How much can teachers make selling resources?
Nobody can tell you in advance what your resources will earn, and we won't try. What we can show is exactly what you receive per sale and which factors make the biggest difference.
Short answer: How much teachers make selling resources depends on how many resources they offer, how good and how needed they are, and how they're priced. Nobody can promise a figure. On TeachLessons the per-sale math is fixed: you keep 70% of net revenue, which is 67.9% of the price, so a $4.99 resource pays $3.39 per sale.
Why is there no typical income for selling teaching resources?
Income from selling resources is the product of two numbers: what you earn per sale, and how many sales you make. The first is fixed and easy to calculate. The second depends on things nobody can know in advance: how many teachers need what you made, how they find it, how it compares with other options, and how much time you keep putting in.
That's why you'll see very different stories from teacher-authors. Some earn a little each month from a handful of resources. Others build a large catalog over years. Income claims without context, especially screenshots of a single good month, tell you little about what will happen to you.
Our position: we can't promise a number of sales, and we don't publish income figures for sellers. We'll show you the math and the factors you control.
How much do I earn per sale on TeachLessons?
You keep 70% of net revenue. Net revenue is the price the customer actually paid (after any discount, without sales tax or VAT) minus a 3% payment processing cost. In one line: payout per sale = price x 0.97 x 0.70 = 67.9% of the price.
| Price | Your payout per sale |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $0.68 |
| $3.00 | $2.04 |
| $3.50 | $2.38 |
| $4.99 | $3.39 |
| $10.00 | $6.79 |
| $20.00 | $13.58 |
| $24.99 | $16.97 |
| $50.00 | $33.95 |
Take $10.00 as a worked example: the payment cost is $0.30, net revenue is $9.70, you receive $6.79 and TeachLessons keeps $2.91. Use the payout calculator for any other price.
There's no membership, sign-up, annual, listing or per-resource fee. That matters more than it sounds: with no fixed costs, there is no number of sales you need just to cover fees.
What does the math look like over a month?
Monthly income is just payout per sale multiplied by sales, added up across resources. The rows below are arithmetic, not forecasts. They show how the pieces combine, and the sales numbers are placeholders for you to replace with your own.
| Example | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 10 sales of a $4.99 resource | 10 x $3.39 | $33.90 |
| 10 sales of a $10.00 resource | 10 x $6.79 | $67.90 |
| 4 sales of a $24.99 unit | 4 x $16.97 | $67.88 |
| 2 sales of a $50.00 course pack | 2 x $33.95 | $67.90 |
Notice that the same total can come from many cheap sales or a few expensive ones. Which path suits you depends on what you make: quick worksheets naturally sell at lower prices than a full unit. Refunded orders aren't paid out, and an amount already paid for a refunded sale is deducted from the next payout.
What actually drives sales of teaching resources?
Six factors make most of the difference, and you control each of them to some degree.
Number of resources
Each resource is another way for a buyer to find you. A catalog of related resources also means one buyer who likes your work has something else to buy.
Quality and clarity
Resources that are accurate, easy to use and come with answer keys get bought again by the same teachers. Weak previews hide good resources.
Demand
A brilliant resource for a topic few teachers teach will sell less than a solid one for a topic every class covers. Check what teachers search for.
Pricing
Price by the time a resource saves a teacher. Underpricing a large unit can cost more than it gains. Our optional suggestion is at least $4.99 for a single resource.
Fit to curriculum
Buyers look for their grade, subject and standards. Clear labels for grade range and curriculum help the right teacher find you.
Time
Resources keep selling for as long as they're listed. A catalog built steadily over months tends to look very different from one uploaded in a weekend.
Does selling in more than one place increase earnings?
It can, because each channel reaches buyers the others may not. TeachLessons has no exclusivity, so you can sell the same resources on your own website and other marketplaces, unless you've signed an exclusive deal elsewhere for a specific resource.
On TeachLessons we write your product pages, including titles, descriptions, FAQ, SEO and structured data, set up your author page and build landing pages for your resources. That saves you listing time, but it isn't a guarantee of sales. Read more in a second sales channel for your resources.
When and how is the money paid?
Payouts are made once a month, by the 15th, for the previous month's sales, via PayPal in US dollars, with a statement listing every sale. Report any error on a statement within 6 weeks. Details are on how seller payouts work.
You are responsible for taxes on your own income, so what you take home depends on your situation. Ask a tax advisor in your country. If the law requires TeachLessons to withhold tax from a payout, for example German withholding tax on payments to sellers outside Germany, it's deducted and you get a confirmation.
How do I find out what my resources earn?
The only reliable way is to put some resources on sale and watch. Apply with the short application form, send your final files with previews and thumbnails in one email to support@stifo.de, and look at your monthly statements. They'll show which resources sell, which don't, and where to spend your next evening of work.
If you're just starting, how to start selling teaching resources walks through the seven steps.
Frequently asked questions
How much do teachers make selling resources?
It varies widely and depends on how many resources you offer, their quality, demand and pricing. Nobody can promise a figure; on TeachLessons you keep 67.9% of the price on every sale.
How much do I keep from a $4.99 sale?
$3.39. You keep 70% of net revenue, where net revenue is the price minus a 3% payment processing cost.
Are there fees that reduce my earnings?
No. There's no membership, sign-up, annual, listing or per-resource fee. The only deductions are the 3% processing cost and TeachLessons' 30% of net revenue.
Can TeachLessons promise a number of sales?
No. We set up your product pages, author page and landing pages, but we can't promise how many sales any resource will make.
What happens to earnings if a sale is refunded?
Refunded orders aren't paid out. If that sale was already paid to you, the amount is deducted from your next payout.
Does a discount or store-wide sale reduce my payout?
Yes, because your share is based on the price the customer actually paid. You can opt out of store-wide sales by email at any time.
Ready to sell your teaching resources?
Apply with the short form. We email you the seller documents, you send your final files with previews and thumbnails, and we set up your product pages, your author page and landing pages. You keep 70% of net revenue, with no fees and no exclusivity.
Keep reading
General information about the TeachLessons Seller Program, not legal, tax or financial advice. The signed Seller Agreement sets out the binding terms. Questions: support@stifo.de.