Computer Aid and eBay offering charitable auctions

Charity Computer Aid and eBay have set up a scheme that asks sellers on the auction site to donate some or even all of the money generated by their auctions to Computer Aid.

With eBay matching any donation made, the charity said that the money will be used to ship computers to schools and hospitals in the developing world.

The items sold do not have to be computers, and sellers can sign up to have the tax on their donations reclaimed using Gift Aid. This adds an extra 28p for every pound donated.

Sellers are allowed to place an icon next to the item along with a giving bar that tells buyers how much of the money is going to charity.

The money is also used to test and make any repairs or upgrades needed to computers before they are sent off. The sale is also listed on the MissionFish and eBay Giving Works websites.

The scheme is part of a wider campaign called eBay for Charity run by not-for-profit service provider MissionFish.

Computer Aid International was started in 1998 and has sent more than 60,000 computers to 99 different countries. It will accept any computer using an Intel Pentium III or later processor.