DJ Steve joins the online auction revolution and eventually gets his sofa . . .

IT'S 10am and Wave 105 presenter Steve Power has been up since the crack of dawn, starting his show from the station's Segensworth studios at 5.30am.

You'd expect him to be slumped on a sofa exhausted - but while Steve's got sofas on his mind - an antique chesterfield to be precise - he's really buzzing.

"I've managed to get a real ox-blood red leather one and the seller's only in Portsmouth,'' he announces gleefully. "I got outbid on one last week, someone nipped in at the last and nicked it off my toes.''

Fans of Internet auctions will recognise the lingo. For the uninitiated Steve, 39, is a devotee of eBay the on-line auctioneer.

eBay has sparked an international buying and selling frenzy among people who had never previously considered going to an auction.

Those who might be intimidated by the thought of walking into a formal auction house can experience the thrill and adrenaline surge of the bidding war seated in front of their home PCs.

Lives have been changed by e-Bay. Some people have even made full time careers out of buying and selling online.

If you need something, chances are you'll find it on eBay. Last summer's fashion essential, Tesco's Chloe-style summer dress might have sold out in the stores but it could still be found, with a mark-up, on eBay.

Cherie Blair famously went online to buy a Winnie the Pooh alarm clock for Leo and some glamorous strappy sandals - Steve points out that a friend has just bought a pair of toecurlingly expensive designer shoes on eBay for a mere £7.99.

Young men and women of unblemished reputation have offered to auction their virtue, a rare Shakespeare folio went under the eBay hammer and a Vulcan bomber was recently offered with a reserve of £6,000.

Steve sounds distinctly tempted by the Vulcan, although the next thing he's really looking for is a pianola.

Not surprisingly, given his reputation for playing great music and interviewing stars on Wave 105, Steve's interest in eBay began over two years ago when he was hunting for a record for his collection.

"I've got a 1966 jukebox and there was a vinyl single I wanted for it, which I couldn't find anywhere,'' he said.

"Someone suggested eBay. I found it on there. It only cost me a pound, a lot less than I'd have paid from a record dealer.

"I began using it to buy records, mainly from the 80s up to current releases. I've just bought the original vinyl version of Elton John's Are You ready for Love? It was a hit last year but not when he first released it in 1979.

"Anyway, I was hooked. Doing it in the evenings, with a glass of red wine, I began to get braver.''

So brave that he made a winning bid of £100 for an old pub quiz machine.

"I thought 'that would be nice, I'll put it out the back and play it,''' said Steve. "Next thing, I was forking out another £100 to get it delivered all the way from Sheffield. It didn't work and it cost £75 to have it taken away.

"There's an element of risk. It's a gamble and that's part of the excitement. But you do have to be careful as there are bound to be some unscrupulous people. Now, if I'm buying anything big I try to make sure it's closer to home.

"I've sold a car on eBay and my ex girlfriend bought a motorbike. It's like an enormous online car boot sale. I've seen everything advertised from the Vulcan bomber to preserved Victorian dog's testicles. I won't be bidding for them, my dog Harry might be a bit alarmed.''

So back to the chesterfield, which might be more to Harry's liking, and which Steve has just agreed to pay £250 for.''

It is, he hopes, worn enough to be chic and not so worn that it's tatty. He says, optimistically "The vendors sound very nice.

"Having been pipped to the post last week, I sat online all afternoon yesterday watching the bids to make sure no one outbid me. I was meant to be having lunch with a friend and made them come round and sit in front of the computer instead.''

So, anyone with an unwanted pianola - that's a kind of early electronic pump action piano - it's time to pop it onto e-Bay. Steve's just about got space for one between the chesterfield, the jukebox and the vinyl collection.

Steve Power hosts the weekday morning show from 5.30am on Wave 105, as well as the Friday night Glitz Mix from 7.30pm-11pm.

He and Wave 105 colleague Mark Collins are also currently co-presenting Trainspotting on Discovery Home and Leisure, screened at 8pm on Fridays.