Traders who buy goods in charity shops to sell on at a profit on the internet are being beaten at their own game.

St Catherine's Hospice has set up a centre in Chorley selling donated goods on the internet auction house eBay to raise vital funds.

The online sales are being co-ordinated from above the charity's book shop in Chapel Street.

Maureen Nickson, appeals manager, said: "We found as a charity we have such good quality donations from the general public that we get a lot of traders coming in to our shops buying to sell on eBay.

"So we thought, 'hang on a minute, we should be doing this'."

St Catherine's Hospice, which runs nine charity shops across the area, began by selling books to build up its reputation, measured by its 'eBay feedback score' which buyers leave after a sale and shows how reliable a trader is to deal with.

Now it is moving on to bigger things.

The Lostock Hall-based charity has already sold a 1970s Kirby vacuum cleaner for £375, and a Nintendo video game console to a purchaser in Italy.

Two months ago, the charity employed someone to co-ordinate their internet sales, but as they are leaving, they are currently looking for someone to take over.

"Online shopping has become so popular," said Mrs Nickson.

"As a charity we have to keep up with the times and technology.

"By selling on eBay we are trying to reach more people and raise awareness, as well as much needed funds." One in six people in the UK are now registered with eBay and the company has 168million users worldwide.

In 2004 trading worth more than £2.1billion was done through the UK site.

Mrs Nickson said that all items are now screened for their suitability for selling on the internet before being placed in the charity's shops across Preston, South Ribble, and Chorley.

St Catherine's Hospice, which provides free palliative care to adults, costs £3million a year to run, and has to raise £2m from donations.

Besides its charity shops, it also runs a weekly lottery and holds several fundraising events throughout the year.