DEAR Massi, it has been four years since I married my husband and ebay! My husband is constantly on ebay. He will wake up and the first thing he will ask for is his mobile so he can do his ebay searches and see messages etc.

Once he is downstairs, he will go straight on the laptop and be straight on ebay doing exactly the same as he had done 10 minutes earlier on his mobile.

When we were newly married and didn’t have a computer, he had his phone and went on it every night for hours. I would hate him going on it as I didn’t get any attention, and would fall asleep whilst he was still searching. Now he has the laptop, he will stay on it until 4, or sometimes 5 in the morning.

He comes home from work, or outside, and will go straight to the laptop, or take it off me and go on to ebay. I am seriously fed up as I don’t get any quality time.

What should I do?

MASSI says, finding yourself in a threesome with your spouse and their phone, or blackberry, is an extremely common problem these days.

Your husband may need to check ebay regularly, but you should still be able to enjoy some periods where the phone and laptop is set aside, or turned off. It is natural to feel frustrated and irritated, but it also important to get your voice heard effectively.

Address this issue with your husband, without voicing it as a criticism.

Accusing your husband of being married to ebay will only make him defensive. Explain to him that your time spent with him is valuable, and that you look forward to it.

Suggest designating a time when you both turn off your phones, so you can focus on each other and enjoy your time together. A gentle approach may prove to be more effective.