While the Trade Me app is hardly new, it is an app I've found many people don't even think about let alone install. Yet with Trade Me becoming increasingly popular as more than just a place to get rid of the old lawnmower cluttering up the garage, it really is a must-have for your smartphone.

Available on iOS and Android, once installed and set up the app provides a nice, neat little home screen with icons for everything you could possibly need to run your account, whether selling or buying.

The number of current transactions is posted beneath each icon, giving you an instant update-at-a-glance of all sales and purchases.

A simple tap allows you to drill down as far as you want into a seller's transactions or a buyer's history, and to keep on top of your account.

In fact, all of the features of the online Trade Me experience are present as are all the normal filter options.

After using the app for a couple of months to both buy and sell, I now no longer use the normal website at all. It is much easier to keep an eye on my auctions from my phone and deal instantly with any wins or offers. As a seller I can keep a close watch on how my auctions are doing and judge what, if anything, I need to do next.

Having said that, the real beauty of the app comes when buying. Because I can manage everything with a tap of the screen, from anywhere, at any time, my auction success rate has improved and payment and delivery issues are now a thing of the past.

One thing you should prepare yourself for, however, is the increased intensity when it comes to bidding wars. It can be easy to forget you are on a train or bus when after ten intense minutes of bidding, you finally beat MinnieMouse-235 to that coveted pair of plastic ears.

Whether it's a pair of shoes or the latest gaming console you're trying to get your hands on, try moving away from your computer to your phone to follow the action. You won't be disappointed.

You can download the Trade Me app for iPhone by going here, and for Android by going here.