If you have been selling worksheet, lesson plans or any printable online for elemental or high school educations; TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) should be a familiar name for you. If you have not heard of Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), here is TPT’s factsheet to help you quickly set up and decide if it is for you.
TPT Company Factsheet
| Current Owner | IXL Learning |
| Headquarter | New York City |
| Year Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | Paul Edelman |
| Employees | 150 |
| User | More than 7 million |
| User Composition | Worldwide, including 85% of PreK-12 U.S. teachers |
| Website | https://www.teacherspayteachers.com |
Which countries visit TPT the most?
TPT users from United States visit TPT marketplace the most with 72% of monthly users coming from the country. These data will help sellers plan around the resource you put up on your store better.
| Country | Percentage |
|---|---|
| United States | 72% |
| Canada | 8% |
| Australia | 6% |
| India | 1% |
| Mexico | 1% |
TPT Sellers Must-know
TPT seller plans
TPT is open for sellers around the world, including those selling non-English materials. To sell on TPT, you have to pick a seller plan from 2 of the seller options available:
| BASIC Seller | PREMIUM Seller | |
|---|---|---|
| Membership Fee | Free | $59.95 / year |
| Payout Rate | Seller receives 55% on all sales | Seller receives 80% on all sales |
| Transaction Fees | 30 cents per resource | 15 cents per resource (Only on orders totaling less than $3) |
| Access to premium features and marketing tools | NO | YES |
| Payout Method | Hyperwallet | Hyperwallet |
What can you sell on TPT?
| Independent Work | Independent work packet, worksheets, assessment, graphic organizers, task cards, flash cards |
| Teacher Tools | Classroom management, teacher manuals, outlines, rubrics, syllabi, unit plans, lesson plans |
| Activities | Games, centers, projects, laboratory, songs |
| Classroom Decor | Bulletin board ideas, posters, word walls |
| Clip Art | Various |
| Printables | Various |
Accepted file formats on TPT
TPT supports most of the popular file format, including Google Drives files.
| Type | Accepted File Format |
|---|---|
| Document and text file | .doc .docx .ods .rtf .txt .wpd Google Docs |
| Spreadsheet | .xls .xlsx .xlt .xltx Google Sheets |
| eBook | .epub .pub |
| Image | .bmp .gif .jpeg .jpg .png .tif .tiff |
| Slideshow | .key .knt .pps .ppsx .ppt .pptx Google Slides |
| Video | .avi .mov .mpeg .mpg .mp4 .m4a .m4v .rm .wmv |
| Audio | .mp3 .ram .wav |
| Web and interactive | .htm .html .swf Google Forms |
| Multiple files | .zip Google Drive folders |
| Other | .bnk (ExamView Question Bank) .dot (Graphviz Graph Visualization Software) .flp (Promethean ActivPrimary or ActivStudio interactive lesson plan) .flipchart (Promethean Activeinspire or Activeboard interactive content) .ink (Mimio whiteboard) .notebook (SMART Technologies SMARTboard content) |
Source: TPT
TPT Millionaires
- In 2012, TPT revealed that a teacher Deanna Jump has made over $1 million in profits from TPT.
- In 2015, there were a total of 12 TPT millionaires.
- In 2022, the company announced that there are more than 300 teachers that have earned at least $1million in profits from their TPT online store.
TPT stops announcing publicly about its millionaire teachers in late 2022. Its CEO reasons that as a way to better reflect their goal, which is to help teachers to alleviate financial pressure by making extra income monetizing their existing skills and expertise education.
Source: Fast Company
Conclusion
Looking at the stats and how Teachers Pay Teachers has fare within the teachers’ community in 2023, it is a legit alternative channel for teachers and educators to create an extra income. Just like Etsy or any other online marketplace, it does takes hard work and time investment to build a successful TPT business with meaningful result.