If you own unwanted items that are saleable, why not make some money from them? Selling goods on eBay is not free - you pay a small upfront fee on goods with a reserve or starting price above 99p, plus commission of up to 9 per cent on completion (see details here) - but the site gives you access to a wide market.

Here is Times Money's guide to making a sale:

1 Register and set up as a seller

Follow these links to register with the website and set up as a seller. Note that you will also need to register with PayPal before you list your first item for sale. Where a buyer chooses to pay via the service - rather than by cheque, say - you will be charged commission of up to 3.4 per cent plus 20p per transaction.

2 Create effective listings

EBay has a detailed user guide to creating effective listings here. It is important to write a good product title and description and to upload a decent photograph. Extra images can be inserted for a fee - worthwhile on higher-value collectibles.

Many new or recent items such as books, CDs and mobile phones are listed in eBay's product catalogue. You can choose to use pre-filled information and a stock photo for these listings to save time, although you must add details of condition.

If you are listing antiques or collectibles, detail may be key to securing a sale. So list things like the maker and date of an item wherever possible. If it is one of a limited edition, say so. And be creative. Listing the stars photographed in an old copy of Picture Post magazine, for instance, could bring their fans to your sale.

3 Set a smart price

Many sellers list a majority of their items with a low starting price of 99p to encourage bidding and with a higher reserve if they do not want to risk something going for a song. There are various guides to pricing strategy online. Here, for example.

4 Offer top-notch service

If you do not offer great customer service, you could be subject to negative feedback from buyers. This will hit your seller rating and could ward off potential sales. It is vital that items arrive on-time, as described and at a reasonable cost in postage - and that you are available to answer any enquiries promptly on email.

5 Pay tax

You may have to pay income tax on eBay sales if you qualify as a trader. This is unlikely where you occasionally sell items not originally bought for resale. See the Revenue's guide.

NOTE: Other options

eBay offers sellers a vast marketplace, but there may be better places to sell certain items. For example, Amazon Marketplace may get you more clicks if you are listing books or CDs, and Gumtree.com is commission-free. Meanwhile, quality antiques and collectibles may fetch more in a salesroom - especially in a specialist sale that attracts wealthy collectors.

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