7 Tips Every Teachers Pay Teachers User Should Know

7 Tips Every Teachers Pay Teachers User Should Know  is a post that I’ve been wanting to write for a long time!  In the three years (or yikes, has it been four?) that I’ve been buying and selling on TpT, I’ve learned quite a few tips and tricks. Whether you are a teacher, parent, homeschool mom or dad, or any other user on Teachers Pay Teachers, these points are sure to make your searching, shopping, buying, and/or downloading experience more efficient! *Please note that all opinions are mine.  I was not asked to write this post, I chose to write it in hopes of making your TpT experience better. =)

7 Tips Every Teachers Pay Teachers User Should Know

Tip #1 CATEGORY POWER

After searching on the site, use the categories on the left to narrow down your search results!

Tip #2 THE POWER OF CUSTOM CATEGORIES

We all have our go-to teacher authors!  Don’t forget that many of us use custom categories that can help you find what you are looking for.

Tip #3  THE POWER OF THE STORE SEARCH FEATURE

Every store has it’s own search feature!  Are you in your favorite TpT store again?  There’s another easy way to find what you’re looking for.

Tip #4 THE POWER OF TPT CREDITS

Are you taking advantage of FREE TpT money?  Leave feedback on your purchases!

According to TpT, “You get one TpT Credit for every $ you spend on TpT. Thing is, you only get the Credits after you Provide Feedback — both a fair rating and a fair comment — on the items that you purchase. We will round up for you, too! If you provide fair feedback on a $4.75 item, you will earn 5 credits. Every 100 Credits is worth $5 that you can apply towards future TpT purchases, but there is no need to wait until you have 100 to redeem them. 50 credits is worth $2.50, for example.”

How do you redeem these credits?  “When you check out, you will be given the option of applying your TpT Credits to your purchase, thereby discounting your purchase price accordingly.”  This has been especially fun to use during TpT sales! #discountsANDfeedbackcreditsOhMy!

How do you know if you’ve left feedback?  All you need to do is log into TpT, go to My TpT > My Purchases and then click on “Sort by: Needs Feedback.” Rate and comment your heart out, and you will earn your credits.

Tip #4 POWER OF A PREVIEW

So many sellers spend a lot of time creating a downloadable preview to help you decide whether or not this resource would benefit you, your classroom, or your students.  Be sure to download the preview before purchasing so you know exactly what you’re getting.

Tip #5 POWER TO INTERACT

This is a BIG one!  Did you know you can interact with sellers?  If you’re really not sure if a resource is for you, or something in the description/preview wasn’t clear, you can use the “Ask a Question” tab to ask us! We will do our best to get back with you as soon as we can.  You should know that when we get a question, we do NOT automatically get any of your contact information.  The only we can interact with you is by “answering the question” through TpT.  If you want to be notified when we “answer” you MUST make sure that the box “Email me when the seller responds” is checked.  Then don’t forget to check your email for an automated email response from TpT when we do answer!

Speaking of questions…If you previously purchased a resource and you have a question, you might ask your question when leaving “feedback” for the resource.  Personally, I don’t check my “feedback” emails daily, but I check for the “question” emails multiple times a day.  If you want to make sure your question is answered, be sure to ask it in the “Ask a Question” tab and not the “Feedback” tab.  I always cringe when I realize someone asked me a question in their feedback and I didn’t see it in a timely manner!

Tip #6 POWER OF GREEN TEXT

Do you sometimes see green text within a product description?  That text is hyperlinked for your convenience.  If you click on it, it will take you to another resource listing or even a blog post.  In the example below, the green text takes you to all the individual resources included in this bundle!

Tip #7 THE POWER OF UPDATES AND REVISIONS

Thanks to my friends Tara and Hadar for reminding me about this amazing tip!

One of the BEST things about TpT is that if a teacher author updates their resource, you get all the updates for FREE! Has that ever happened when you bought a book from the teacher store? 😉

Did you know that you are notified when there are new revisions to resources you have purchased?  All you need to do is log into TpT, go to My TpT > My Purchases and then click on “Sort by: Recently revised.”  When you see the red “newly revised” text, know that you should download again for something new and improved. =)

Speaking of updates, have you heard of “growing bundles?”  I get many questions asking, “What is a growing bundle?” and “How do I get all the new updates for free?”  A growing bundle is a resource that is not yet complete.  You are getting part (or parts) of the resource, and in a sense, “pre-ordering” the rest of it.  When a buyer adds the other promised parts of the resource, you can download them using the instructions above.  And yes, the new additions/updates are totally free!

I hope those 7 powerful tips and tricks will make your TpT as smooth as possible!  Do you have any powerful TpT tips and tricks to share?  Leave them in the comments below!

Are you looking for more tips and tricks?

You can find my best printing trick here.

Also, be sure to check back soon for my “Tips and Tricks for TpT Troubleshooting” blog post!