Scheduling your fair
We work very hard to work with your preferred dates, however, we do operate on a first come first served basis. Enter your preferred dates into our Fundraiser Application. If dates are full a message will display.
We understand that the unexpected sometimes happens. If you need to cancel, extend, delay, or change your book fair dates, please contact your sales rep as soon as possible. In rare cases the school may be responsible for reimbursing any marketing and/or shipping expenses.
We have found that the best fairs last one week. Many schools set up their book fair on Friday afternoon so it is ready to open first thing Monday morning, then start packing up Friday around lunch time so it is ready for pick up Friday afternoon.
Yes, due to the cost of shipping we have a minimum book fair sale of $4,000. We also offer mini book fairs that have a minimum sale of $1,000 and online book fairs that have no minimum.
What to Expect
Throughout the process, you will work with an I55 customer service representative who is dedicated to helping you make this your best book fair ever! Here's what you can expect:
- 6+ weeks before your fair - Schedule your book fair
Complete the Fundraiser Application to add your book fair to our calendar. - 1-3 weeks before the book fair - Generate excitement
I55 sends marketing material for you to use in promoting your fair. - 0-4 days before the book fair - Receive inventory
Your book fair will be delivered by a 3rd party shipping company. When your shipment arrives, set up your book fair "store". - During the book fair you are responsible for all sales including the collection of monies and sales tax. Run all transactions through the POS register included with your fair. The register can process credit cards, cash or check payments.
- 0-4 days after the book fair - Return inventory
Pack up the remaining inventory and I55 will arrange for it to be returned in the same manner it was delivered. - Within 1-2 weeks of receiving your book fair at our warehouse, I55 will send your final invoice showing your profit received and any monies owed from cash and check payments collected that need to be remitted to I55.
As we utilize third-party freight companies, your customer service rep will communicate with you and the freight company to schedule both delivery and pick-up times that work with your school's business hours.
Delivery: This depends on your distance from our warehouse, however the books usually arrive in the middle of the week prior to the book fair (Wednesday or Thursday for a fair that starts Monday), unless you request otherwise.
Full Fair Pick Up: Most schools have their book fair picked up on Friday afternoon (usually the last day of the book fair) or the following Monday. You will be responsible for packing your book fair in the same manner it arrived before the scheduled pick-up time.
Mini Fair Pick Up: You will need to pack up the remaining books, weight the boxes and send the total number of boxes and weights to your customer service rep. We will email UPS return labels for you to apply to the boxes. If your school has regular UPS pick-ups, you may include the boxes in the next pick up. Otherwise, you will need to drop off the boxes at a UPS drop off site. If you would prefer to schedule a UPS pick up instead of dropping off the boxes, the school will be responsible for the associated pick up costs.
Most often the book fairs are delivered using a third-party freight company. It will arrive packed in cardboard.
At this time we do not have rolling bookcases to display our products. The books arrive in cardboard boxes. You are responsible for removing the books from the boxes (save the boxes for return shipping) and finding a suitable location to display them. We do provide display containers for all our novelty items. Additionally, reusable cardboard book displays can be purchased here.
The books will arrive in cardboard boxes. You are responsible for removing them from the boxes (save all packing materials for return shipping) and setting them up for display. Reusable cardboard book displays can be purchased here.
You will need to supply your own tables to display your fair. Depending on the size of your school, we recommend a minimum of 10 8-ft tables.
Yes! At our book fairs books are sold at their regular retail price. Your book fair inventory will include a wide range of books starting at $4.99.
Because we do not pre-screen special requests, we do not send them to book fairs. However, we do allow you to use your commission to purchase any book we can get from our vendors.
The books arrive packed in cardboard boxes and labeled by category. You are responsible for unpacking the boxes and displaying the books on your own tables, bookshelves, or book carts. All of our novelty items come with display bins. At this time we do not have rolling carts or bookshelves, however, reusable cardboard book displays can be purchased here.
The books are presorted by category before being packed into boxes. Each box for traditional fairs are labeled with the category name so that you can organize the books before you even take them out of their boxes.
Please refer to the list of categories with target age range and category description below.
Novelties are all our non-book items (e.g. pencils, erasers, bookmarks, posters, wearables, etc.)
The final number of titles depends on the size of your school, your book fair projected sales and any special requests. The average book fair receives around 400-500 different titles, with each title having several copies.
Our categories are listed below along with the general age range and a short description. Click the category name to view products in that category.
CATEGORY, AGE RANGE & DESCRIPTION
6 - 10 Years, Under 100 pages, short chapters and large font for kids just starting to read chapter books.
Ex. Magic Tree House Series
8 - 12 Years, 100+ pages, longer chapters, medium font for kids reading independently.
Ex. Ramona Quimby
10 - 14 Years, 200+ pages, full-length chapters and regular font; content more appropriate for kids 10+.
Ex. The Penderwicks
13 - 17 Years, 200+ pages, full-length chapters and regular font; content more appropriate for teens.
Ex. The Giver
4 - 8 Years, Guided reading with increasing levels of difficulty for those just starting to read.
Ex. I Can Read Series
1 - 4 Years, Books with thick cardboard-like pages.
3 - 8 Years Read to me picutre books with color illustrations.
All ages, Stories that have stood the test of time.
Ex. Tom Sawyer, The Chronicles of Narnia, Charlotte's Web
Any book in a comic format that resembles a novel in length and narrative development.
All ages. Devotionals and spiritual development books for all ages.
All Ages, The Word of God in various versions and formats for kids, teens, and adults.
4 - 18 Years, Non-fiction books about historical events and people's lives.
