The weekend, notably Sunday, Saturday to a lesser extent, when more people are off work and using their computers, is the best time to end an auction in expectation of high visitor levels and greater chance of a bidding frenzy for your listings.

I find Sunday evening, 6 pm onwards, is the optimum time for me and many other prolific UK sellers.

So, for a seven day listing, surely that means spending all weekend photographing and describing items to sell seven days hence? While other people are off work?

Not so, you can in fact work just a few days, Sunday not included, and still have all sales end Sunday at a precise time that suits you best.

This is how:

* Using Turbo Lister you can list as many items as you wish and upload to eBay at leisure, in this case round about 6pm on Sunday evening. Obviously, the more items uploaded this way, the longer it takes, and you might find uploading one thousand items, starting 6pm takes you way beyond next week's 6pm sale ending deadline. First week is unpredictable, next week start uploading earlier to meet that 6pm deadline.

* Use 3, 5, 7 or 10 day auctions according to days you list items. So if you're listing Saturday and Sunday, use 7 day auctions, they'll end next weekend. Monday and Tuesday use 5 day auctions, again ending Saturday or Sunday. Wednesday and Thursday use 3* or 10 days auctions, again for weekend finishes. Fridays don't fit the plan, and one day auctions are generally too short for all but perishable and really hot selling items. *Three day auctions aren't always a good idea either, so test carefully, or use ten day listing instead.

* The biggest bonus of all listings ending together is that you can plan your week more profitably, visiting auctions, checking suppliers, fulfilling orders, without having to be home every day answering last minute questions from last minute bidders.

NOTE: This article, written for UK readers, is equally important for eBay sellers worldwide, who sell mainly in their own country. International sellers should consider the effect international time differences may have on their listings, especially for last minute bidding. For example, 6pm in the UK is mid day to mid afternoon in most parts of America, and the middle of the night in Australia. From experience I end my auctions according to my most likely target market. So if I'm selling vintage postcards of Australia, I'd end the auction early morning in the UK (afternoon in Australia); auctions for USA postcards would end late evening in the UK, about ten o'clock, close to mid day or afternoon in America.