As the weather starts to get warmer, you may be thinking about having a garage sale. If so, one of the most important things you’ll need is signage to let people know where your sale is and what’s for sale. Here are a few tips on how to make garage sale signs that will attract potential buyers from miles around!
What You'll Learn Today
How to Make Garage Sale Signs?
There are really two types of yard sale sellers – the seller who throws everything in a heap on the front lawn, doesn’t really advertise, and just hopes for the best.
Then, there’s the seller who puts some thought into how items are arranged and especially into how the day’s events are being advertised and promoted.
Which kind of seller do you think makes the most money?
That’s right – the second type. Advertising and promoting your yard sale is an important step in drawing people to your sale. There are really two types of yard sale sales.
There are neighborhood and directional sales that tell people how to find your yard sale as well as signs at the yard sale itself – the signs that tell people what the prices are and how to locate individual items.
1. What Are Garage Sale Signs Made Of?
Garage sale signs are usually made out of corrugated plastic. These are durable and affordable – but of course, you’ll need to buy the material.
You can always make your own signs out of poster board, too, but you’ll want to take extra steps to protect them from the elements (more on this below).
You can even reuse old for-sale-by-owner or election signs that might be hanging around your neighborhood. These are helpful because they already have the step stakes attached. They won’t fall down, be unreadable, or decay.
Just cover these old signs with poster board to write your new details on or repaint the background in a solid color and then write your message on that.
Of course, you can always buy these for yourself, too – but who doesn’t like recycling?
2. Make Sure They’re Readable
This sounds obvious, but it’s a mistake that so many garage sale sellers make – their signs just aren’t easy to read when you’re driving down the road.
Use thick lettering with as little writing as you can make work. The larger the sign is, the better. When people are driving, they are usually going to be driving way too fast to read what’s printed on a small sheet of printer paper – use poster board if you can. Colorful poster board is even better!
Leave some white, blank space on the sign and only write down what you absolutely must.
3. Use Bright Colors
Again, visibility is key. Using bright paper can be effective, especially if it’s neon. Neon green and neon orange are great options, since they’ll be visible from a distance away.
Just make sure you also use an equally visible marker when you write on the paper. Using a green marker on neon green paper is going to be super hard to read. Use black whenever you can!
4. Consider Printables
Not really into making your own DIY yard sale signs? That’s ok! There are plenty of free online resources you can use. Do a quick search on Pinterest for Etsy and you’ll find plenty of options for printable templates you can use.
5. Cover Your Signs
If inclement weather is expected, cover up your signs with plastic bags or even some plastic wrap to make them weatherproof. You can also run strips of packing tape (the clear kind) over the lettering so that the ink won’t run if it rains. Just make sure it’s still readable from a distance!
You can even use a page protector! This is more helpful for smaller signs, like the ones you’ll use to mark prices at your sale, instead of the road signs.
6. Buy Yard Sale Signs Online
You can also purchase yard sale signs. These last for years and are waterproof and rain-resistant. They tend to be more durable and sturdy and are also larger than the signs you could create or print for yourself at home.
7. Watch a Video Tutorial
Still finding yourself stuck and looking for inspiration? Check out this video. It has some helpful tips you can follow for a more visual how-to on how to create tasteful and eye catching yard sale signs:
What to Put on a Garage Sale Sign?
There are a few key pieces of information you should put on your yard ale sign.
Obviously, the most important information is the word “sale!”
You should also include the dates and times and the street address to help make it easy for people to find your sale at the right time and on the right day. You can even include an arrow that points to the direction of your home.
One smart tip? Make the arrow a separate feature so that it can be turned accordingly as you put up different yard sale signs in different areas.
At the garage sale, you’ll need to make item descriptions and price signs. Again, use thick, wide lettering and bright paper, using as few words as possible to get your point across.
Read also: How Much Change Do I Need For A Garage Sale?
How to Attach Garage Sale Signs?
Before hanging up garage sale signs, make sure you check in with your local municipality to make sure there aren’t any ordinances involving garage sale dates, locations, and times. Some also have restrictions in terms of where signs can be placed – so be sure you know the rules.
You can staple your signs to posts. Painter’s or masking tape will work, too, but this will only work for smaller, lighter signs.
Where Should I Put Garage Sale Signs?
You should put garage sale signs all around your neighborhood. This will show people how to find your yard sale, even if they never saw your ad on Facebook, Craigslist, or in the newspaper that was advertising the sale.
Post the yard sale signs the night before the sale. It can be tempting to put them out sooner than that, but this is a good way to have them stolen!
The next morning, make sure the signs are still there and add some streamers or balloons. In case the sign isn’t there (hey – it happens!) bring some materials along to report, like your signs and a staple gun.
Make a mental note (or draw up a quick sketch of a map) that indicates where you posted all of your signs. This will allow you to take them down after the sale.
Don’t give in to the temptation of leaving the signs up after the garage sale, either. Not only is it tacky and unattractive but it might bring unwanted visitors to your house long after the sale has ended!
In addition to hanging garage sale signs at the ends of streets and at busy intersections, you can also post them at public places like:
- Playgrounds
- Gyms or workout rooms
- Churches
- Nearby parks
- Community centers
- Local grocery stores
How Many Garage Sale Signs Should I Put Up?
Prior to a garage sale, it’s important to consider how many signs you’ll need and where to place them. Too few and people might not know about the sale; too many and it’s a big waste of money!
There is no single best answer to this question. It depends on how large your area is, how many people you think will be interested in your sale, and how much time and effort you want to put into it.
Try putting up a few signs and see how well they work; if you don’t get any bites, put up more. But remember: quality over quantity! Don’t put up so many signs that they become illegible or distracting. And make sure to take them down when the sale is over!
I’ve seen some people who write their garage sale signs with pencil. Not sure whether they are joking or not :))