When is the best time to list items you think may be of interest to homeschoolers?  Just about any time!  It's true that many homeschooling families do a lot of shopping during late summer and early fall, getting ready for a new non-school year.  But not all homeschooling families follow a traditional September-to-May type of school year calendar.  The inherent flexibility of homeschooling includes the flexibility to add or change materials at any time during the year.  So when do homeschoolers shop for educational materials?

Late Summer:  Families are getting ready to start new programs, new grade levels, new activities.  Some families are just starting their homeschooling adventure and are shopping for materials for the first time.

Fall:  Families continue to look for items to enhance their current curriculum, replace materials that aren't working as well as expected, and fill in needs they weren't able to find or afford earlier.

Before Christmas:  Many homeschooling families buy educational materials such as games, kits, art supplies, and books to give as holiday gifts.

After Christmas:  Like many families, homeschoolers may have gift money to spend after the holidays.  They may also be looking for new materials to use during the spring semester.  Some are also getting ready for spring activities such as science fairs, spelling bees, and other academic competitions.

Spring:  Some homeschooling families find they need more materials to finish out the non-school year.  Others are planning ahead for summer projects and travel.

Summer:  Some homeschooling families continue educational projects and activities over the summer and continue to look for new materials.  And, many more are planning ahead for what they'll need in the fall.

Before specific holidays and occasions:  Some homeschooling families use holidays, world events, and other occasions in their learning activities.  They might be looking for Thanksgiving-related materials in the fall, government and civics materials before an election, or thematically-related materials before any big event or anniversary.  Sometimes their curriculum plans change after an event and they'll be looking for related materials after a famous person dies, a political change happens, or a major discovery is made.

Year round:  Homeschoolers will buy good materials at a good price any time during the year.  They often buy ahead - buying materials when they find them, even if they won't be using them for several months (or even years).

There may be a larger pool of potential buyers for homeschooling materials listed at specific times during the year.  But there may also be less competition from other sellers for materials listed at other times.  There's no need to save all of your homeschooling materials until August - think about what might be the optimal time to list the specific items you have, and don't hesitate to list them throughout the year.

I'm a homeschooling mother of two.  My kids homeschooled since birth and are now both college students . . . so I have a bit of experience with buying (and selling) homeschooling materials.