Is Your IKEA Out Of Stock? When Does IKEA Restock Their Inventory?

It’s no secret that IKEA is feeling the crunch from the global supply shortage and it’s gonna last for a while. So you may notice that your local IKEA is out of stock on some pieces of furniture or even home décor items. This begs the questions when does IKEA restock their inventory and can you shop on specific days of the week to get “first dibs” on items before they’re out of stock yet again.

When it comes to understanding when IKEA restocks, the short answer is “it depends”.

The long answer is a little more complicated and depends on the size and popularity of the item.

Let’s break it all down and make some sense of IKEA’s supply issues.

IKEA Restocks Large Items Every 5-7 Days

When it comes to large furniture items like desks, bookshelves, couches, beds, etc., IKEA restocks these items about once a week.

But the problem recently is that they can’t replenish stock if they don’t physically have it.

And due to supply holdups and lack of truck drivers some popular IKEA items take weeks to restock.

This is especially true for home office desks, chairs, and furniture as the demand has soared in the past year as more people are working from home.

Also, while many aren’t currently working form home, they are setting up a home office just in case they need to in the future.

PRO TIP: IN-STOCK NOTIFICATION HACKS

The tip here is to add high-demand products to your shopping list and mark them as favorites.

Many customers have reported receiving updates about restocks for favorited items faster than others.

Also, some notifications for favorites will highlight nearby stores that receive stock first.

If your local IKEA doesn’t have it yet, the system often suggests another location where the item is already available. Win-win.

See Also: 6 IKEA Shopping Hacks That’ll Save You BIG Money

Small Stuff Gets Restocked Every 1-2 Days

Smaller items like lamps, storage products, kitchen stuff, and home décor are restocked every day or two, or when bins are empty.

But obviously restocking can only happen if IKEA has stock available, which is often a problem on more popular items.

The same can be said for “smart home” electronics sold at IKEA.

New stock of electronics arrives at the IKEA warehouse every couple days and is stocked as inventory levels grow low.

It’s been my experience that electronics at IKEA are not seeing the same shortages as the more popular bookshelves, desks, and furniture.

PRO TIP: THE IKEA APP IS BETTER THAN THEIR WEBSITE

The IKEA app provides much quicker updates on item availability compared to their website.

So download the app and enable push notifications so you know when stuff is back-in-stock.

Follow these 5 steps within the app to make it happen:

1. Go to Settings – Profile.

2. Turn on notifications for restock alerts or favorites.

3. Search for the product you want, and select it to see the stock status for your preferred store.

4. If it’s out of stock, you’ll see an option like “Notify Me When Available” or “Check Back Soon”

5. Tap the heart icon to add it to your Favorites and get notified when it’s back in stock.

Shop the As-Is Section on Mondays

Most IKEA stores stock the As-Is section as items are returned to the warehouse.

According to Apartment Therapy, always shop the As-Is section on Mondays as you’ll get first dibs on weekend returns which is when most people return items.

If you’re not familiar, the As-Is section is stuffed with clearance deals on things that people have returned.

Some items may be damaged, half-built, or have a scratch, but they are ALWAYS a great deal and a great way to save money.

See Also: IKEA Return Policy: We Answer All Your Questions

How To Check If Something is In-Stock

IKEA has a cool little feature on their website called Product Stock Availability that lets you look on the product page to see if your local IKEA stocks a particular product.

You’ll quickly learn if the item is either available, out-of-stock, or low in-stock.

If the IKEA product is out of stock, you can create a SMS text alert or email alert and get notified immediately when it’s back in stock which is really handy.

See the screenshot above to see what this feature looks like.

3 Things To Do If Item is Out of Stock at IKEA:

1. Check Online – Often times the IKEA website will stock smaller items more frequently then your local warehouse. You stand a good chance of buying it online and having it sent directly to your house.

2. Check a Different IKEA – If you live in a large metroplex, often times a nearby IKEA will have vastly different stock. They just might have the item in-stock that you’re looking for.

3. Get a Text Message or Email When Item is Back In-Stock – Easily sign up for this feature on the particular IKEA product page of the item that’s out-of-stock.

Ask the Reader: Have you noticed a lot stuff being out of stock at IKEA? What’s your best tactic to finding the IKEA products you’re looking to buy?

By Kyle James

Photo credit to: Karl Baron

Kyle James

I founded Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save money at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)