Shoppers on Thanksgiving Day are increasingly relying on their mobile devices for holiday shopping, according to data released today by eBay Inc. The online marketplace says that the value of purchases made through its mobile shopping app by U.S. consumers more than doubled from Thanksgiving Day 2010; eBay gave no dollar figures.

Mobile payments through eBay’s PalPay arm increased 511% compared with last year; that figure includes PayPal purchases made around the world. Meanwhile, U.S. mobiles sales made through retailers served by eBay’s GSI Commerce unit increased 345% compared with last year’s Thanksgiving Day.

“Across eBay, PayPal and our GSI retail customers, we saw mobile shopping surge on Thanksgiving evening as people showed a clear preference to shop on their own terms from anywhere at any time,” says Steve Yankovich, vice president, mobile, for eBay. “Mobile is one of the many ways that eBay Inc. is enabling a new retail, changing the ways consumers shop and pay, and finding the gifts and goods they want at the right price.”

EBay also reported the following:

• The busiest hour Thursday for purchases made through eBay Mobile was between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Pacific time (or 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern time).

• Excluding vehicles, the most popular product categories for eBay mobile sales yesterday, as measured by purchase amount, were clothing, shoes and accessories; computers and related gear; sporting goods; jewelry and watches; and mobile phones and related equipment.

• By items sold, the most active cities for eBay mobile shopping yesterday were: New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami.