A key to any successful sale is good advertising.

For sellers hoping to make a buck or two with a yard sale, that often means hanging signs on light poles near busy intersections around town to catch the eye of passing motorists.

The City of Greenville is looking to put an end to that practice.

“It’s very unsightly,” said Greenville Police Chief Lonzo Ingram.

Besides being “unsightly,” it’s also a violation of the law to advertise on the right of way, according to Ingram.

He said while those hanging the signs may intend to come back and take the signs down after the yard sale, few actually do.

“Most of the time they stay up until the city crews come around take them down,” Ingram said. “If we’re going to have to take them down after the sale is over, we’re just going to go ahead and take them down as soon as we see them.”

Ingram said there are currently no plans to impose fines for those found in violation of the law, but that the GPD is encouraging residents to put an end to the practice of hanging yard sale signs and other types of flyers on light poles or placing signs along the right of way.

“At this point we’re just encouraging people not to do it,” he said. “From there, we’ll see.”