Great Ways to Advertise Your Yard Sale

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I’m in the process of packing for a cross-country move. By the time I was three boxes in, I was committed to making sure that I had to move as little as possible, so I scheduled a yard sale. I’m in a particularly tough location to rely on people driving by and stopping to shop — I live on a dead end with no through traffic. So I went into advertising mode. (See also: How to Have a Successful Garage Sale)

Depending on the details of your yard sale, you may want to tweak your advertising plans to make sure that you’re getting the information in front of people who are actually likely to buy. These options target a general audience, but if you’ll be selling something very specific that you know a certain type of person will be interested in, like supplies for a certain hobby, reach out directly to that audience, such as by emailing the local groups that practice that hobby.

Your Social Networks

I know that my friends have a lot of the same interests I do, so when I decided to hold a yard sale, my first step was to set up a public Facebook event and invite all of my friends in the area. I listed some of the items that I thought they’d all be interested in and got a huge response. In fact, I got a few requests from out-of-state from people who saw something on the list and were willing to pay to have me ship something their way!

Of course, you can take your advertising offline and tell your social groups in person. Making a point of mentioning your garage sale at work and at social events can have a similar impact.

Put Up Signs

It’s tried and true — putting up signs in your neighborhood will always help bring shoppers to your yard sale. I put up signs from the closest high traffic route straight up to my house, with arrows at each turn. Make sure your signs are big enough to be easily read from a distance. A single sheet of paper probably won’t cut it — invest in some poster board and think big.

Advertise in the Classifieds

There are plenty of places that you can advertise your garage sale inexpensively or even for free. Personally, I rely on Craigslist because it’s free and easy to post to. But local newspapers and newsletters will often let you publish a classified ad for only a few dollars. You do have to plan these ads further out — at a minimum, you’ll probably need to place your ad a week before your yard sale.

The Yard Sale Sites

There are some devoted yard sale shoppers out there, and they follow certain sites closely, particularly because they include listings of local yard sales. Yard Sale Search and Garage Sales Tracker are good places to start.

Community Bulletin Boards and Newsletters

In your area, there are probably plenty of different opportunities to connect with your neighbors — the library or church or grocery store down the street may have a community bulletin board that you can post to. The neighborhood or community association may have a newsletter where you can send out updates. It’s just a matter of getting your yard sale listed.

Be Creative

You can do as much or as little advertising as you’d like for your yard sale. Doing a little more, of course, increases the chances that you’ll sell everything you’d like to. If you’re not sure if you’ve reached enough people through these advertising options, get creative. It’s just a matter of telling as many people as you possibly can.