Try eBay
Until last month, I was, to use common parlance, ‘out of the loop’. Although as Belinda, my 78-year-old neighbour (and a devoted bidder) pointed out: Had I been in a coma? At the last count, more than 14 million Brits buy and sell on eBay every month – effectively a fifth of the country’s population. Part of its attraction is that is has an inbuilt morality; if you offer a price for something then you are bound by it. Like an old-fashioned hand shake, your bid is your bond. The site even offers an adjudication service to settle any disputes over transactions and a member’s reliability is rated by other members.

For the most part, items range from quirky collectables like Elvis ashtrays to women’s bad wardrobe choices. You can buy almost anything, except body parts – in 1999, bids for a human kidney reached $5.7m before the site removed it. When Pierre Omidyar invented the site in 1995 I am not sure if he knew what a magnet it would become for unwanted rubbish, but as the first thing he offered for sale was a broken laser pointer that someone bought for $14.83, he might have had a clue. For those doing up a house, it is a must. So far I have successfully bid on a sink, a couple of ovens and some patio doors. It is fun, and thrilling, but best avoided after more than one glass of sherry.
Next week: Curtain raising…