Mistakes Most New TPT Sellers Make

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New TPT sellers are usually very excited to start Teachers Pay Teachers that they rush to get all their products online. There is a zing in their step as they wait for that first “cha-ching” (download the TPT app for your phone). But rushing often leads to mistakes. Let’s look at some of these mistakes and how to easily fix them.

Want to check out the video version of this post, find it here by clicking the link to Youtube.

The Freebie

This is a big one! Teachers Pay Teachers requires that you upload a freebie before you can upload your first paid product. Many new sellers just upload a one page item and move on. This is a mistake! Your freebie is an introduction of how you are as a seller. If it is mediocre, what are you telling your future buyers. Where is the quality? The detail? Is there even a cover or thumbnail to go with that one page. Here is a sample of the a recent set of uploads:

TPT-sellers-mistakes — Freebies on Teachers Pay Teachers

What’s missing? Covers! Colorful covers! As a buyer, why would I want this? Also, the way they’ve uploaded allows me to just cover their work without downloading it. Treat your freebie the same as a paid product. Create thumbnails, make a preview video. Give detailed descriptions for your resource. I will elaborate on making your freebie fantastic in an upcoming blog (and video).

Make Your Products High Quality

This is another equally important feature of your resources. It is not enough to get a sale. You want to have repeat buyers. But they will not return if they don’t feel that they are getting value with their purchases. Before uploading a product, ask yourself if you’ve missed anything, or is there something you can add to give your resource more value.

Do you have:

a hyperlinked table of contents?
answer keys?
differentiation?
clear and detailed explanations on how to use your product?

Many of these features will not take a ton of time, but your buyers will be back if you are giving them these “bonuses”.

TPT Sellers: Don’t Underprice Your Products

This is a frustration for many TPT sellers. You make a 50+ page resource, and because you want the sale, you price it for $1-$2. Look at the value of your resource. If it is worth $5, then charge that price. Take a look at other similar resources. What is your competition charging for their resources?

Protect Yourself and Your Resources

Many TPT sellers will often neglect to add their copyright to their work. You spent time and energy (and possibly money) to make your product. Put your copyright in the corner of every page you produce. Here is an example of what mine looks like:

I will change it slightly every year, adding the year. The year is actually optional. Sometimes it is more for me to remind myself when the product was made. You also do not have to add both your name and your store name. The copyright symbol and store name is the minimum.

So why do you need it? It protects you if a situation arises that someone copies your work and then sells it for their own gain. It happens all the time! There are even TPT sellers that will copy your work and pass it off as their own. The copyright provides evidence that it is your work. Adding it takes very little time and yet it is highly beneficial for you.

Watch Out For Trademarks and Copyrighted Materials

Yikes, this one hurts. Teachers love to use trademarked items in their classrooms. That is usually fine. The problem is when they want to sell materials with them. This is a big no-no! What are examples of trademarked items?

Lego
Disney
Harry Potter
Taylor Swift (plus her songs)

There are loads more. TPT has good information that you should consider reading. You can find it here.

Use the Right Programs When Finalizing Your Products

There was a time when teachers were using Microsoft Word™. That is no longer the case. Less and less teachers use that program. Maybe you created a product using Word. That’s fine but do not upload as a Word document. You need to export it as a pdf or something easily compatible. Another program is Keynote™ which is a Mac-only program. Again, export it to something all computers will be able to open.

TPT Sellers: Treat Your Business Seriously

At one point, I think most of us have treated our TPT business as a hobby. I have! Unfortunately, treating our business as hobbies tends to bring down the quality of work and the resistance to invest in our business. TPT can earn you thousands of dollars, if you work it properly. You shouldn’t have to invest a fortune into it, but there are a few items to consider buying.

TPT Seller Premium Membership (About $60US) – do this when you are starting to get some sales
Commercial use clipart and fonts – this will bring some quality and uniqueness to your products
Pdf flattener and securer – I personally use Flatpack by Bearwood Labs (not an affiliate link)

Later on, consider purchasing a website, email, etc.

The TPT Journey can be quite enjoyable. All of the above mistakes can be removed with a little intentional time given to product creation.