FAQ

General

• What is TeachersPayTeachers®?
• Who can sell original and used resources on the site?
• Are my purchases tax deductible?
• How do I get access?
• How much does it cost?
• Does TeachersPayTeachers review submissions?
• What types of files can I upload for sale and how large can they be?
• How will I receive my purchases?
• How do I become a seller?
• What does it cost to join as a seller?
• What percentage of individual sales revenue do sellers earn?
• How do sellers get paid their sales revenue?
• After I upgrade my account and join as a seller, what do I do?
• What if I suspect that my copyrighted material has been infringed upon by one of your sellers?
• How do I protect my original copyrightable teaching materials?
• What happens to sellers who indeed infringe upon the copyrights of others?
• If I am a seller, can I also make purchases?
• How do I cancel my Seller's Membership?
• What is your refund policy?
• The PDF I downloaded is showing black smudges, what do I do?

What is TeachersPayTeachers®?
TeachersPayTeachers® is an online open marketplace where teachers buy and sell original educational materials in downloadable formats. Additionally, teachers can now buy/sell hard goods, both teacher-created and used educational resources, that sellers will ship to buyers.

Who can sell original and used resources on the site?
Any teacher from any discipline at any grade level, from preschool to high school to college to continuing education. You can be a current, former or retired teacher or even just a natural educator who creates teaching materials for non-traditional subject areas. Anyone can sell used materials, too. This is an open marketplace by design.

Are my purchases tax deductible?
Yes. Save your receipts and give them to your tax accountant at the end of the year. You can get a portion of the money you spend on this site back in your refund.

How do I get access?
Please register for a basic buyer account here:TeachersPayTeachers

How much does it cost?
There is no cost to register! Once you sign up, there are over 40,000 pieces of content that are completely FREE for you to download right now.

Does TeachersPayTeachers review submissions?
Actually, no. This site was developed to be an open marketplace. Quality is regulated by the free market primarily through purchasing decisions, user ratings and comments. Teachers considering making purchases are given enough information about the items and their authors to make smart, informed purchasing decisions.We don't take any ownership of your materials, either. Your work is your intellectual property.

What types of files can I upload for sale and how large can they be?
We currently support the following file types: .avi, .bnk, .exe, .epub, .flp, .key, .mov, .mp3, .mpeg, .mpg, .notebook, .ram, .rm, .swf, .wav, .wmv,.zip, .knt, .mp4, .m4a, .m4v, .ink, .flv, .bmp, .doc, .dot, .gif, .htm, .html, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .pdf, .pub, .pps, .ppt, .rtf, .tif, .tiff, .txt, .wpd, .xls, .xlt, .docx, .pptx, .xlsx, .xltx


If you have a suggestion concerning other file types you would like us to support, Contact Us.

There is currently an 100 MB file size limit.

To upload multiple files in a single product offering, simply add them all to a folder, zip it up and post the zip file.

How will I receive my purchases?
Digital items will be delivered via instant download. Once you make your purchase, download links will live indefinitely on your “My Purchases" page which you can access when you are logged in.

Hard goods, both teacher-created and used items, will be shipped to you by the seller within 3 days of purchase. Buyers can contact sellers through their ‘My Purchases' page.

How do I become a seller?
You just join.

What does it cost to join as a seller?
Basic Membership is free.

What percentage of individual sales revenue do sellers earn?
Basic Sellers earn 60% of their gross sales minus transaction fees. Premium Sellers earn 85% of their gross sales and don't pay transaction fees.

How do sellers get paid their sales revenue?
Sellers get paid their earnings on a quarterly basis via PayPal. If you do not yet have a PayPal Account, you can get started anyway on TpT, but please sign up for one as soon as possible at http://www.PayPal.com. It's easy! Once you set it up, return to your 'account basics' page and submit your PayPal email address. To find your 'account basics' page, click on 'my account' at the top and then you'll see the 'account basics' link.

We will not be able to send you your earnings until you do so. Those earning more than $500 in a quarter can receive a paper check by making arrangements with us through Contact Us.

After I upgrade my account and join as a seller, what do I do?
Login and click Manage My Account. From there, create your profile and then post your products. It's easy! Everything can be edited at any time, too. And if you need help just send us a note, but since the site is so user-friendly, almost everyone is able to use the service without difficulty.

What if I suspect that my copyrighted material has been infringed upon by one of your sellers?
Tell us right away! Follow the instructions outlined in the Copyright Policy. We will take the product down temporarily and perform an investigation.

How do I protect my original copyrightable teaching materials?
Read the Copyright FAQ and follow its suggestions. Or for a short cut, go to this Creative Commons webpage: http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/meet-the-licenses, choose the particular license you would like to attach to your work, copy that license's specific code (there are directions there to help you) and then, most importantly, after skipping a line, paste it below your description of your product (right in the description box) on your "Post Products" page. After you submit your product, the CC license and its explanatory link will magically appear on your product's page.

What happens to sellers who indeed infringe upon the copyrights of others?
Their online stores will be shut down and they will face any legal consequences that are pursued by the offended party.

If I am a seller, can I also make purchases?
Yes.

How do I cancel my Seller's Membership?
Use the Contact Us link, choose 'Cancel Membership' from the pulldown menu and write us a short note telling us your username and, if you will, the reason you are canceling. We will cancel your account within 48 hours. If you've made purchases with your seller account, please download and save all of your purchases before canceling.

What is your refund policy?
Premium Seller Subscriptions are refundable within 30 days of payment.

Refunds on product purchases are made on a case by case basis and are only provided when the product was not as advertised by the seller. If this is the case for you, Contact Us and write a detailed message explaining the situation.

The PDF I downloaded is showing black smudges, what do I do?
You just need to update your Adobe Reader:
http://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/

If you are on a Mac, do not open with Preview. It will not work. Download the most updated version of Adobe Reader and open the PDF with it (and not Preview). To 'open with' adobe reader on a mac, highlight the product pdf icon with one click, go to 'file' at the top of the screen, choose 'open with' then select 'adobe' and you'll be all set.