Dixie Highway 90-Mile Yard Sale Info and Preparation

The Dixie Highway 90 mile yard sale is held the first weekend of June every year. (Read the details of how the sale was started here)

It goes from Ringold, GA all the way down to Marietta, GA. In Bartow county alone there were over 400 documented yard sales last year (these were the people that actually paid for registration of their sale...many more were out!)

This year will make the 3rd year that I have sold at this sale! It runs from Friday - Sunday but the best day is Saturday! I kept track of my sales with receipts last year and I had over 400 transactions from 6am that morning until 5pm that evening! It was amazing!

While my internet was down I went through every room in my house and played the 6 month game. If I haven't used it in 6 months I am selling it! I have accumulated a substantial amount of items new and used for this sale! I will have 8 5-tier bookshelves full of items along with over 10 tables worth of stuff (not to mention the things that will be for sale in crates and boxes along with things I may have to lay out on tarps simply because I don't have the table space for them!). There will also be 6 other families setting up with me...this is huge!

I am currently going through the items (pricing them and sorting them into labeled boxes) and hope to be done by next weekend. Organization is definitely they key (for me) for something this massive!

This is what I do to make my yard sale the best yard sale ever!

1. I price everything. More people are willing to pick things up with prices them. Some yard salers will ask regardless but most won't even bother asking and you may loose sales if you don't price things! I know plenty of people who don't price but I do...because it is what I like to see when I go out to yard sales myself.

2. Let It Go: I always go half off around 12 or 1pm. I price my items low enough to be a great deal for someone in the morning but to be a steal for someone at half price! Going half price will ALWAYS insure that you make more money at your yard sales! If you keep everything at the same price throughout the day you may sell things here and there towards the end but most people are going to expect things to be marked down the later it is. If you start marking things down...people will buy them! Wouldn't you rather make a $1 off of something than not sell it at all?

3. Organization: I always place items strategically with the like! I separate my tables into categories (kitchen, toys, home decor). You wouldn't buy sour cream on the cereal aisle so why place toys, a towel, and a dvd all on the same table (at least until the end of the day once you start combining your tables). It has been proven over and over with marketing and advertising that if you place like items together more of them sale. Many buyers appreciate the ease of shopping when you use this method!
Tips:I try not to place small things on the ground! Most people will look but having the items on a table or on a shelf will raise the percentage of being sold! NEVER just throw a bunch of clothing or anything for that matter onto a tarp! This kills me when I see it! If you are looking for something in particular you may be willing to go through the pile...but most aren't. Again...loss of sales!

4. Pay Station: I ALWAYS have a table set up with plenty of "Pay Here" signs. I have multiple people that help with this sale and we always have one sitting at the table with the cash box. I always recommend that you have at least $50 in change (including coins) to start out with. You will be amazed at the amount of people that come through with $20 bills and only spending $2. My mom usually sits at the table while my husband and I are walking around helping people. We also take money for convenience! I have a plastic garbage can that we store plastic bags in (the ones I save up from shopping) for buyers items. I also have a rack that I hand my re-usable grocery bags on (with a sign that says "take one and fill it up"! I use these to allow shoppers a place to put items that they are buying! People really like this convenience

5. Taking Cover: This year I will have tents to help with the heat! Last year I ended up with heat exhaustion (not fun at all) even though I stayed well hydrated and kept a hat on. We were right out in the sun and it was brutal. I asked for tents for Christmas (I knew I wanted them for this). One tent will be for the pay station (and area for eating/daughter) and the other tents will be used to place the bookshelves under. I am selling a ton of my stockpile and items such as deodorant etc will go under here to cut down on the melting factor! Most of my brand new stockpile items will go under the tents while the used items will be put out on the tables!

If you are planning on shopping the Dixie Highway Sale be sure to stop by my location!

1939 Cassville Road
Cartersville, GA 30121

Hope to see you there!

Image: A fraction of items I will have in the sale...you would not believe the amount of items I am taking over there! This is just the kids stuff!