What is a yard sale without traffic? Spring cleaning. You are just airing out your stuff if people are not coming by and buying. So, how do you increase your traffic? Well, if you are on a major highway, you put out a sign or two on a couple of corners. Done. If you live tucked away in a neighborhood, your work is harder.
Signage is your friend just like rubber bands and tags. Put a sign at every entrance and at every turn. Make your signs look alike so they will follow YOUR signs and not stop at the person down the street before they get to you. You can use balloons, curly ribbon or just the same color paint on each one so they know that they are still following the right direction.
If you put directions on the sign, make them BIG enough to read at 50 yards away so that someone driving by with a line of traffic behind them can read it quickly. Use arrows too! BIG ones.
Do not forget to put these important items on your sign:
- YARD SALE!
- Address
- Day & Time
- Directions (optional)
- What you are selling (optional)
- Whether or not you accept early birds (optional)
Now, how do you make your signs and keep them in place. That is a little trickier. I use foam board (bought on sale at Michaels for $0.99 each) and can get two signs out of each sheet. Then, use those wire frames from the old political yard signs and stick the foam board down on it. You can also use packaging tape to put poster board over those political signs. A yard stick or wood scrap attached with a screw or two through foam board also works but take a hammer with you to tap your it into the dirt.
I do not recommend taping signs to poles or traffic signs because the wind blows them around making it difficult to read and this can even be illegal in some areas. Check any rules for your area (including your neighborhood’s association rules) and abide within those guidelines to keep your neighbors happy.
A cardboard box weighed with a brick or even a brown paper bag with a weight in it and stapled shut can work. I recommend attaching a piece of neon poster board to it so it can be spotted easily. Just do not make the poster board so big that the wind will blow your bag over or make sure that you have something to keep your bag firm.
Now, let me talk to you about how to write on your signs. I know that you can write but think BIG. Not with a ball point pen either but with a fat black marker. Letters in big, bold blue paint. Dark colors on your signs work best. Choose a pastel and set it out a day or two early and then the sun fades it to nothing. Go dark, big and fat! When you are driving into your neighborhood, make a mental note of how far back you can read it. If you cannot see it, other people will not see it either.
Since I mentioned it above, let me explain something. Place the main signs out a couple of days before your sale to let people know what is coming. Then, the night before or on the morning of the sale at the crack of dawn, put a sign at each corner.
Now, should you place an advertisement in the classifieds of your local newspaper? If you have tons of a particular item (baby clothes, sporting goods or other items related to each other) or have big items such as furniture, YES. If you just have a hodge-podge of miscellaneous stuff, NO. If you live tucked away off the main road, YES. If you live in a high traffic area, NO… unless you have the a lot of specialty items as mentioned above. If you have multiple families participating, YES. Big sales draw big crowds if they know where you are.
How much does it cost? For three lines and three days in the Mobile Press Register, you can expect to pay about $25. If you know the rates for your area (outside of Mobile, Alabama) please post them in the comments section to help our readers. If there are multiple families participating in your sale, you can split the cost and that makes it more affordable. Just remember to put all the information in your ad that you would put on your signs. (I forgot to put the day one time, had placed the ad online and had to call them for a correction!) Do not say “Miscellaneous.” Those ads are a dime a dozen and not worth the expense because everyone knows you will have miscellaneous stuff. That is just the nature of a yard sale.
Utilize other advertising too like Facebook. Use your status to tell people about your sale and ask them to spread the word. You can even create a free event page for your yard sale and ask your friends to invite their friends using the “share” button. You could try Craigslist but it might get lost in the mix.
Just get the word out there. You want traffic and lots of it. If you have people, you will have sales!
, I receive a small commission but will not know what you purchased and it will cost you nothing extra. You can even use your gift cards. Thank you for supporting our family.)
