When is the right day to start an auction and how long should it last? I presumed every eBay members has a different opinion in answering this question.  So my answer is a just another one of the opinions which I would like to share with you.

Based on my ongoing learning and experience, I think the best time to post an auction is on a Thursday starting at 8 p.m.

[Note: I noticed that sometimes when I list an auction, it took about 1-2 hours to actually see the auction run live on eBay.  So, probably it’s best to start it one to two hours earlier than 8 p.m.]

So, start at around 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday and let the auction run for 3 days.  You read it right, three days!  Some might be asking, why 3 days? Why not 1, 5, or 10 days?? Well, it is all up to you actually but it should be rationalize to the type of items you are selling as well as your pricing strategy.

I think most of the bidders (maybe 90%) don’t like to wait.  So, they will only be interested in and bid for items which auction that is going to end soon.  Taking this ‘common sense’ in mind, it is good to run the auction for 3 days as it will have the advantage over other sellers selling similar items.  Our auction is scheduled to end on Sunday night which is the time where most people like to login and bid on eBay.  Sunday night is normally eBay’s biggest night for bidders!

If a potential buyer finds your auction ending within 1 day and another seller’s auction ending in 5 days, who do you think she/he is going to bid from?  If she wants it badly, it is almost sure that she is going to bid from you.

[Tips: Monday to Thursday is normally a typical day on eBay.  People are home from work and simply browse through the site for items, just for fun (and research) without any much intention to buy them.]

[More Tips: Depending on the items that you are selling, for example if you think that the item you are selling will definitely fetch much higher price and you think that for that to happen you need to provide longer time for potential biddings, then it is BEST to start your auction on Friday at 8 p.m. and let it run for 10 days.  In this way, your auction will run through 2 full weekends enabling more exposure.]