FAQ's

Q: Do we have to charge sales tax for book fairs?

    A: No, you do not have to charge sales tax for book fairs as long as you abide by the following program.

        1.) You are a non-profit organization and can provide us with your tax I.D. number.

        2.) All individual's checks are made out to your organization. You can accept cash. 

        3.) You cannot use a credit card machine provided by, and in the name of the book fair company. If a sale
             is made on such a credit card machine, it is made by the company itself and bypasses your non-profit
             organization and is therefore taxable.

        4.) Signage with our name on it, Personalized Book Fairs, cannot be the predominant name announcing the
             book fair. This is your school's book fair provided by Personalized Book Fairs. Most signage will be
             made by your school.

         5.)You will write one check out of your non-profit organizations checking account to Personalized Book Fairs
             to complete your fair. 

        Two such events are allowed each school year tax free.

Q: How are your books delivered?

    A: Our book fairs arrive in one of two ways:

        1.) Packed in boxes that you unload and display on tabletops.

        2.) Delivered in pre-packed wooden bookcases that roll in for easy display.

Q: What are the advantages of each?

    A: 1.) Tabletop book fairs allow for more of each title to be shipped meaning less backorders. It also
            allows for better merchandising. Nothing gets lost on the shelves. These fairs are more work but
            generally lead to about a 15% increase in sales over the pre-packed bookcases at the same school.

          2.) Pre-packed display cases saves you time and energy for set-up and take-down. Two people,
            along with our driver, can have our book fair ready to go in about an hour. 

Q: Can we ask for specific books or do I have to pick from a list?

    A: That's what started it all.  We encourage input from your school. We will send you a list of the books heading your way.
        You do not have to go through the entire booklist checking off all those you would like to receive. If you were to do
        nothing with the list all grade appropriate books will come. However, if there are titles you don't wish to receive, or
        there are titles you would like to see at your fair but are not currently on our list, please let us know in advance. We
        need at least two weeks notice for removing books and four weeks notice for additional titles. 

Q: Do you have sales flyers for the students to take home?

    A: We do not. Personalizing the book fairs means that many times schools do not pick the same books to be included in
        their fairs. With your book fair we will send a standard 8"x 11" paper with as many titles as we can put on it that
        will be included in your fair. Those sheets will also send your parents to our website personalizedbookfairs.com
        for a book cover and a brief synopsis of the titles on the list.

Q: How are backorders handled?

    A: Our book fairs are packed based on grade levels and enrollment. A big school gets more of each title, a middle school
        -- more middle school titles, etc. When backorders do occur we try to have them with us at the time of pick-up.
        On specially requested selections we will get backorders to you in two to three weeks.

Q: How long are your book fairs?

    A: Here's another aspect of our personalization. There is no set time period. We try to work with you as much as possible...
         setting the delivery for the day before your fair starts, and setting up pick-up for the day after it ends.  Some schools
         take it for ten days, some two, but most for a week. 

Q: Will you supply us with a credit card machine and/or cash register?  

    A: No. In order for you to remain a tax free fund-raiser you cannot make sales through our credit card processor. 
        We do not collect your total sales and then send back your profits. You will make a final sale tally and send us
        our portion only. 

Q: Do I have to do inventory when coming in or going out?

    A: No. There are thousands of books, we've already done the counting when loading and we'll do it again when unloading.      

Q: Do I have to state that I am taking my profits in books or cash before the fair starts.

    A: No. You can even mix and match taking a portion of your profits in books and the remainder in cash after you've seen
        the fair. Many times the librarian will see a few new books that they weren't even aware of.  

Q: How far in advance do I need to schedule my Personalized Book Fair?

    A: If we're going to do our program right, and that is with your input, we truly need a minimum of 4 weeks before
         the scheduled start date. We have a high season that runs from the middle of October through Thanksgiving 
         where we fill-up early.  Anytime parent teacher conferences are going on throughout the year we are busy.
         Take out the guess work and book it now.