Gone are the days of placing an ad in the local shop window or trailing down to the auction house. Caroline Cooke discovers the best ways to sell your wares

EBay

EBay is still the most popular way to advertise your goods online and furniture selling is no exception. Buyers can search local listings for bulky items such as furniture and the choice is generally vast.

Why? Sellers fix the auction length, so if you want rid of your sofa in a few days, put it up for a three-day auction, stating that the winner must collect by a certain date. Expect to fetch around £100 for a sofa in good second-hand condition.

Why not? The sheer vastness of the site can mean hot competition for more common goods, so if you set a reserve price, keep it realistic.

How to: Registering is easy on www.ebay.co.uk. All you need is a digital photo of your item and list the details as you are taken through a series of questions. Then sit back and let the bidding begin.

Loot

The famous yellow paper has made its way online, and the site is definitely worth a look. It offers a smaller selection of items (22 items come up for a search for sofas), which could mean good news for a seller as there's less competition.

Why? The site has a handy mileage counter, so your buyers can see what's available for sale from one mile through to 25 miles from home.

Why not? The biggest downside is time wasters. If you are not honest in your description you could find buyers turning you down on collection. Most ads lack information compared with eBay and only three of the 22 sofas listed had a picture.

How to: Register online at www.loot.com or call 08700 43 43 43. Take a good photo so the sofa looks its best and set a realistic price - remember a bargain will get snapped up immediately. Include a thorough description of history, price when new, and anything else about condition, colour, care labels and delivery.

Freecycle

Nicknamed FreeBay (free eBay), Freecycle is a classified ads website which is free to join and offers unwanted items that members are free to collect.

Why? No money changes hands so there are some great freebies to be had and it's a quick and easy way to recycle unwanted goods. You can find a good home for most items of furniture within a few hours of your ad appearing.

Why not? Okay, there's no money to be made, but if you need to dispose of something quickly, this is the most rewarding way to do it. You'll get a kick out of recycling waste such as clothes, furniture and appliances, keeping them out of landfills.

How to: Choose your nearest group from within the county list and post an e-mail on www.freecycling.org.

ibootsale.co.uk

This is one to watch - a cross between eBay and a car boot sale, operating online. You post your own table-top sale on the site with a list of 25 or more items. You set the price for each item just like a car boot sale and state the postage cost on top. Buyers are invited to haggle over the price, only if you want them to.

Why? It's good for sellers wishing to control the asking price, and you get to seal the deal quickly, unlike eBay where buyers can get sucked into a bidding war.

Why not? Its stock is small at the moment, which might put-off potential buyers. A quick search for sofas returned only four items.

How to: Log onto www.ibootsale.co.uk and register for free.

Car booting

Still a fun Sunday morning pastime, car boot sales traditionally run from April through until October, when the months are dryer and warmer, but some undercover sales operate all year round.

Why? You get to be master of ceremony and running your own stall can be fun and rewarding. Regulars get to know one another and it's a great way to get rid of stuff from the attic. Often, it's the rubbish that sells above the nicer things you have for sale.

Why not? Don't expect to make a great deal of money. Car booters are really only there for a bargain. If you want to sell furniture, clearly state the price, offer a local delivery option that afternoon to seal a deal and give as much detail as you can about the piece.

How to: Get your car loaded up the night before ready for an early start. To find your nearest car boot, log onto www.carbootjunction.com for over 600 nationally listed sales and other useful bits of information.