of what you have a chance of snagging.

KALLAX Shelving Unit, White Stained Oak Effect | was £32.00 now £21.00 at IKEA Circular Hub

Hang it on the wall or stand it on the floor – the cult KALLAX series adapts to your needs and can be personalised with inserts and boxes.

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MALM Chest of 3 Drawers, Black-Brown | was £70.00 now £45.50 at IKEA Circular Hub

A classic in any home as a bedroom storage idea, in particular, these smooth-running drawers are sure to be a staple you'll thank yourself for.

VIKHAMMER Bedside Table, White | was £70.00 now £49.00 at IKEA Circular Hub

This simple bedside table will inspire you to want to declutter your bedside table regularly to maintain its clean, minimalist look.

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Of course, just like any pre-loved service, it's sometimes a hit or miss and stock will always vary. However, it's a service definitely worth checking out before choosing to buy new straight away – who knows, you might surprise yourself with a sweet deal.