As the cost of living continues to soar, Britons are looking for additional ways to boost their bank balances.

Many people are continuing to struggle financially as inflation rates are set to rise from 5.5 per cent to 7.25 per cent by spring with energy, petrol and food prices continuing to creep up.

However, there is a way households can easily make money – and they won’t have to look to far.

One of the best ways consumers can bump up their funds is by selling their old items, according to eBay.

By doing so, people can make hundreds of pounds from clearing out a variety of household pieces.

To find what were the most popular items, data analysts at Wholesale Clearance UK conducted research to find eBay’s top-grossing categories and brands of the last year.

The top-grossing products are items that made the most money from sales overall in that category.

Below, are the top 16 items sold on eBay and the most money made from a one-off purchase in each category.

Watches

Watches were the most profitable item sold on eBay in the past year with £249.4m grossed from the sales of 5.7 million items between February 2021 and the same month this year.

Of that, £43.6m was grossed from Rolex sales alone. These watches were sold for an average price of £51 and 81 percent of these were sold as new.

However, the top grossing product overall was the Apple Watch Series 6.

Meanwhile, the most profitable was a Audemars Piguet Jumbo Perpetual Calendar Royal Oak Watch that sold for £261,138.87

Bikes

It’s no secret that most of the nation got into at-home fitness during the pandemic and the second-highest grossing category, “Sports, Hobbies & Leisure”, reflects that – with £209.9m made from the sales of nearly five million bikes.

Selling at an average of £41.79 per bike, 90 per cent of these were classed as “new”, showing that the marketplace is a popular place to buy and sell new fitness equipment.

The top grossing product overall was the RoadHog E-Bike which usually retails for hundreds of pounds.

However, the most expensive bike sold was a Bianchi Oltre Xr4 model at £14,352.

Fabric

Meanwhile, with the championing of sustainability and independent retailers, as well as many people creating and selling clothes as a hobby, fabric was the third highest-grossing product on eBay – fetching £197.3m in sales across 11.6 million orders.

A roll of fabric sells for an average price of £17.01, with 92 per cent of rolls sold classed as ‘new’.

The top grossing product was Silky Satin Dress Fabric but the most expensive sale was a roll of Pierre Frey Silk Fabric at £1,891.61

Tables

The “Home and Garden” category became even more popular during the pandemic with the majority of homeowners investing in their gardens last year.

This reportedly caused garden furniture prices to rise by 155 per cent – as well as resulting in a global shortage.

It also seems many entrepreneurial Brits took to eBay to cash in, with £168.8million made from the sales of just over four million tables.

A Rattan Corner Sofa was the top grossing product whilst the priciest item was a Mark Stoddart Bronze Hippo Coffee Table sold for £15,888.82.

Women’s dresses

Women’s dresses generated £84.1m from nearly seven million sales at an average price of £12.45, with just over half in new condition.

The top grossing product was a Joules Women Jessica Short Sleeve Dress whilst the priciest sold was a Elisa Cavaletti Dress for £8,433.72.

Dumbbells

Also in the Sports, Hobbies & Leisure category, the sixth-highest ranking product was dumbbells – with £75.8m grossed from the sale of 146,467 orders.

With gyms closed for months at a time – and operating at limited capacity due to restrictions when they did reopen – consumers were forced to invest in at-home fitness equipment, resulting in a global shortage.

Yet, for those who did get their hands on dumbbells, the average reselling price was £51.76 – making them a profitable investment.

Hex Dumbbells were the top grossing whilst the most expensive sold were a Jordan Dumbbell Set for £3,651.66.

DVDs

Media and electronics also featured in the top 10, with DVDs generating 6.8 million sales totalling £65.6m.

The 2021 James Bond film, No Time To Die, was the top grossing.

Headphones

Headphones are becoming increasingly more high tech – and expensive.

However, even tech from a couple of years ago can still be high valuable as sellers on eBay found out with headphone sales reaching £63.7m from 2.1 million purchases.

Apple Air Pods were the most popular whilst a preowned pair of Abyss Planar Magnetic headphones sold for £3,768.15.

Men’s T-shirts

Men’s t-shirts made £42m from 3.7 million individual sales at an average price of £11.13, with 84 per cent “new”.

Fruit of the Loom t-shirts saw the most interest whilst the priciest sold was a Louis Vuitton Floating Lv Printed Tshirt at a massive £6,269.17.

Women’s boots

The sale of 1.7million pairs of women’s boots grossed £41.9million, selling for £24.66 on average, 71 percent of which were ‘new’.

The most expensive item sold was a pair of Black Gucci Wimbledon Thigh High Boots which were bought for £1,585.10.

Coins

A 2021 Silver Britannia 1oz Silver Bullion Coin was the most commonly sold product whilst a 2 Pound Coin 1807 Abolition Of The Slave Trade from 2007 sold for £64,879.35.

Rugs

The most expensive rug sold over the last year was a Vintage Arts And Crafts Rug Designed By Gavin Morton which cost one buyer £10,611.68.

Electric Guitars

The Fender American Professional II Telecaster 3 was the most popular guitar sold but the most expensive was a Gibson Les Paul Guitar Used Owned Played By John Miles Music. This was bought for £65,126.76.

Vinyl Records

In recent times, there has been a resurgence in vinyl players and record sales.

Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours was the most commonly sold vinyl record while a One-Off Coldplay Champion Of The World 7-Inch Vinyl sold for £11,608.89.

Desktop PC

Unsurprisingly, many people were trying to get cash for their old computers.

The top grossing desktop was a Intel Quad Core Gaming PC Bundle with Windows 10 while a Gaming Pc Asus Zenith Ii Extreme sold for £15,551.89.

Office Chairs

As more people moved to working from home, purchases of office equipment rose steadily.

Unbranded computer and gaming chairs made up the bulk of sales whilst the most expensive items bought were Fully Restored Ralph Lauren Cigar Brown Leather Dining Chairs for £12,619.88.