Auction website eBay has launched a new service making it easier for small businesses to trade online.
Until now, it has only been possible for an individual to register with the site, but under the new scheme small firms can input full company and payment details in order to sell their products.
eBay.co.uk claims that the changes make it cheaper and easier for small firms to establish an online presence without the need for their own website.
The new service is the latest in a range of measures aimed at encouraging entrepreneurs to use the site as a marketplace for promoting goods and services.
Azita Qadri, from ebay, said: "Several thousand small businesses are using ebay.co.uk to sell their surplus stock and release cash into their business.
"Small businesses can set up to sell online with next to no set-up costs. They don't have to spend money marketing their own site, because a third of the UK's internet population visits ebay.co.uk every month bringing them the buyers they need."
The website has become a global phenomenon in recent years. Around 135 million users around the world currently use the service - 10 million in the UK alone.
A stream of wannabe entrepreneurs have already given up their day jobs in favour of full time work auctioning off products.
