Call it what you will: Pre-loved, gently used, recycled, vintage, or just plain old, it's never been easier to find and buy (or trade) used stuff. And while there are lots of great sites that help us reuse instead of trash our no-longer-wantables, the biggest player has been - and will likely continue to be eBay. Who hasn't bought or sold on this great, easy-to-use site? I have done both and I've found some great stuff (and gotten rid of some great stuff), from the comfort of my own home.

Just a year ago, eBay formed the Green Team, with the aim to show that the "greenest product is often the one the that already exists," which is, when you think about it, incredibly true. No matter how green the production process, no matter how short the shipping distance, no matter how recyclable, a new product is always using new energy, and one that already exists is better for the planet.

And while this is pretty eco friendly shopping and selling as-is, eBay has gotten even more serious about green with their newly-lauched green hub, which makes it easier than ever to go green on eBay.

"Products featured on the new hub align encourage consumers to follow three simple guidelines when shopping green:

-choosing items that are pre-owned, vintage or refurbished

-checking whether an item is made from sustainable materials

-choosing energy and other resource saving products

In addition to this new hub site, the Ebay Green Team has launched a new challenge that "encourages consumers to pledge to be green – in return, eBay in partnership with Team Earth will protect an acre of rainforest in their name." The good news is that 20,000 people have already signed up for the challenge, with many more to come as the program expands and more people join.

And if if saving acres of rainforest (AKA the "Lungs of the Earth") isn't enough motivation to make the green pledge,  eBay is also ponying up $10,000 to be won by one lucky person among those who sign up for the program.