Garage Sale Signs

Have you seen garage sale signs when you drive down the streets in your area? How many of them can you read? How many of them make you want to steer your car in the direction of the garage sale?



Garage sale signs can be one of your best advertisements - or they can be of little help. Here's how to make the most of your signs. If you have some great tips to share about your sign or ones you've seen, you can do that here. Be sure to show us your photos too!

Make them easy to read
Depending on the ordinances or laws in your area, this can be tricky. There can be limits on garage sale sign size and placement. Before you put in lots of work on something you can't use, be sure to check on any limits first. You can usually do that by simply calling the neighborhood association, city hall or county clerk in your area. After you have that done, it's time to start designing!

As fun as it may be to treat this like an art project, you still want people to be able to read the signs from a distance. Having a great looking sign doesn't help if no one can read it as they drive by.

Black on a white or yellow background is preferable although not required. These are the color combinations that are easiest to read (and which is why many street signs have those same colors). If you want to add color to draw attention to the sign, you can do that on the edges or by adding balloons or other items.

You can use your creativity in combination with other garage sale tips when you are advertising items within your sale once your customers are walking around. They have a closer view and more time to read individual signs for each display when they are on foot. In particular, you can use creative signs along with pricing garage sale items to entice customers to be interested in and then buy your items.

Make a path that's easy to follow
Pretend that your garage sale customers are guests coming to a party - but you couldn't give them directions to your house. How would get them there? One great way is by using signs and other attention-getting items like balloons.

Start by placing at least one garage sale sign at a busy intersection with an arrow pointing the direction of your sale. Depending on the size, you can also try putting some key address information (subdivision or street). Remember that people are driving faster here so they can't read many details even if they are going slowly.

Place your next sign at the next place they need to turn. Then follow that pattern until they arrive at your garage sale. It will help if you can make your signs look the same so that people know they are on the right path. This can be as simple as tying the same color balloon to each sign.

Your goal is to get them there. Make your garage sale signs neat and interesting enough that people want to come to your sale, but not so detailed they can't read them. You can wow them with your displays and pricing once they find your garage sale.

Partner with your neighbors
Having a block or neighborhood garage sale can have lots of benefits. One of these is that you can share the cost of advertising, including the garage sale signs.

You can go together and buy a small banner sign that can be used over and over (just don't put the date on it). You can also divide up the cost of buying poster board, balloons or pre-made signs. The increased traffic from the signs benefits everyone's garage sales.

Here are some examples of signs that are easy to read and include arrows to help direct the customers to the garage sale. Got a great garage sale sign of your own to share - or even a sign tip to pass along? Do it here!

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