Make Your Signs Work for You!

By Kathy Holley

You can advertise online, buy an ad in a newspaper, put up fliers at grocery stores, and publicize your sale using social networks—but sometimes the best way to get people to come and buy your stuff is a good ol’ low-tech sign. While I carefully scan ads and plan my rummage, I often think I could save myself time and effort by just following the signs found along every major street from spring through fall.

While signs are sometimes the best form of advertising for a rummage sale, it’s amazing how often they’re done wrong, or ineffectively. Here are some ways to make signs work for you:

• Big: An 8x10 piece of construction paper taped to a light pole isn’t going to do it. Your sign has to be big enough to be seen by passing motorists. 

• Bold: Neon posterboard is a great attention-getter. Use black paint, or a really thick marker to write your information. No fancy lettering—just make it easy to read. If you include an arrow, make sure it’s clear which direction the arrow points.

• Sturdy: Consider mounting the posterboard to something more solid. A humid day can cause a paper sign to wilt and curl in a few hours, obscuring your message. Save the metal frames and firm signs from election campaigns and recycle them into your rummage sale signs. If you put a sign on a lightpost or telephone pole, make sure to secure the corners so the whole sign can be seen.

• Simple: You’ve got just a few seconds to convey your message. All your sign needs to include is the word “SALE” and the address. An arrow is sometimes helpful if the sign is at an intersection where a turn needs to be made to get to your sale. Don’t list the days, hours, or what you have for sale—just the important, basic information.

• Placement: Put signs at major intersections near your home. Imagine yourself in a car and think about where you’d need to turn to get to your house. An intersection with a stop sign or stoplight gives motorists some extra time to pause and notice the sign. If you live in a subdivision and multiple turns are necessary, consider one sign to get shoppers into the subdivision, then multiple small arrows to direct traffic right to your driveway.

But the most important rule regarding signs is this: If you put ‘em up, please don’t forget to take them down! Just this morning, I drove by signs for sales that were held two weekends ago! As a shopper, it’s frustrating to see a sign and go to an address, only to find an empty driveway and no sale.

Recent finds: The rummage season is in full swing and I haven’t had time to get to nearly as many sales as I’d like. But when I do go, I always seem to find something I need. For instance, I needed an outfit for an upcoming party with a “Mexican Street Market” theme. I found a cute embroidered top at a sale for 75 cents and thought that would do if I could pair it with a full skirt. Amazingly, at another sale less than an hour later, I found a fabulous colorful skirt for $1! My complete party outfit cost less than $2 and I like the skirt so much I’ll probably wear it again. Other finds that morning included some awesome blue glass tumblers, a Beatles t-shirt for my teenage daughter for 50 cents, an exercise DVD by my favorite instructor for $2, and a really unusual, bright and colorful Christmas sweater vest for $2.

Do you have any sign tips or pet peeves? Share them with us in the comments!