Tips for a Successful Yard Sale: Advertising and Signs

Advertising:

-Be sure to place a sign at the end of your street, and at the end of other streets in your neighborhood. Also, post some signs on main roads outside your neighborhood.

-Post flyers for your yardsale on bulletin boards in your community. Some places you can post these include civic centers, grocery stores, laundry mats, etc.

-About a week ahead of time, be sure to tell your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and fellow church members about your yard sale. Tell them the kinds of things you'll have and encourage them to tell people they know.

-Post about your yardsale on your blog. If you have friends and family who you may not talk to on a regular basis, but they read your blog, this will be a great way to get the word out to them. You may even have blog followers who'd be interested in purchasing items from you that don't sell at your yard sale.

-Place an adveritsement in the newspaper. Be sure that you list some specific items in the ad. Some things that will bring the people in are baby clothes and baby toys/items, children's clothes, furniture, toys, and antiques. You may also want to specifically list big items such as a couch or table and chairs, and you may want to list the clothing sizes that you'll be selling.

-Depending on what you're selling, you may want to contact local shop owners or flea market booth owners. My parents used to sell a lot of antiques, and they'd have a lot of antique dealers and flea market dealers come and buy a lot of stuff.

Advertising Sign Tips:

-If you are having a 2-Day yardsale, you should make 2 different signs, one that says, "Friday & Saturday," and another that just says "Saturday." At the end of the day on Friday, you can take down your Friday & Saturday sign, and replace it with your "Saturday Only" sign. "Why?" You ask. If someone drives by on Saturday morning and sees your yardsale sign, they will be more likely to stop if your sign says "Saturday Only." If they see that the sign says, "Friday & Saturday," they may assume that all your best stuff was already sold on Friday and they'll go on to another sale.

-Be sure that your sign is sturdy enough to withstand winds without bending or blowing away. Cardboard is a good material to use or you could something sturdy from the craft store. Also, be sure that your writing is large and dark enough to see.

-Do not let kids help make the sign.

-Keep your sign simple and neat, and be sure that the writing is legible. Also, have one person make your signs to be sure that handwriting on the signs is the same. This way when people see all the signs you have out, there will be no doubt that they are advertising the same sale.

-After your sale is over, be sure to go back and get your signs. Many places have laws requiring you to take them up after a certain amount of time. Also, if you have a good sign and are planning to keep it, you'll want to get it before someone steals it. (Yes, it's hard to believe, but if it is a good sign, there is a chance that someone will take it.)

Coming Up: Display Tips, Things To Sale, and Misc Tips

-Jerri