It's the biggest market place in the world. Whether you want to buy a football programme or a football team , a book, a bike or a brothel, eBay's the place to do it. The entire world is your market place - without leaving your computer.

In the eight years since it was launched, the Internet auction site has changed the face of selling. Someone once even sold his soul on eBay. Memory says it didn't earn very much.

There was a bucket of water that went for £255, a fiver that went for £7 and a 1,500-ton ferry that sold for just under $400. The brothel raised around £100,000.

On any given day there are more than 16 million items listed on eBay across 27,000 categories, most of them a bit more mundane - but no less desirable.

Whatever you've got to sell, the chances are that someone out there wants it. If you're looking for something, someone in the world will have it - and is probably selling it on eBay.

HOW IT WORKS

Sellers advertise what they have to sell. There's usually a picture and a starting price - sometimes a reserve - and a time limit of just over a week.

(There are also some eBay shops and chances to buy things instantly.)

Buyers merely put in their bids. As the final hours and minutes of the auction approach, bidding can get swift and frantic.

The highest bid at the very second the auction closes, gets it. Payment can be made in a variety of ways, through secure credit cards systems or by cheque.

There are a number of safeguards built into the system. Every time a deal is completed both buyer and seller complete a feedback form rating each other. Whenever anyone's name comes up you can see how many transactions they've made on the site and read their references.

BUT...

Although there are safeguards, a dispute process and some comeback, eBay is not like a traditional auction house. It has no idea of whether items are genuine or not and merely acts as a go-between for buyer and seller. It's as safe as they can make it but the site bristles with warnings: 'caveat emptor' - buyer beware. Think sensibly.

WHAT'S ON IT

With 16 million items, there's just about anything you want. But in a totally random search we found:

l The football team Dynamo Kebab, as featured on Radio 1, offering themselves up for a charity match

l A Newcastle United signed shirt for £127

l A Jacobean oak refectory table for £570

l Brand new Praktika binoculars £60

l Christian Dior denim mini skirt £30

l A Triumph thong £1

l An MG Midget for £1,400

l A stretch limo £21,600

l Burberry scarf £29.99

l Mermaid Barbie £3.20

l A 1959 Broons Annual £205.

WHO USES IT

All ages and types from all over the world, many with their own specialities.

John and Lynn Briggs of Darlington have been selling on eBay since 1998, which makes them one of the best established traders.

"We had all these toys that had been my father's just rolling round the boot of the car, making a rattle," says Lynn. They sold them on eBay and a new interest was born. They specialise in toys from the 60s: "Toys we all had and we broke or that our mothers threw out, and now, we miss them."

They scour car boot sales and charity shops, collecting, repairing and renovating toys before selling them on eBay, probably to the generation who loved them first time round.

Roisin Robertson from Durham started a year ago selling china. "I have my own particular favourites that I collect, but I often had to buy job lots just to get one particular plate. I ended up with a terrific stock of china filling up my garage that I didn't want so started selling it on eBay just to get rid of it. Some of it went for a pound or so, but some other pieces have gone really well.

"Now I find I'm looking for things to sell on. I'm not making a fortune yet, but it certainly subsidises my own collecting habit."

ADVICE FOR eBAY VIRGINS

Buying:

1. Take your time. Don't rush into action but watch and wait and see how things go before you join in.

2. Read the descriptions carefully and make sure they really are what you want.

3. Decide on your maximum bid and stick to it.

4. Don't put a bid in too soon - you'll only push the price up.

5. Don't get into a bidding war. You could end up spending a lot more than you can afford. And the chances are that whatever you want, there'll be another one along soon.

6. Don't put in too many bids at once. It's easy to get carried away. And if your bid is the winner then you are committed to buying. A section on eBay keeps a tab of your total bids. Make sure you look at it regularly - it could stop you in your tracks.

7. Pay promptly. You need to maintain your good eBay rating.

Selling:

1. Make your descriptions absolutely honest. If something has a fault or a scratch, say so. People will still buy it. "Mint" is the most overused - and inaccurate - word.

2. Use pictures. People want to see what they're getting.

3. Set your opening bid at the lowest price you're happy with. You don't want to be unrealistic but you don't want to give your things away.

4. Don't put too many conditions on buyers about how you will or will not accept payment - only puts them off.

5. Once an item's been bought, pack it carefully and deliver it promptly.