Advertising Your Yard or Garage Sale
 Naturally, the more people who stop at your sale, the better chance you have at selling your stuff! Having a successful garage sale is not hard. Follow these easy steps for yard sale success!
Advertise Prior To The Sale:
Use Craigslist.org to advertise your garage sale. Now, you might think about putting up a garage sale ad, but you can take that one step further. Post specific, higher valued items with a photograph, but put on the ad that it will only be available to purchase at your sale. Post a separate ad for each item for greater exposure. Once the customers are at your sale, you might be able to sell the something else as well.
Post often. If you are using Craigslist.org, post a general ad about your sale, the location and times 7 & 3 days prior to the sale, and again on each morning of the sale.
Use pre-sale signs. Put some signs out on nearby major intersections with a few details about the sale. Keep it very simple like the one below.
Use the newspaper. Although the newspaper’s return on investment gets lower each year, it might be worth it to spend a few bucks to get the word out to anyone still looking.
Using Signs:
Use easy to read signs! A brown cardboard sign written on with a fine point sharpie marker is NOT easy to read. Try to find white or brightly colored cardboard or poster board and write with a 5/8” chisel tip marker. These jumbo markers are less than $5 at most office supply stores. Good signage is the most important thing you can do for a successful garage sale!
USE ARROWS! Don’t put an address on your signs! Most people can’t visualize an address. Use arrows to guide them at EVERY intersection in your neighborhood. If they need to go straight, tell them.
Be consistent. Whatever kind of sign you use, use it everywhere. Shoppers will recognize your signs if they all look the same. One clever idea for directionals (arrow signs) are yellow Styrofoam plates. Tape them to light poles with just an arrow.
During The Sale:
Smile! These are paying customers you are talking to!
Set up a bargain table where everything is under $5. Shoppers will naturally check these “Specials” out.
Put the good stuff out. When shoppers are driving by, they are trying to see if there is anything worth buying before they get out of the vehicle. Put the good stuff out front like bicycles, furniture, some electronics, and large tools.
No Adult Clothing. Although baby clothes sell well, you’re wasting valuable table space with adult clothes.
Sell Food & Drinks! Shoppers jumping from one sale to another will appreciate a can of soda for $.75. If you’re having a REALLY big sale, or a multi-family sale, fire up the grill! Even if you don’t sell many hot dogs, the grill is exciting and will draw attention to the sale.
Tag EVERYTHING. You will lose sales if they have to bother asking how much something is. If you really don’t know what to price something at, tag it with a “Make Me An Offer” tag.
It doesn’t take much to have a successful garage sale. Keep things simple and take the time to do it right. You efforts before and during the sale will pay off with cash!
Links:
Garage Sale Professional Blog
Garage Sale Hunter
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