IKEA Chest of Drawerses Resale Value

IKEA chest of drawerses: price by condition

Seller-declared grades, sterling with an approximate US dollar equivalent at £1 ≈ $1.33 (July 2026). What each grade means.

What holds its value across IKEA

• Discontinued designs with a following, which trade well above their original price because the only way to buy one now is second hand
• Solid wood ranges such as IVAR and HEMNES rather than particleboard, which survive a dismantle and rebuild intact where veneered chipboard does not
• Complete fixings and the assembly instructions, without which many pieces simply cannot be rebuilt and are worth scrap value
• Current ranges still in stores, because a buyer can price-compare against new and buy matching pieces to go with it

What pulls IKEA resale value down

• Blown or swollen particleboard, usually from a spill or a damp wall, which has no repair and will not survive being moved
• Missing cam locks and dowels, which can make an otherwise sound item unbuildable and are fiddly to source in the right size
• Items dismantled and reassembled several times, where the fixing holes have gone soft and the joints no longer pull tight
• Anything too large to move without a van, which narrows the buyer pool to people within a short drive

Identifying and dating yours

1. The range name is the searchable term — BILLY, MALM, KALLAX, POÄNG — and buyers search that rather than ‘bookcase’ or ‘shelving unit’, so it belongs in the title
2. The article number is printed on the assembly instructions and usually on a sticker on the underside or back panel, and it identifies the exact size and finish variant among several that share a range name
3. Say whether you still have the instructions and the fixings bag; the instructions are downloadable free, the fixings are not, and buyers ask about both before travelling

What lifts any chest of drawers, whatever the label

Drawer runners are the thing that fails, and buyers open every drawer before they say anything about the price.

• Solid wood with dovetailed drawer joints
• Drawers that run smoothly and sit square when closed
• Antique and mid-century pieces
• Original handles and back panel intact

And what pulls one down

• Drawers that stick, drop or fall off their runners
• Water damage to the base and back panel
• Replaced or mismatched handles
• Particleboard construction with sagging bases

Working out what yours is worth

1. Open and close every drawer fully
2. Pull one out and check the joints at the front corners
3. Photograph the top and any water marks honestly

What to state in the listing

• Height, width and depth in centimetres
• Number of drawers, and whether any are lockable or have dividers
• Material and finish — solid wood, veneer, painted or laminate
• Whether every drawer runs smoothly, and whether handles match and are all present

Lead with material, drawer count and style: “Solid Pine Chest of Drawers, 5 Drawer, Waxed” or “1960s Teak Chest of Drawers, 6 Drawer”. Drawer count is a real search term because buyers are matching a space, and the era matters for anything mid-century.

Preparing and photographing it

1. Empty every drawer and run each one in and out. Sticking runners can often be fixed with a candle rubbed along the wooden runner.
2. Check the drawer bottoms from underneath, which is where thin ply bows or drops out entirely.
3. Wipe the top. It is the surface buyers look at first and usually carries ring marks or heat damage.

1. The chest straight on with all drawers closed, in even light
2. All drawers open at staggered depths, showing they run freely
3. The inside of one drawer, showing the base and joints
4. The top surface at an angle to reveal ring marks, plus any chip, veneer lift or missing handle

When it sells best, and handing it over

Consistent demand all year with a January and late-summer lift. Solid wood pieces suitable for painting move fastest, often within a week or two.

Collection, and remove the drawers before lifting — an empty carcass is a fraction of the weight and far easier through a doorway. Tell the buyer that in advance so they bring the right vehicle, not the right optimism.

What buyers ask

Is used IKEA furniture worth selling?

Solid wood ranges and discontinued designs sell well. Particleboard that has already been moved once is usually not worth the effort.

Do I need the original fixings?

Effectively yes for flat-pack. Missing cam locks and dowels are the commonest reason a second-hand IKEA piece cannot be rebuilt.

How much is an IKEA chest of drawers worth?

Roughly £24 to £144 depending on condition, against £30 to £180 for chest of drawerses generally. The identification points above are what move a listing to the top of that range.

What the fees would take elsewhere

At the mid-range £84 for an IKEA chest of drawers, against what the commission marketplaces would deduct:

Seller-side rates verified 26 Jul 2026, percentages only — the per-order and processing charges those platforms add are excluded, so the real gap is wider.

Listing is free and there is no commission — read how to sell a chest of drawers for the title, handover and timing, or the general chest of drawers value guide if yours is not an IKEA.

See also: all IKEA value guides · value guides by brand · buying a chest of drawers · Furniture · condition grades.