• by December 5, 2005

'Tis the season for buying stuff for other people. But selling stuff online knows no season. The online marketplace is always open. In fact, according to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, some 17 percent of online adults, or about 25 million Americans, have used the Web to sell things.

The Pew study found that on a typical day 2 percent of Internet users sell something online--collectibles, cars, wedding dresses, books, DVDs, everything...

The survey found that 23 percent of Internet users who go online daily sell things online, compared with 9 percent of those who go online several times a week. Naturally, consumers with always-on broadband connections are more likely to sell stuff online: Some 22 percent of home broadband users, 23 percent of work broadband users, and 30 percent of those with broadband at both home and work sell things online, compared with just 13 percent of dial-up users.

About 23 percent of Internet users who have been online six years or longer say they sell things online, compared with 11 percent of those who have been online for four to five years, 5 percent of those online two to three years, and less than 1 percent of neophytes who have been online a year or less.

Some 20 percent of men with Web access sell things online, compared with 14 percent of online women. About 21 percent of those who have Internet access and live in households that have an annual income of $50,000 or above sell things online, compared with 13 percent of the wired individuals who live in households that have an annual income below $30,000.

White and English-speaking Hispanic Internet users are more likely than African-American Internet users to sell things online. While 19 percent of online Caucasians and 17 percent of English-speaking Hispanics with Web access say they sell things online, just 6 percent of wired African-American users report the same.

Online classifieds and online auction sites are popular ways to sell things online. According to Pew, more than one in five Internet users have used online auctions or classifieds to either buy, research, or sell items. Pew found that 22 percent of online adults, or about 32 million Americans, have used online classified ads for selling items or for other activities.

Online classified ad sites as a whole had more than 26 million unique visitors in September 2005, an increase of 80 percent from the previous September, according to comScore Media Metrix. Not surprisingly, Craigslist sites were the most popular classified sites, drawing close to 9 million unique visitors that month.

The Pew findings come from a nationally representative telephone survey of 2,251 American adults (age 18 and older), including 1,577 Internet users, between Sept. 14 and Oct. 13, 2005.