Wondering how to advertise a yard sale for FREE? And the best places to advertise yard sales?
If you’re lucky enough to be taking part in a neighborhood yard sale in your community, then you’re all set… Most of the advertising will be done for you. That means you can pretty much just sit back and wait for the crowds to arrive!
Of course it wouldn’t hurt to STILL place your own free ads online — just as you would if you were having a private yard sale. (Personally, that’s what I would do… because you can spell out some of the “better things” you’ll be selling. And this could definitely bring some extra shoppers your way!)
If it’s a multi-family sale you’re having, then you should ALL combine your efforts to make some creative ads and hang some clever signs — using the tips below.
If you’re hosting a private yard sale on your own, then you’ve got a little bit more work to do — to ensure that people will be able to find your sale.
In this article I’m going to talk about the best ways to get the word out about your upcoming yard sale or garage sale. You will learn:
- When To Advertise Your Yard Sale (how early is too early?)
- The Best Ways To Advertise A Yard Sale (to get your sale noticed)
- Exact Words That Should Be On Your Yard Sale Signs (with examples)
- How To Place A Classified Ad (in print and online)
- The Best Places To Advertise Yard Sales (websites & apps)
When To Advertise Yard Sales
You can advertise your yard sale as early as 2 weeks before your sale date.
However, you will most likely experience the greatest rewards by focusing your advertising efforts on the week leading up to your garage sale. I typically start placing my ads on the Monday or Tuesday before my weekend sale date. (Then, all throughout the week, I usually think of additional things to add to my listing and/or ways to make my sale seem a little more unique than others… so I’ll continue to tweak my online ads.)
Unless your sale is unusual in some way (such as a “Buy One Get One Free Sale” or an “Everything Goes Sale” or some other type of sale that isn’t typical), most people aren’t going to plan extra early for a routine yard sale.
But… if you CAN give potential shoppers some good reasons to put your sale on their schedule, then the earlier you advertise it, the better.
I’ve got a few clever ideas (below) that you might want to consider.
NOTE: If you’re planning to place an ad in your local newspaper or magazine publications, your best bet is to call their offices AT LEAST 2 weeks ahead of time to see how much lead time they need to run your yard sale ad.
Ways To Advertise Your Yard Sale
There are 2 good ways to attract attention and boost attendance at your yard sale:
- Place A Few Ads (Online And In Print)
- Make Awesome Yard Sale Signs
You should use BOTH methods to get the word out about your sale.
Here are some tips…
#1 – How To Place Ads On Websites, Forums & Apps
Start with the regional and community websites you’re already familiar with. They tend to have a very loyal following of people who live in the area. And word of mouth travels quite quickly — especially if there’s anything “special” about your yard sale OR something that makes your sale “unique” in any way.
I know my neighborhood has a Facebook page, as well as a private forum where neighbors share local tips, ideas, and events. If you live in a small town OR a subdivision, then yours probably does too. (Nextdoor is an example of something similar.)
You can either post something detailed about your yard sale on those sites OR simply leave a comment about your yard sale on an existing article that appears on those websites.
Also, it can’t hurt to start some chatter about your upcoming yard sale in the forums and chat rooms that you typically visit — especially if they happen to include a lot of locals.
Sites like Craigslist, Facebook, and Nextdoor are great — because they specialize in regional networking among neighbors. Posting ads on these types of websites will ensure that your yard sale will be seen by people in your own town or geographic area.
It’s mostly the super-serious yardsalers who make a point to look through the classifieds each week — print versions AND online. They like to plot out which yard sales they’ll plan to visit first… and which ones they’ll probably choose to skip.
Keep in mind, if you’re placing a yard sale ad in a printed paper, most of them also have Internet versions — so your yard sale notification will be seen online as well! You will probably need to order your ad by Monday to have it show up in Thursday’s paper before your sale.
Here are my tips for placing yard sale ads online — including the Top 6 Yard Sale Search Websites & Apps where you should post your upcoming sale.
The Best Words To Use In Yard Sale Ads
When advertising your garage sale in a classified ad (or on a bulletin board or forum posting), don’t just list the date and time of your yard sale. Instead, start with a few “catchy” words that aren’t typically found in yard sale ads.
