This is always an ongoing discussion in my forums, discussion groups, and from my clients. I personally have sales any time of day, any day of week. I don’t see any patterns. There is a report circulating that supposedly has some “scientific” (and I use that term loosely) information about end times. Too many variables exist to prove anything about the best time to end an eBay auction. eBay isn’t cut and dry, black or white. It is all very gray. There are all different buyers using eBay at all different times of day, in every time zone around the world. You’ve got different factors motivating people to buy - did they just get a paycheck? Is it the end of the month when money is tight? Are people getting their tax refunds? Is a gift-giving holiday coming up? Is a new season starting?

I think the timing issue becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy - a self-proclaimed expert may say, “The best time to end your listings is ABC day at XYZ time.” After reading the "expert's" information, a huge number of people time their listings to end at ABC day at XYZ time - and viola - suddenly you have a huge number of auctions ending at that time. Sellers were influenced by something they read and tried to make their auctions “fit” into a specific timeframe.

I have heard that the airing time of certain TV programs can affect eBay buying. I disagree with that theory. Auction sniping porgrams give buyers the flexibility to be away from their computer when auctions end. Buyers are using these programs more and more because some are free, others are very low cost for the convenience they offer, and these programs are much more efficient at submitting the bid than a human clicking a mouse. Not everyone in every eBaying country around the world is glued to their TV to watch American Idol or Desperate Housewives. I know plenty of people who never or rarely watch tv - myself included. With inventions like TiVo, DVR, and TV programs on DVDs, viewers aren’t required to be in front of their TV at a certain time to watch a program. They can record programs and watch them anytime they want.

My theory is that you list when it is convenient for you, and use the scheduling feature if you feel strongly about when to end your listings. The important factor is getting your item out there on eBay so that buyers can see it. If buyers can't see your item, they can't buy it.

Learn more about ebay selling by visiting my blog, and my eBay selling website.