5 Best Ways to Advertise Garage Sales

From catching up with the people in your community to getting rid of some old stuff that’s just taking up space around the house, to making some extra cash, we all love pulling off a good garage sale. There’s nothing worse, however than going through all of the efforts of setting up and displaying all of your items, just to only have a handful of visitors throughout the day. Here are some tips on how to effectively advertise your garage sale to help guarantee some significant traffic.

Local paper

Your neighborhood, apartment complex, town, or just local community might have its own local paper or magazine, and this is a great place to advertise! Try to start advertising a few weeks out to give readers a heads-up, especially if the magazine or paper goes out further than just your neighborhood. Do make sure to include the date, your address, and reference points like landmarks and recognizable buildings. Getting people to know about your yard sale is half of the battle, the other half is helping them actually find it!

Community social media

Another community forum you might be able to take advantage of is social media. If your community has a Facebook page or group, a community group chat, a community email chain, etc., that can be another great place to get the word out. Although a local paper is a great way to advertise, chances are that it isn’t going to reach the whole community—or every age group.

Another advantage that this virtual invitation has is that you can take advantage of the technology. Create a calendar event that reminds people when your garage sale is going to take place, GPS location included. This can also be an easier way for people to reach out to you if they have any questions beforehand.

Local coffee shops and libraries

There’s something really comforting about looking at the local ads posted up on the community bulletin board at your favorite local coffee shop or public library. There’s something even more comforting about seeing an ad for your garage sale posted there, too!

These community bulletin boards are made for these sorts of announcements; do take advantage of them. They’ll reach the regulars and locals, as well as people who are visiting or passing by. Your garage sale is a community event, after all, so the more the merrier.

Proper signage

Signs alone probably won’t be enough to draw the biggest crowd, but they are an important part of the process! GPS signals cut out, people run out of mobile data, directions can be confusing…if all else fails, having brightly colored signs leading your guests to your garage sale can be your saving grace.

If you live in a suburban neighborhood, putting a sign up at the entrance and then a few leading the way to your house can help guide people already on their way, and catch the attention of others passing by. Placing signs at traffic-heavy intersections and traffic lights can be a great strategy, too.

Yard Sale Search

Of course, as the single most important site in yard sale culture, it’d be ridiculous to not mention this site as well! Yard Sale Search is the world’s largest site for garage sale ads, with tens of thousands of visitors rummaging through online listings to find a garage sale that’s perfect for them. If you really want to get the word out, feel free to post a sale on our site!

Any of these tips on their own can help you get more people to your garage sale and rummage around, but if you put all of them together, you’re bound to see the best results. We want to make sure you have a great turnout, so double down on some great advertisements, and long live the garage sale!