This will attract the attention of people who are most likely to buy those items! Also, people will generalize, “If they’re selling those items, then they’ll probably also have some X, Y, and Z for sale, too.”
Some examples of catchy phrases for popular yard sale items to include in your ads are:
- Crafts & Art Supplies
- Scrapbook Stuff… Everything Must Go!
- Home Office & Electronics
- BOGO Items (Buy One Get One Free!)
- Lawn Care & Garden Tools
- Brand New, Never Worn Clothes
- Upscale Community Yard Sale!
- Phones, Cameras & Electronics
- Lots Of Items Just 25 Cents!
- Baby Gadgets & Necessities
- Food, Drinks & Plenty Of Shade!
- Kids Toys
- Baby & Toddler Clothing
- Multi-Family Yard Sale!
- Furniture & Bedding
- Lots Of Crafty Items For DIY Projects!
- Brand Name Clothing & Shoes
Even if you only have ONE item from any of the above categories in your sale, THAT may be the one thing that attracts even more people to your sale.
From there, you can use emojis and get as descriptive as you want!
Here are some good examples of wording to use in yard sale ads.
Here’s an example of one of my yard sale ads:
GARAGE SALE: Sports memorabilia, Home Interior, kids toys, lawn & garden tools, Baby Gap, auto parts, vintage jewelry, dishes, Craftsman tools, collectibles, and LOTS of items priced under $1! Snacks & drinks available. Saturday April 21st from 7AM-1PM. 7418 Northpoint Blvd, Pensacola.
Oh, and one more tip before you place any yard sale ads that are viewable to the public…
This only happened to me once, but supposedly it happens a lot.
If you advertise your yard sale publicly, then people may come to your house the day before and ask to see the items you’ll be selling because “they can’t be there tomorrow.”
Dealers and collectors are famous for doing this. As are those die-hard yardsalers who are trying to plot their yard sale shopping route for the next morning — in an attempt to decide which sales they want to visit first!
TIP: If you’ve publicly gotten the word out about your sale ahead of time, be prepared to face some early birds asking if you will pre-sell certain things on the morning of your sale — before it even starts.
#2 – How To Make Awesome Yard Sale Signs
Be sure to post brightly colored signs in various locations throughout your neighborhood — and near other places that your potential shoppers visit.
The #1 best piece of advice I have to offer regarding yard sale signs is: The fewer words the better. Why? Because your sign must be easy to read by people who are driving quickly past your sign.
One handy trick I’ve learned in my marketing training is this:
“If you can read your sign from a distance WHILE YOU’RE SQUINTING,
then the sign is big enough, the words are large enough, and the letters are bold enough. If not… try again.”
Here are all of my best tips & tricks for making yard sale signs.
The Best Words To Use On Garage Sale Signs
When making your own yard sale signs, don’t just mention the date and time of your sale. Instead, include a few key catchy words that aren’t typically found on yard sale signs.
Some examples of catchy phrases for your yard sale signs are:
MOVING SALE! – If you’ll be moving soon, then it’s definitely to your advantage to use the words “Moving Sale” on your signs (and in your ads). Why? Because people automatically think that you’ll be selling everything under the sun in preparation for packing up the house and moving out. They expect to find great deals on big items at a Moving Sale.
ESTATE SALE! – These words get an even greater response from die-hard yardsalers. People know that Estate Sales are typically liquidation sales where everything must go. Also, when people think of an Estate Sale, they usually think of a “larger than normal” sale. The words “huge,” “stately,” and even “mansion” typically come to mind — which is much more enticing than just stopping by a regular ol’ garage sale.
While “Moving Sale” and “Estate Sale” are definitely good ways to attract potential shoppers to your sale, you should ONLY use those words if you are legitimately selling the majority of your household items — not just the clutter. (Otherwise, you will definitely hear about it once the shoppers arrive at your sale!)
A few other phrases on yard sale signs that seem to boost attendance include:
- Everything Must Go!
- HUGE Garage Sale!
- Furniture $10 to $40!
- Everything UNDER $20!
- Brand Names & Collectibles!
- Modern Electronics $5 to $25!
- New Clothing With Tags!
- All Clothing $1 to $3!
- High-Quality & Valuable Items!
