TpT Buyer Etiquette and Why it Matters

Did you have a BLAST shopping during the big Cyber Monday/Tuesday sale over at TpT?  I did too!  I grabbed some materials, some clip art, and a few freebies that I saw when perusing those awesome SLP shops!  It got me thinking about how TpT rules and expectations can be a little confusing.  So I thought I'd take a few minutes to go over basic TpT Buyer Etiquette and why it even matters... 

Read descriptions - As a seller I take a lot of time to describe my product in depth.  I tell you how many pages to expect, what's in each section of the material, if it's editable, etc.  If you don't read the description fully you may not receive the product you thought you were buying.  You cannot hold a seller responsible for your mistake there.  For example, if you assumed it would be an editable resource despite the description saying it isn't, that is not the seller's fault.  If you want a low-ink material but the preview is full of graphics and backgrounds... it may not be for you.  You wouldn't buy a shirt or pants without reading the tag to make sure it's the right size, would you?  So take the time to read, it pays off!

It's not editable... and here's why - As sellers we see that you want editable products and we would love to give those to you.  However, most of the clipart we use requires us to "secure" documents so that the graphic cannot be extracted.  We get it... those artists worked hard to create the graphics and shouldn't have to worry about it ending up in the hands of somebody who didn't pay for it.  That combined with the technology restrictions we face at times often leads to documents that are not  always editable.  You can, however, cut and paste all you like the old-school hard-copy way or use our material as a template to create the perfect document for yourself.  Again, please read descriptions to know about editable documents before purchasing.

Leave feedback... and not just ANY feedback - There are so many reasons to leave feedback.  TpT actually gives you credits for leaving feedback.  You can use those credits toward the purchase of future materials on the site.  Also, your feedback helps us to tweak documents even AFTER you purchase it!  If you see a typo, let us know and we can fix it.  Please leave detailed feedback.  A general "Thanks" is super-nice but I'd like to know what you liked about the material.  This helps me to know what to keep doing and what to not do in future products.  Your feedback also helps others to know if they should purchase the material.  Be honest... but be tactful.  We worked hard on materials and gave it our best.  We hope you like it... but please remember that your ratings effect the future of that item.  4 stars is generally a material that is well done, useful, and was as the description said it would be.  Marking down to 3 or lower is appropriate when it is not well done, useful, or as it was described.

Refer instead of sharing - You just purchased a sweet new item from your favorite SLP blogger.  It's great.  No... it's AMAZING!  You use it daily and it's well-worn.  So you mention it to your SLP buddies and think about simply e-mailing it to them.  But you don't and we love you for it!  I get it... your money is hard-earned and our materials are pretty easy to share (I mean they are typically PDFs which are already digital copies of materials) but we ask that you don't.  We worked super hard on those products, purchased the clipart that goes into them, and did so to help make your therapy life a bit easier.  Sharing them is not only in violation of copyright but it's just not nice.  So instead, we ask that you refer that SLP friend to the page where you purchased it from.  You can also purchase additional licenses for those products that you would like to share or gift.  These are typically 40-50% off the original cost and allow the material to be used by another person!

Fantastic freebies - You love freebies and we love creating them!  As with paid products, please refer instead of sharing.  The person you e-mail it to may not know about TpT and SLP bloggers... if you refer them instead of simply sharing, they may find other materials and information that will help their caseload!  E-mail them the link instead of the document... it's that simple!  Also, please take a second to leave feedback on freebies!  For example, my "Wh" Posters have been downloaded over 8,000 times but only rated 30... When leaving feedback on freebies please keep in mind that it was provided at no cost to you.  We put time into it and provided it as a freebie in hopes it's helpful!

Follow! - If you like a particular seller on TpT, you should "follow" them.  This allows you to be updated when they upload documents, be messaged occasionally regarding sales and materials, and gives you easy access to their page!  It's easy to do when you are logged into the site!  

If in doubt, ask - Even if a material is free or available for download does not mean that we would like to have it floating around on other sites.  If you would like to have the resource available to parents or other SLPs, etc. please send us an e-mail.  We may ask that you link to the product instead but some may be okay with it being directly downloadable from your site or resource page.  When we find our products out there without permission it's a bit upsetting.  We want our materials to be helpful to others which is why we make them available... if in doubt, just ask!  We're super-approachable!

Typos aren't the end of the world - Is something misspelled in a material or blog post?  Sorry... we definitely didn't mean for that to happen.  Behind the scenes, SLP bloggers are proofing the work of other SLP bloggers to help ensure the best products are uploaded but occasionally something slips through.  It's an easy fix though!  We can re-upload documents as many times as we like so just let us know and we will fix it as quickly as possible!

Why it even matters - Hi, I'm an SLP Blogger and I create materials for my therapy rooms and the therapy rooms of SLPs worldwide in my "abundant" free time.  Why?  Well I love technology, being creative, and helping others.  I find that my blog and my materials help to lessen the prep work for other SLPs and keeps me challenged!  I love it!  I love networking with you and learning from/with you.  My materials are my tiny works of art.  No, you won't hang them in your home but you will laminate them and look at them often.  I work very hard to create materials that I think you will enjoy and that will help the clients on your caseload.  I am always thinking of you... and I hope that you will think of me/us.  We wouldn't be here without your support but we can't stay here without it either.  

Please remember these bits of "etiquette" and we will continue to work VERY hard on the materials we produce!  You rock... and I truly mean that!  Thanks for reading!