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It’s a familiar scene in homes across the nation: attics, storage cupboards, cubby holes and garages, all brimming over with unwanted clutter that the owners can’t bear to part with because they ‘might need it one day’. It’s time to face up to the reality that this day may never come and in the meantime those boxes of treasures are gathering dust when they could in fact be making money and freeing up useful space around the house.

In days gone by, car boot sales would have been just the place to sell off unused belongings while making a few pounds in the process. Now the task of freeing up space and boosting your bank balance is made even easier by the popularity of the internet and the various websites dedicated to advertising and selling anything and everything from antiques and bric-a-brac to cars, cd‘s and even houses.

The recent economic climate has done little to enhance the bank balances of the some 60 million residents of Britain and future predictions do little to instill one with faith. The cost of living looks set to rise further, but just because the economy is on a downturn needn’t mean your bank balance has to be as well. Selling surplus goods or even renting a property online is as easy as 1-2-3 and could save you both time and money.

When considering online selling the first thing to think about is where to advertise your goods. Be sure to use a popular website so your items for sale are viewed by the largest possible audience - the more people to see your items the increased likelihood of actually making a sale. Certain companies run print publications to compliment their websites and this is a clever way to maximise exposure of whatever you’re selling.

Some websites will charge you to advertise your goods whilst others are free of charge and some will even distribute your advertisements across a network of nationwide specialist websites at no extra cost, so a little research into where to advertise your knick-knacks could greatly increase the probability of sales and profit.

Remember, some websites also offer regional subsections to advertise your goods within and there are even websites for specific local areas, so if you're looking for classifieds in London, for example, it's possible to narrow your search down to that specific instruction and browse by city, or even my Borough and in some cases postcode. This is particularly handy if you are selling larger items such as cars or furniture as buyers may not want to travel a long distance to view potential purchases or collect their new buys.

Another top tip is to check local websites for pricing information of similar products. You want to ensure your items for sale are competitively priced so check other sellers items as a guide and set your own prices accordingly.

Isla Campbell writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.