The market for educational printables has exploded. It wasn’t that long ago that teachers simply used whatever textbooks or workbooks were approved by their schools. They made copies as needed but the option to buy unique educational products outside of that was nonexistent.

Today, between teachers looking to augment their classroom materials, distance learning, and parents who choose to educate their children at home, there’s a huge audience for educational printables. One of the things people want to know is who comes out on top in a comparison of Amazon Ignite vs TPT. (That’s Teachers Pay Teachers!) Here’s what you need to know.

What is Amazon Ignite?

Amazon Ignite is Amazon’s specialty store for educators. It allows educators to connect with customers who need educational products, including other educators and parents. You must be invited to join, something that Amazon requires to ensure that the products sold there meet a high standard.

Here are some key points you should know about Amazon Ignite.

• All products sold on Amazon Ignite are digital. Acceptable formats include .doc, .docx, .pdf, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, and .zip.
• Only sellers based in the United States may sell on Amazon Ignite.
• You can request an invitation by clicking here. You will need to log into your Amazon account and provide some basic information, including your email, URL of your website, and information about what types of educational material you want to sell. You’ll need to specify grade levels, subjects, and an estimate of how many products you want to sell.
• Once you are approved, you can begin to list products immediately.
• Amazon reviews all products before they are made available to customers to ensure that they meet Amazon Ignite’s quality standards.
• You will receive royalties for every product you sell. We will review the fee structure below.

With Amazon Ignite, you’ll have a huge SEO advantage thanks to Amazon’s dominance as an online retailer.

 

What is Teachers Pay Teachers?

Teachers Pay Teachers is the world’s largest website for educational resources. They have a community of over seven million educators, including 85% of all K-12 teachers in the United States. As of this writing, they offer more than five million educational resources for sale.

Joining Teachers Pay Teachers is free and there is no invitation required. Here are some of the key features of TPT you should know about.

• You can sell both digital and printed products on Teachers Pay Teachers.
• The TPT marketplace is ideal for selling whole-year curricula, study units, assessments, special education resources, social/emotional learning resources, videos, and more.
• Sellers may choose between a Basic Seller Membership and a Premium Seller Membership. The premium membership allows for higher royalties and additional features.
• While Amazon might have a larger customer base, TPT is the first choice of many professional educators and parents.

Teachers Pay Teachers offers some significant advantages to people who create and sell educational products.

Amazon Ignite vs Teachers Pay Teachers: Fee Comparison

Now that you understand the basics of Amazon Ignite and Teachers Pay Teachers, let’s do a fee comparison.

	Amazon Ignite	Teachers Pay Teachers
Subscription Fee	N/A	Basic: Free; Premium: $59.95 per year
Per-Listing Fee	$0.30 per item, applies only to items selling for less than $2.99	$0.30 Basic; $0.15 Premium, only applies to items less than $3.00
Royalty %	70%	55% Basic; 80% Premium

 

Each site has its financial advantages. If you have a lot of products to sell and you can afford the premium fee for TBT, it may be worth paying it to get the 80% royalty for premium subscribers. Amazon has no up-front costs, which may make it the more attractive option for sellers who are just getting started.

Amazon Ignite vs Teachers Pay Teachers: Sales Tax

In addition to the fee structure of Amazon Ignite and TPT, you’ll need to consider how each site handles the collection and payment of sales taxes.

Amazon Ignite makes it simple. They take responsibility for collecting and paying sales tax, which means that you won’t need to worry about any aspect of sales tax. You will, of course, need to pay income taxes on what you earn.

By contrast, TPT has a blended approach to sales tax. For some states, they handle both the collection and payment of sales taxes. You have the option of having them remit the sales tax for your sales to you, in which case you would be required to file and pay the taxes accordingly.

Amazon Ignite vs Teachers Pay Teachers: Payment to Sellers

The final comparison we want to make is in how Amazon Ignite and TPT remit payment to sellers. Both offer payments once a month.

Amazon Ignite remits payment once a month via direct deposit. There is no third party vendor, meaning you will receive your payment directly from Amazon.

Teachers Pay Teachers partnered with a third-party vendor, HyperWallet, at the end of 2021. They remit payment to sellers via HyperWallet on or about the 21^st of each month. You’ll need to create a HyperWallet account and provide your personal details to get paid. According to TPT, payments may take two to three days to reach your bank account.

What is the Best Place to Sell Educational Printables?

By now you are probably wondering which is the best place to sell educational printables: Amazon Ignite or Teachers Pay Teachers?

Each option has its advantages. If you want a streamlined process, then I think Amazon Ignite is the better option because there’s no third party go-between for payment. That means you’ll get your money more quickly than with TBT. You’ll also receive a higher royalty without an annual fee, where you would need to pay the annual fee to take advantage of the 80% royalty on TPT.

However, for some sellers who want to be part of a community of educators, TPT has its benefits. If you can afford the annual fee, you can get started selling immediately and earn higher royalties than you would with Amazon Ignite.

Keep in mind that you have the option of selling in both places and comparing your results. Neither site requires exclusivity, and it may be worthwhile to take advantage of the free accounts on each to compare your results and income.

Conclusion

When comparing Amazon Ignite vs TPT, there are advantages to both. Whether you already sell educational printables or want to get into that niche, the information here will help you evaluate your options and make the best choice for your products.

Do you need assistance creating and selling educational printables? Click here to work directly with me!