4 - 18 Years, Everything else! Joke books, LEGO books, cook books, world record books, poetry books, how-to books, etc.
All Ages, Boxed sets of the most beloved series. These make GREAT gifts!
All Ages, Books specific to a season: Christmas, Easter, or Fall.
All Ages Novelties are all our non-book items (e.g. pencils, erasers, bookmarks, posters, wearables, etc.).
Promoting your Fair
We ship marketing & promotional materials about a month before your book fair. If you have not received it by then, please contact your customer service rep.
We provide book fair posters, a banner, yard signs, and flyers for the students to take home.
Absolutely! Current book fair admins can find all the graphics for our current theme and our logos on the admin homepage. Contact your customer service rep if you need ideas for promoting your book fair. Don't forget to tag us @I55Bookfairs!
During your Fair
We always do our best to make sure your school has enough products at your book fair. If you do sell out of a product you can order it through the POS register to be shipped either to the school or the customer's home.
Yes, we provide bags for check out.
Yes, your register will arrive already set up to add your local sales tax amount to the item price. Please contact your customer service rep if your register is not adding sales tax, or if the tax rate is incorrect.
NOTE: Even if your school is tax-exempt, the individual buyers at your book fair are not tax-exempt. All transactions in your register will be charged sales tax.
Please contact your customer service rep if your school or another tax-exempt organization would like to purchase books under their tax-exempt status.
I55 will remit the collected sales tax to the appropriate jurisdiction.
Your Book Fair sales, or any portion of your fair sales, can only be considered tax-exempt if your school is legally exempt from taxation and you have a current valid tax-exempt certificate containing a tax-exempt ID number for your school. Under most circumstances, even with proper documentation, only purchases made by your school with school funds for your school's use can be exempt from sales tax.
Yes. The register can process credit cards, but you may also accept cash or checks (made payable to your school). You may want to have a cash box or other type of place to put cash & checks you collect. I55 does not send cash boxes.
We generally recommend you have $100 per register in the below denominations. Of course, if you expect a large number of cash transactions, you may want more, or if you expect mostly credit card transactions, you won't need as much.
2 rolls of pennies ($1)
1 roll of nickles ($2)
1 roll of dimes ($5)
1 roll of quarters ($10)
22 1-dollar bills ($22)
8 5-dollar bills ($40)
2 10-dollar bills ($20)
Our registers are about the size of a large cell phone and are very user-friendly. In addition, we include a POS instruction manual.
Yes! We use Shopify POS GO as our register system. They devices are lightweight, portable, easy to set up and user-friendly. Simply scan the bar code and the item is added to the sale. Please note: the register is about the size of a large smartphone and does not include a place to store cash/checks. You may want to have a cash box on hand for this purpose as I55 does not provide a cash box.
Usually, we send 1-2 registers for each $5000 in projected sales. And since the system is cloud-based, we can turn any Android or Apple device into a register if the need arises. If you feel you need more than the number provided, please contact your customer service rep.
Rewards
Yes, all fairs are set up with the ability for online sales. Contact your customer service rep if you need your school's custom shop page link.
During your fair, you can spend your Book Bucks by ringing in the transaction and selecting "Book Bucks Invoice" as the method of payment.
After your fair, you can spend your Book Bucks online by logging into i55bookfairs.com, adding items to your card and selecting the option to pay using Book Bucks at checkout.
When you sell books at your book fair you collect cash and check payments (credit card payments come directly to I55). After your fair you will receive an invoice from I55 for the cash and check payments you collected.
If you choose to earn cash commission, we deduct your cash commission earned from what you collected in cash and check payments, so the amount on the invoice is less than the amount of cash and check payments you collected. The difference is your book fair cash commission.
If you choose to earn book bucks, you will be invoiced for the full amount of cash and check payments you collected, but your book bucks will appear as a credit on your account to use toward your book purchase. After 1 year of inactivity, we will contact you about cashing out the commission on your account.
With I55 you can choose if you want your fundraiser earnings in cash commission, book bucks, or a combination of both.
If your book fair net sales total is $4000 or greater ($1000 or greater for a mini fair), you can choose to earn 20% cash commission or 40% book bucks commission.
Online fairs earn 25% cash commission or 50% book bucks commission.
Book bucks can be spent at the end of the fair before books are returned, or they can remain on your account to be used to purchase books in the future. With book bucks you are not limited to a catalog or a specific vendor. If we can get the books you can use your book bucks to purchase them. After 1 year of inactivity, we will contact you about cashing out the commission on your account.
General
We occasionally put books on clearance on our website, but we do not send discounted books to our fairs.
The register system we use has an option to apply a discount to the sale. It is at the discretion of the Book Fair Coordinator if you want to discount items for teachers or volunteers. However, please note that any items you choose to discount at the point of sale will be deducted from your book bucks commission.
Yes! You can purchase gift cards here and redeem them at any I55 book fair event or on our website. Consider gifting one to your favorite teacher or librarian!
At this time we do not offer a monthly book club. This is on our to-do list and we hope to have it up and running sooner rather than later.
Although we do not participate in AR, most of our Pre-K–8th grade books are listed on AR. You will see less of our 9th–12th grade books on AR.
Yes, in addition to books we also carry Bibles, Christian CD's & DVD's, posters, journals, novelty items, and more.
We have books for all ages and reading levels from board books to Christian grand-parenting! You can browse our current available inventory here.
Our typical fair is tailored to grades K-5th. If you want us to include books for older or younger students, please indicate such on the Fundraiser Application.
At this time we do not offer ebooks or audiobooks.