How to Sell Teaching Resources: A Starting Guide
Learning how to sell teaching resources usually starts with a few honest questions about your materials, your time, and your school's policies. This guide is a self-assessment checklist. Each section asks what you need to know and points you to the people and sources who can help you confirm the answer.
Are you ready to start selling teaching resources?
Before you think about stores or prices, take stock of where you are. Readiness is less about having a large catalog and more about having a few resources you trust.
Self-check:
- Do I have at least a handful of resources I have used successfully with students?
- Can I describe clearly who each resource is for, including grade level and subject?
- Do I have regular time, even a small amount each week, to prepare and list products?
- Am I comfortable answering questions from buyers I do not know?
- What is my goal: extra income, sharing my work more widely, or building something larger over time?
Write your answers down. They will guide many of the decisions that follow.
What does your district say about selling teacher-made materials?
This step deserves attention before anything else goes public. Districts can have different policies about materials created by employees, and policies may depend on when, where, and how the materials were made.
Self-check:
- Have I read my district's employee handbook or intellectual property policy?
- Did I create these resources on my own time and my own equipment, or during paid work?
- Were any of them made as part of a curriculum committee or paid project?
- Does my contract or bargaining agreement mention outside work or teacher-created materials?
Who to ask: your union representative, your human resources office, or an attorney who works with educators. Search for your district name plus "intellectual property policy" to see whether it is posted online.
Is everything in your resources yours to sell?
Many classroom materials include pieces that came from somewhere else: fonts, clip art, photos, songs, passages from books, or worksheet templates. Using something in your own classroom can be different from selling it.
Self-check:
- Do I know the source and license of every image, font, and graphic in each file?
- Have I quoted or reproduced any published text, and if so, how much?
- Did I adapt anything from a colleague or a shared folder?
- Do I have written permission where I need it?
Where to verify: copyright.gov offers general background on copyright and fair use. Search for "commercial use license" alongside the name of any font or graphics source you use, and read the terms directly from the creator. When in doubt, replace borrowed elements with your own work.
How will buyers receive and use your resources?
Think through the buyer's experience from purchase to classroom.
Self-check:
- Will I deliver PDFs, editable files, or Google Drive, Google Slides, or Google Docs links?
- Do I know how to share a file so each buyer gets their own copy?
- Have I written a short terms-of-use note that explains how the resource may be used?
- Have I asked a colleague to test a file as if they were a new buyer?
Where to verify: Google's help center explains current sharing options. Search for "Google Drive make a copy link" to learn the basics. Peer seller communities are also a good place to ask how others handle delivery and updates.
Where will you sell, and how will you get paid?
Sellers often weigh large marketplaces against running their own store. There is no single right answer, so compare what matters to you.
Self-check:
- What percentage of each sale would I keep in each option?
- Do I want my own storefront and direct relationships with buyers?
- How will payments reach me, and how quickly?
- Can I sell to schools and districts that may need invoices or purchase orders?
Classroom Clearinghouse gives each creator their own store, pays sellers directly through their own Stripe account, and takes 0% commission on flat yearly plans. Stripe's own website (stripe.com) explains how payouts and accounts work. Read the terms of any platform you consider.
Have you thought about taxes and recordkeeping?
Income from selling resources may have tax implications, and digital product sales may raise sales tax questions depending on where you and your buyers are. This guide does not offer tax or legal conclusions.
Self-check:
- Do I have a simple system for tracking sales and expenses?
- Do I know whether I need a business license or registration in my city or state?
- Do I know whether my state treats digital downloads as taxable?
Where to verify: irs.gov for general self-employment information, your state's department of revenue for sales tax questions, sba.gov for business registration guides, and a CPA for advice on your situation.
How will teachers find your resources?
Even a great resource needs a way to be discovered.
Self-check:
- Which colleagues, social channels, or email contacts could I share my store with?
- Do I have clear titles, descriptions, and preview images for each product?
- Could a free sample introduce new teachers to my work?
Search for "how creators promote a resource store" and ask peers in seller groups what has worked for them.
Where to learn more
- Your district's employee handbook and intellectual property policy.
- copyright.gov for general copyright and fair use information.
- sba.gov for free small business planning guides and local advising centers.
- irs.gov, searching "self-employed individuals tax center."
- Your state's department of revenue for sales tax on digital goods.
- Google's help center for Drive, Slides, and Docs sharing settings.
- stripe.com for how seller payouts work.
- Seller communities and forums for peer experience.
Questions to bring to an expert
- Union rep or HR: "Am I allowed to sell materials I created, and are there limits?"
- Attorney: "What should my terms of use cover for individual teachers versus whole schools?"
- CPA: "What records should I keep from day one?"
- State revenue office: "Do I need to collect sales tax on digital teaching resources?"
Classroom Clearinghouse is teacher-owned and veteran-owned, and it is here when you are ready to open a store of your own.