eBay UK said it expects the highest number of new listings on its site on January 17, with 2.3 million items expected to be listed that day alone.

The site is helping boost listings that day by running a promotion: private sellers who list items in an eligible category using the Auction-style format on eBay.co.uk on January 17, will not pay Insertion Fees. Interestingly, eBay is excluding items listed using professional tools, such as Turbo Lister - see website for details.

According to a press release posted on Wednesday, "The number of savvy sellers going online to list unwanted items is expected to peak on Sunday 17th January, just before "Blue Monday" - the day of the year when the nation's purse strings are at their tightest, with the first post-Christmas pay day still a week away."

eBay said it is expecting 5 million visitors to ebay.co.uk on Sunday, with items most likely to be listed including clothing and accessories, followed by jewelry, watches, and books. Wednesday's press release offered tips on selling, and also linked to a YouTube video featuring advice from an eBay seller. Some statistics published in the release include the following:

• A mobile phone sells every 16 seconds on the site, for an average price of £39.56
• An iPod goes for an average of £63.49, and one sells every minute on the site
• The average laptop sells for £116.38, and one sells every 60 seconds
• Printers sell every four minutes, for an average of £47.33
• Saucepans sell for an average of £17.62
• A kitchen appliance sells every 2 minutes, for an average of £53.14
• An item of women’s clothing sells every 3 seconds, for an average of £9.39
• The average price of a pair of shoes is £13.11

eBay's video presentation of tips can be viewed on YouTube.