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Step 1
Search eBay closed auctions for the item you are going to list. Sort your search results from high to low, so you can see the most successful listings first. Check to see what day of the week, and at what time, the auctions that did the best closed. This will vary depending on the items you are selling. It may also change from one television season to the next. Popular TV shows can, and do, effect the number of people at eBay on a given night.
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Step 2
Decide how many days you want to run your auctions for. Your choices are 3,5,7 or 10 days. Some people feel that a 3 day auction makes the most sense since many items do not get bids until near the end. Running your auction for 3 days means that bidders do not have to wait long to buy your item. Choosing 10 days costs you extra. Auctions that run 3, 5 and 7 days are all the same price. Many sellers opt for 7 day auctions. This provides maximum exposure without costing additional fees.
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Step 3
Do the math to determine when you need to start your auction to have it close on the day that you decided was best for the item you are listing. This is another reason 7 day auctions are popular; it keeps it simple. With a 7 day auction whichever day you start it on, is also the day that it ends.
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Step 4
Consider all of the time zones when picking an auction start time. Again, the time you choose to start it is the time that it ends. For most items, you want to pick a time that ensures that bidders living in all time zones are home from work, but no time zone is already in bed when your auction ends.
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Step 5
Think about who you are selling to. Decide who you think your target market is, and choose a time that would be best for them. Say for example you are selling an item that you think a stay at home mom would be interested in. In this case, rather than closing your auction in the evening after work, you might decide it would be better to have the auction end in the early afternoon.
