Effective garage sale signs

Summer is the season for garage sales and yard sales. Every weekend, masses of people flock to the suburbs to find the next great deal. They’re looking for the furniture to fill their living room, or the next thign to sell on eBay for twice what’s worth. Regardless, people won’t come if they can’t find your sale. And I’m amazed at the number of crappy sale signs I pass while driving.

Many appear to be brown cardboard with handwritten marker. Not exactly high visibility when you’re cruising by at 35MPH. The taco-takers are the signs that are the bold colored poster board - usually hot pink or neon yellow - and then they write on them with some other obnoxious color that just doesn’t show up, even when you’re standing right in front of it.

It’s not hard to make a good sign. Let’s look at what a sign needs to do:

• Get the attention of a passer-by, we’ll assume in a car
• Say what the event is
• Say where the event is

That’s it. Simple as that. When it comes to garage sales, it doesn’t matter what you have for sale. Actually, it would be better NOT to say what you’re selling because then people know they can skip you because you aren’t advertising anything they want.

Too often these signs are packed with information like a brochure. Look, you’re trying to sell people on a time-share, you’re trying to get them to come to your junk sale. People will come to your sale - these people are rabid for garage sales, so you don’t have to worry about anything. Just tell them where it is and be done.

First, use your computer. Word makes a great sale sign maker, use it. Just make sure your font sizes are huge and fill the page. Your standard 8×11 piece of paper is fine if you follow the rules of a good sign.

Your sign should have the following information

1. What it is; Yard Sale, Garage Sale, etc.
2. What street it is on; Camelspit Rd, Bugjuice Ct.
3. Times of the sale; 9a - 3p
4. An arrow giving direction (optional)

The biggest things on your sign should be the Garage Sale and street name. You don’t need your house number. If your sign is made well, the street and arrow should be all they need. Remember, all your shit is in your front yard - not hard to see.

The time is kind of optional, but good to have. No need to make this bigger than your street name. Actually, if you’re active in your sale, and put your sign up a half hour before and take it down immediately after, you don’t need to list the time at all.

The arrow only needs to be used if you’re putting your sign on a main road and need to point people back to the street you live on. Even then, no house number is needed. Use the arrows to lead your drivers back at every intersection they may come across while driving.

That’s it. Easy and done. Don’t over complicate your sign. Signs need to be striking and brief, giving only enough information to entice people to want to stop by. They will come regardless of what you are selling.