Vintage view: Selling goods at auction and online

It’s really handy to sell old furniture yourself from home or online, but beware the pitfalls. Selling through a dealer or though auction can put you at a safer remove for a small commission.

We all have a gang of aged trespassers holding up valuable space at home: that obese, Victorian mahogany wardrobe with the missing plinth and mousy smell to the lining; that fragile and redundant Noritake tea-set, sitting open-mouthed on the bookcase, swallowing every gulp of dust. The relationship is over.

The first, stolen glance that made your heart jig and your wallet flower — a distant memory. Shake off the inertia that’s keeping these lost loves at your side. There are several options.