Oxford-based charity Oxfam is moving with the times to launch Britain's first online charity shop with an initial 50,000 items going on sale.

The charity, now based in Cowley, hopes the new venture will generate £2m a year to support its work fighting poverty and suffering.

The online operation, launched on Friday, will run alongside traditional sales in the high street - and stores in Wallingford and Thame are the first two in the county to take part.

Volunteer Mike Holms-Sharp, 52, from Thame, has been uploading items on to the website at the town's specialist bookshop for the past three months. He said: "It's been fascinating work and I now realise there is an awful lot to learn about bookselling in terms of pricing and how to market the books.

"Up until now, collectable books have been on sale through eBay or other auction sites but this is the first time they have been made available online through our own system.

"We get some amazing books donated and now customers can look at some of them on the website."

Oxfam's online shop at www.oxfam.org.uk/shop features donated items - including clothes, books, music, household goods and collector's items such as stamps and coins. It will also feature more than 100 new Fair Trade goods.

The charity's director Barbara Stocking said: "Oxfam has pioneered in ethical shopping since opening its first shop selling donated items.

"At a time when how we buy is at the forefront of people's minds, Oxfam's online shop gives people a real way to buy more ethically.

"This is the one website where customers will know that all their purchases will directly support Oxfam working with people in poverty across the world.

"They can reach out to others by choosing from a fantastic range of re-used, recycled and Fair Trade goods."

Specialist online volunteers have selected and uploaded the items for sale, which will be sold at fixed prices, and will continue to add new items to the site every day.

More Oxfam shops will be taking part over the next few months so that 120,000 donated items will be on sale online by spring 2008.

Some of the items on sale online include designer clothes by Armani and Diesel, while collectable books include a signed Thomas the Tank Engine annual and a first edition of Oscar's Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest.

With online sales expected to make up at least 17 per cent of the UK's retail market by the end of the year, Oxfam is hoping to tap into the growing trend and raise more funds for its work by getting the best price for its items.

Selling donated items online has already shown its potential - in the last financial year, the charity raised £300,000 by selling on eBay and Abe Books.