Organize a Yard Sale Walk

Turn your neighbourhood into a one-day yard sale.

Pick a date, draw a boundary, and let your whole block sell from their yards on one shared map. We ran the first Yard Sale Walk in Kitsilano. Here is how to run the next.

Start your Yard Sale WalkHave questions? Talk to us
Shoppers browsing clothing racks and tables along a tree-lined street during the May 30 Kitsilano Yard Sale Walk.
The first walk, May 30 in Kitsilano
households opened their yards
32

households opened their yards

raised for the local school
~$230

raised for the local school

how far some shoppers travelled
Maple Ridge

how far some shoppers travelled

the first yard to sign up
1

the first yard to sign up

The honest part

Worried no one will come?

It is the first question everyone asks. We asked it too. When we set up our first walk, the map was empty, and the first signup only came a few days later. By the day, thirty-two households had joined. You do not recruit people one by one. The flyers, the reminder emails, and the shared map do the work, and the count climbs week by week, so you watch your neighbourhood fill in before the day arrives.

“Last year I ran a yard sale on my own and nobody came. This year, with the walk, it's been busy since 11.
Mandy, a seller on the May 30 Kits walk
How it works

Six simple steps, and the platform does the heavy lifting.

You make the decisions and spread the word. The platform handles the maps, flyers, payments, and reminders.

  1. 1

    Pick your area and date

    Draw a boundary on the map. Saturdays work best, but the day is yours.

  2. 2

    Choose a cause

    Optional, but recommended. Send a share of every signup to a local charity.

  3. 3

    We build your kit

    Signup page, route map, printable flyers and posters, all generated for you.

  4. 4

    Spread the word

    Hand out flyers and post in your local Facebook and Nextdoor groups, and on Instagram. We give you the text and images to share.

  5. 5

    Neighbours sign up to sell

    The map fills in and the count climbs, right up to the deadline.

  6. 6

    Walk day

    Neighbours stroll the route, shop, and meet people they have never met. Take a few photos while you are out, they are perfect for promoting the next one.

The workload

Is it a lot of work? Honestly, no.

Most of your time goes into a few simple things: handing out flyers, posting in your local groups, and answering the occasional question. Plan on a few hours spread across a few weeks. Everything else, the map, the PDFs, the signup page, the reminder emails, the platform makes for you.

You handle

  • Choosing the area and the date
  • Picking a local cause
  • Handing out flyers and posting in local groups (Facebook, Nextdoor, Instagram)
  • Answering a few neighbour questions
  • Taking a few photos on the day

We handle

  • The signup page and payments
  • The route map
  • Printable flyers and posters
  • Reminder and confirmation emails
  • Support, the whole way through
The money

What it costs, and what you keep.

Sellers pay a registration fee you set; for the Kits walk it was $15 per yard. You choose how much goes to a local cause, from nothing to all of it. The rest covers payment processing and a small platform share, and what is left is yours, enough to cover your printing and your time. This is not a way to make money. It is there to cover your costs and thank you for your effort, while sending real money to a cause in your neighbourhood.

Charity
25% · $3.75
Organizer keeps
56% · $8.41
Platform
14% · $2.10
Stripe processing
5% · $0.74
Per signup
$15.00

Example: a $15 signup with a 25% charity share. You set the share when you create your walk, and see the exact dollars then.

Sound like your street?

Start your Yard Sale WalkHave questions? Talk to us
Christine and Steffen, who founded Yard Sale Walk, on a Kitsilano sidewalk.
You are not alone

You won't be doing this alone.

We're Christine and Steffen, two parents in Kitsilano who built this and ran the first walks ourselves. When you organize one, we are on the other end of an email or a phone call the whole way through, from drawing your boundary to event day. Want to talk it over first? We are always up for a coffee.

Talk to us
Questions

Before you decide

How much time does it really take?
A few hours spread over a few weeks. The bulk is dropping flyers around your boundary and answering the odd question. The map, the signup page, the PDFs, and the emails are all made for you.
What if my neighbourhood is too small or too big?
Most detached and townhouse areas work well, and there is no magic number. You sketch a boundary when you suggest a walk, and we take a look and fine-tune it with you, based on what has worked elsewhere.
Do I need a permit from the city?
Because everyone sells from their own property, a Yard Sale Walk does not work like a street fair or market. If your specific area has its own rules, we will help you check before you commit.
What if it rains?
The walk goes ahead rain or shine. Sellers simply set up under cover, in a garage or porch, and shoppers still come. We will remind everyone of the plan beforehand.
Can I organize it with a friend?
Yes, and many people do. Teaming up with a neighbour makes the flyering quicker and the day more fun. You do not have to carry it alone.
Do I have to pay anything myself?
No. You set the registration fee and choose the charity share. Your part of the fee is there to cover your printing and your time, so organizing a walk should not cost you your own money.
What if I get stuck?
Christine and Steffen are an email or a phone call away the entire time. You will never be figuring it out by yourself.

Ready to bring your neighbourhood out?

Pick a date and see what your street can do.

Start your Yard Sale WalkHave questions? Talk to us

Setting up takes about ten minutes, and nothing goes public until you are ready to submit it.