If you’ve been wondering how to selling on Teachers Pay Teachers, you may be making the process more complicated than it needs to be. Between choosing a store name, creating a logo, figuring out your branding, and deciding which seller account to choose, it’s easy to feel like you need everything figured out before you can sell your first resource.
I’m here to tell you – you don’t.
Inside Teacher Resource Academy (TRA), we start with the basics because I want sellers to build their stores the right way from the beginning. We have members who join before they’ve even opened a TPT store, along with experienced sellers who have been on the platform for years and want to update their stores using current best practices.
You Need to Choose Your TPT Seller Account
Your first step is creating a Teachers Pay Teachers account if you don’t already have one and then signing up to become a seller.
A Basic Seller account has a one-time $29 fee, and you keep 55% of your sales. This can seem like the easier option when you’re brand new and aren’t sure how seriously you want to pursue TPT yet.
A Premium Seller account costs $59.95 per year, but you keep 80% of your sales and pay a lower transaction fee on orders under $3. The biggest advantage isn’t additional exposure or better placement in TPT search – it’s simply that you get to keep more of the money you earn.
I personally recommend starting with the Premium Seller account if you’re serious about building your store. If you pay $29 for Basic and later decide to upgrade, that original fee isn’t refunded, so you could end up paying for both.
There isn’t a wrong choice, though. Pick the option that makes the most sense for you, get your seller account set up, and then move on to the part that matters most: creating high-quality resources teachers want to buy.
Pick a Teachers Pay Teachers Store Name and Move On
Your TPT store name is important, but it shouldn’t keep you from getting started.
You can use your name, add your subject or niche, or create a separate business name. If you’re stuck, brainstorm several possibilities, check that the name isn’t already being used, choose one you like, and move forward.
Your store name can evolve. Getting your first products created and listed is much more important than coming up with the perfect name.
Keep Your TPT Branding Simple
You also don’t need professional branding before you can start selling on TPT.
Choose a profile photo or simple logo, around three brand colors, and one or two fonts. If you’re choosing colors, make sure you have enough contrast so your covers, thumbnails, and other marketing materials are easy to read.
Your branding will probably change as your TPT store grows anyway. You don’t need to have your future six-figure brand figured out before you’ve made your first sale.
Don’t Spend an Excessive Amount of Time on Your Storefront
Your storefront should look polished, but it doesn’t need to be elaborate.
Most new customers aren’t going directly to your store page. They’re searching TPT for something they need, finding your resource in the results, and clicking on the individual product listing.
Add a simple banner, your profile image, and basic information about your store. Then focus your energy on creating resources teachers are actually searching for.
Ready to Start Your TPT Store?
Are you ready to take what you’ve learned and actually put it into action? Join me for the $1K TPT Challenge.
Over three days, we’ll focus on the three pieces that matter most when building a TPT business:
DEMAND – Learn how to find what’s selling on TPT right now in your specific niche.
CREATE – Get a resource template and learn how to create a product teachers actually want to buy.
SELL – Discover the #1 mistake many TPT sellers make and how to avoid it before you even get started.
Instead of wondering what to create, you’ll walk away with a much clearer plan for turning your teaching expertise into a TPT business.
Ready to get started? Join the $1K TPT Challenge here.
