Our family recently had a Yard Sale / Garage Sale and I thought I would share how we made our Yard Sale Signs, and give you some of our success tips, because so many people gave us positive feedback. {Scroll all the way down to see our “set-up”!}
SIGNS: We live in California and an employee from the California Department of Transportation (CAL TRANS) came by and said our garage sale signs were the “best directional traffic signs” he had ever seen, in 20 years with Cal Trans, “and I have seen a lot of signs!”
GARAGE SALE // YARD SALE TIPS:
- SIGNS: SUPPLIES:
- Thick Poster Board in a bright color like lime, orange, or yellow — make all of your signs consistent: same color, same style, same marker.
- Industrial size staples and heavy staple gun
- Flat Wooden Sticks/stakes (make sure sticks are long enough to leave about 4 inches at top and bottom, above and below your signs
- Thick wide Permanent Marker, Black
- Rolls of Masking Tape
- Two people to put up and take down signs (1 to drive, 1 to post and later remove the signs)
- TIPS:
- Write YARD SALE in large enough letters to be seen at a distance. Fill in Arrows in the right direction (this takes some thought! Figure out how many signs you will need and where they will be placed, facing left, right or straight ahead/up).
- Center signs on sticks, staple signs to sticks with heavy staples. We use at least 4 staples per sign, otherwise the sign can blow off from the wind.
- With masking tape, wrap tape around top and bottom of sticks/stakes. We wrap about 5 times so that it does not come loose.
- Make sure your signs are high enough and not obstructed by tree branches.
- Obey all city laws as to where you can and cannot post your signs.
- Be respectful of other people’s signs if they are having a sale the same day. If their signs are old (past the date), remove old signs and tape, and then put up your signs. Do not cover someone else’s signs for the same day.
- When all signs are placed, drive around and see what your customers will see: Are all of the signs visible? Are they well placed? Can you see the arrows and read Yard Sale and Date? Do you have enough signs?
- Remove your signs and your tape when your garage sale is over. The same day!
- but wait… there’s more!…
- OUR SECRETS:
- We put up all of our carefully designed garage sale signs on Friday afternoon by 3pm. That way the end of week commute traffic can see that there will be a yard sale the next morning.
- Drive around early Saturday morning before you set up, to make sure your signs did not blow away or get destroyed. Bring your masking tape and stapler with you, just in case.
- We start at 8am officially, but begin setting up as early as needed to be ready by then. For a huge sale, we usually begin set-up at 6am and try to be as quiet as we can for the neighbors. “Early birds” will often stop by around 7am and start looking. Let them, they are there to buy! We end anytime between 12Noon and 5 pm.
- In advance: Be courteous to your neighbors — let them know you will be having a yard sale (and that you will be making a little noise setting up early in the morning). Our neighbors donated many wonderful items and let us keep the funds for our fundraiser (medical).
- Be Ready: Have enough cash/change to start with in your cash box.
- Have enough help! We start on Friday sorting and organizing and pricing items. We have enough help that afternoon to put up signs, and again bright and early Saturday morning to set up and help all day. The team who puts up the signs knows where they are: They should take them down too, it’s faster and more efficient.
- PLAN AHEAD: Start working on your yard sale at least a week in advance (our last sale we planned for a month!) Plan where signs will go, how many arrows in which direction you need, what you will put cash in, go to bank for change, sort and price items for sale. A clean item will sell better than a dirty one (greater perceived value). Borrow tables and tarps for display if you don’t have enough.
- Wear a good smile, be pleasant. Be comfortable: sunblock, hat, good shoes.
- PRICING: Price fairly. Not retail prices, but what YOU would pay for the item at a yard sale! Be prepared to go back and forth on the prices, people are looking for a deal. Price accordingly.
- ADVERTISING: Along with great yard sale signs, post an ad on Craigslist with a list of the types of items you will be selling, the date, and the location. Also place an ad in your local paper. A well written ad is important. We always get comments that people saw our ads!
- If you have children, let them help in advance, going through their clothing and toys. The whole family can pitch in. Make it a family event! OR a neighborhood event: Have a Multi-family garage sale.
- HAVE FUN. Yes it is a huge amount of work, but if you do it right, have good signs, place good ads, have a lot of variety of items to sell, display things well, smile and greet your visitors, thank them for stopping by, and enjoy the process, it will all be worth it when it is over and signs are removed, yard/garage is cleaned up, and you are fresh and clean and rested the next day.
- Clothing (clean, folded on tables or a tarp on the lawn, or hung up)
- Toys (clean, not broken, all pieces included)
- Household items/Kitchen items (use price stickers and pre-mark prices)
- Tools
- Furniture
- Costume Jewelry (keep near the cash box so you can keep an eye on it)
- Certain Electronics (if they work, have instruction manuals, and are compatible and newer). This category is also on our does Not sell well list, you never know.
- Frames (if marked low enough)
- Storage shelves
- Art, Crafts (unless it is supplies, those might sell)
- Collectibles and Nic Nacs
- Books (although sometimes they do sell, but the price has be very low)
- Certain Electronics
- Mattresses
- Junk/Trash. Don’t put it out, throw it away or recycle it!
FREE: Have some FREE signs ready to tape or pin onto anything that isn’t selling near the end of your time (usually 1/2 way through or the last 2 hours of the day). We have a Free box with little items in it and nearly all of it is gone when we clean up. Big items can have a Free sign taped to them and place them at the bottom of your yard or driveway.
WHAT TO DO WITH THINGS THAT DON’T SELL: Plan ahead: Call your local Salvation Army or Goodwill and see if you can schedule a pickup the same day as your sale. Have them arrive after you are packed up, and place everything together in an easily accessible area for them to find. If they cannot come that day, make sure they come the next morning. OR load everything up and drive it to your local thrift shop. Please do not just leave it outside hoping someone will take it. That works for 1 day, but after that, have a PLAN for where it is going!
REPEAT CUSTOMERS: If you have a good yard sale, are courteous, and clean up after yourselves, your neighbors will remember, and the customers you had this time will come back! This happens to us every time!
HAPPY SELLING! I would like to hear your yard sale success stories (or mistakes! we can learn from them too!).
~Tricia
