Prior to your move, one of the best and speediest ways to declutter and get rid of things you don’t need is to have a yard sale.
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But while the method of unloading a garage and spreading stuff in the driveway is tried and true, how to get people to come to the yard sale has improved in this century.
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It used to be that yard sales were advertised in a couple of basic ways:
- Print out flyers and then pass them out in mailboxes or at local shops.
- Use poster board and some markers to make ramshackle signs to put at intersections near your house or along the streets of your neighborhood.
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Of course, you can still do these things (and probably should), but there are new ways to market your sale: If you want people to show up at your house en masse and shell out money for your treasures, there are terrific ways you can promote the event beforehand.
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No matter how you advertise it, yard sales are a great way to get ready for a move. And now that you have the Internet at your disposal, take advantage of it with these three relatively simply methods.
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About a week before the yard sale, put up a post on everyone’s favorite social network. Your neighbors will see the post, like it and share it with their friends. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to drawing a crowd.
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You should also post a reminder or an update on the day before, as well.
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Remember, Facebook allows you to create an event; that could be a good option for social-networking promotion, too.
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Craigslist
Post an ad on the free service to publicize details about the sale: Give all the pertinent information—where it’s going to be, what time it’s going to start and how long you’ll be open for business.
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Craigslist targets neighborhoods pretty well, so the odds you’ll reach community members in search of events like yours are high.
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Twitter
Twitter? Yes, Twitter: While it’s an abstract tool, it’s a terrific medium for spreading the news about your yard sale.
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Take photos of your more appealing item and post them to Twitter with something sticky like, “Who’s gonna be the first to grab this bit of awesome?!”
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Be sure to add hashtags, too, like #yardsale, #[yourcommunityname], #[yourtown] and so on. This will increase the probability the information gets spread around effectively.
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Staying Old School
If you still want to work it the traditional way, stop by your local Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks early on the morning of your event.
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See if they’ll let you leave a stack of flyers on the counter—you’d be surprised how receptive these folks can be. When people come in to get their morning coffee or glazed old-fashioned, they’ll see your info.
