IT is often said that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, and the recession has meant that recycling is more in fashion than ever.

With expert timing, traditional second-hand trading has been turned on its head by St Teresa’s Hospice, in Darlington.

The charity has seen its funds soar after spotting an opportunity to peddle its wares to a wider market by running an online auction.

The St Teresa’s Hospice eBay store has raised more than £7,000 for the charity since it was launched 18 months ago.

Clothing and bric-a-brac donated by the public is placed on the website with a starting price of 99p. From there, the sky is the limit.

One item fetched £800.

At the hub of the operation is Paul Wheatley, manager of the St Teresa’s distribution centre.

From a cluttered shed in Darlington, Mr Wheatley’s trained eye unearths items with potential to be placed on eBay.

“I’ve taught myself to spot items by going to auctions for years,” he says. “Most of the time, I pick things purely because I like the look of them.”

Aided by a small team of volunteers, he sorts through piles of donations as they arrive each day.

Provided they are clean and tidy, clothes are distributed to one of the six St Teresa’s Hospice charity shops in the County Durham area, where they are priced by the shop’s manager.

Glassware, pottery, picture frames, handbags, old newspapers and kitchen utensils are all common donations. Mr Wheatley’s job is to source and authenticate rare gems.

“I research all the items that I put up for auction,” he says. “Best of all, I like to sell items many people wouldn’t normally look twice at.”

WHILE Mr Wheatley is well practised in spotting profitmaking brands such as Wedgwood and Wade, some successful sales have been down to buyers having a taste for the eclectic.

A set of three pottery bird figurines fetched an impressive figure, despite the starting price being an affordable £30.

“I spotted three bird ornaments that took my fancy. They didn’t have any markings, but I found out they were made by a German company,” he says. “They eventually fetched £800 for the set of three. That’s typical of how unpredictable selling prices will be.”

Other auction success stories include a Crombie jacket, a boxed Hornby train set and a Vivienne Westwood handbag.

“The Vivienne Westwood bag was in poor condition. It wasn’t even that nice a bag,”

he says, “but I emailed the company, confirmed it was genuine and it sold for about £200, purely because of the label.”

Despite the uncertainty of profit margins, Mr Wheatley says only one in ten items placed on eBay fails to sell.

The money the initiative raises goes straight into providing quality care at the hospice, in Woodland Road, Darlington, and towards other care services provided by charity.

Hospice chief executive Jane Bradshaw says: “Some charity shops say that eBay has stopped them making profit, but it’s actually helped us. We give people an opportunity to clear out their clutter and help a good cause.”

As if their carbon footprint wasn’t impeccable enough, St Teresa’s recycles all items that don’t to sell.

“We circulate our stock as best as possible, but end up recycling some clothing,” says Mrs Bradshaw.

The recent tightening of purse strings has meant more people are shopping second-hand than ever.

“People are buying more than they normally would,” she says. “For that reason, we encourage people to continue to kindly donate unwanted goods.”