The Teachers Pay Teachers website launched over a decade ago. Since then, it’s revolutionized the way that teachers create, share, and find engaging resources for their classrooms. More than 2 out of 3 teachers have used a TPT product. But with over three million resources available, you might be wondering if the market is oversaturated? Is there any room for a new seller in the marketplace? Can you still make money on Teachers Pay Teachers?
The short answer is YES! Of course you can still make money on Teachers Pay Teachers!
In fact, I’d argue that now is the best time to enter the online world of selling teaching resources!
(Psst! Looking for more TPT seller tips? Check out How to Sell on Teachers Pay Teachers and The Most Important Tool You Need as a Teachers Pay Teachers Seller!)
Can You Still Make Money on Teachers Pay Teachers?
Now is actually the best time to start!
Covid-19 and the mess that is 2020 is actually increasing the need for resources on Teachers Pay Teachers. This past year has created some of the biggest shifts that education has seen this century. We’re teaching differently. We’re being forced to learn new things faster than is possible.
Teachers are overwhelmed. Between learning new technology, juggling hybrid classrooms, and trying to make virtual learning engaging, there’s simply no time to hone our craft or pour endless hours into creating the perfect lessons.
That’s where Teachers Pay Teachers comes in. Overwhelmed teachers are able to simply search, find, and buy a teacher-approved lesson to meet their needs.
Teachers Are Spending More on Time-Saving Resources
When a teacher buys from Teachers Pay Teachers, they might be receiving a unit plan, a worksheet, or a slideshow, but what they’re really paying for is more time.
Lately, time has become even more scarce, so teachers are more willing to spend a few dollars to get it back.
Teachers simply do not have time to create every unit, worksheet, or activity themselves. They need help, and, unfortunately, it’s not coming from administration, the government, or communities. The only place where most teachers can find real help is from other teachers.
Teachers Pay Teachers provides a streamlined marketplace for teachers to find what they need to get through the next day or week.
Personally, I don’t flinch at buying a twenty or thirty dollar unit bundle if it saves me a whole weekend or two of planning. I’d gladly exchange that money for some precious time with my fiance or working on activities that fill me up, rather than drain me.
2020 basically poured gasoline on all of our lessons, experience, and the units we keep on-hand for emergencies right before lighting all of it on fire.
Even the most experienced teachers are suddenly left starting from scratch with no time to figure it out and start over.
If you can offer resources that save teachers time, then you can absolutely make Teachers Pay Teachers worth it for you!
Competition is Actually Lower
From experience, I can tell you that there’s been a shift in buyer habits during this back-to-school season. Conversions for me are up, even on products that haven’t had an update in years. Teachers need help more than ever before.
If you’re intimidated by competition, now is actually the best time to start! Yes, there are millions of resources, but there are far, far fewer of the digital resources that teachers desperately need right now.
Any resource that can quickly be uploaded to a digital classroom is selling like crazy.
Here are some ideas for virtual and hybrid friendly teaching resources:
- Slideshow presentations
- Worksheets as Google Docs
- Quizzes as Google Forms
- Rubrics as Google Sheets
- Digital escape rooms
- Webquests
Educators are desperate for some activities and lessons that can be used in their new online classrooms.
There has probably never been so little competition for tech-friendly products!
There Are More Buyers Than Ever Before
2020 has provided an increased customer base for Teachers Pay Teachers.
Experienced teachers who were comfortable creating their own resources and who even enjoyed it are using TPT more to save precious time.
New teachers are receiving less in-person mentoring, which means they’re turning to the internet for help.
Educators in general are becoming more tech savvy and more trusting of online products.
The tumultuous times have increased teacher turnover, which means more substitutes and inexperienced teachers needing helpful resources.
A larger pool of viewers, shoppers, and buyers means more potential for sales.
Teachers are More Comfortable Making Purchases Online
Since the lockdown, more and more consumers are becoming comfortable with making their purchases online–this includes educators.
Teachers who would have never dreamed of buying a single book online are now ordering groceries, medication, and essentials from the internet. This shift in consumer behavior extends to buying teaching plans online as well.
As more individuals get comfortable buying online, more and more people are turning to the internet to get what they need. And who do teachers trust the most? Other teachers!
It’s no wonder that more educators are turning to Teachers Pay Teachers.
Teachers Have Access to More Funds to Spend on TPT
Ok, but what about the teachers that can’t afford to buy teaching resources? With covid running rampant, many are tightening their purse strings and being wary about making unnecessary purchases.
While this is true for many families, teachers have more options than ever before when it comes to funding for TPT resources.
In just the last year, Teachers Pay Teachers launched School Access.
TPT School Access allows teachers to make purchases using school funds, rather than their own! This is helping to make paid resources much more accessible to cash-strapped educators.
Another development is TPT Classfund, a crowdsourcing option for Teachers Pay Teachers resources. Teachers can now create a wishlist of Teachers Pay Teachers resources, share it with their community, and let others donate. It’s like a TPT-specific Donors Choose.
Lastly, if a new crowdsourcing platform is overwhelming, teachers can now add TPT products to their Donors Choose lists. Donors Choose has been a trusted crowdsourcing platform for educators for years. Its partnership with TPT will only make it easier for educators to get the resources that they desperately need.
Even if individual educators are struggling financially, there are now more funding options than ever before. In the past, teachers always had to pay out of their own pocket for resources; now they can ask for funds from their administration or community!
But Can I Really Make Money on Teachers Pay Teachers?
Ultimately, whether or not you make decent earnings from Teachers Pay Teachers comes down to how consistently you work on your store.
If you can dedicate twenty minutes to growing your TPT store every day, I think you’ll be pleased with your progress over the course of a year.
Like with all things, however, inconsistent, lazy, or mediocre effort won’t produce results.
If you’re already creating resources for your classroom that work for you and your students, then I KNOW you have what it takes to make some money on Teachers Pay Teachers.
With TPT, there is always room for innovative, creative, and–most importantly–time-saving resources. Recently, though, with the increased need for virtual products, there’s even more space for newcomers.
Teaching is ever-changing and evolving. Educators are never going to need less material, less help, less free time, or fewer choices for their unique students.
If you can offer any of the above to the teaching world, then you are doing a disservice by NOT selling your teaching resources!
Want to learn how to get started on Teachers Pay Teachers? Check out my blog post How To Sell on Teachers Pay Teachers OR check out my self-paced course for getting your business up and running, TPT Profitability!
Conclusion: Can You Still Make Money on Teachers Pay Teachers?
Absolutely, but the best time to start is now.
I began selling on Teachers Pay Teachers almost three years ago. I made $10 my first month, and I was ecstatic. Knowing I had created something that another teacher had found valuable was an indescribable feeling.
From there, my earnings have continued to grow. Now, my earnings help me make extra retirement contributions, stay debt-free, and plan a wedding.
The only guaranteed way to not succeed with Teachers Pay Teachers is to never try.