Page last reviewed on 10/9/2026. Pages are reviewed annually.
Merchandise sales associated with your unit are not considered charitable contributions and therefore cannot be processed as gift revenue through a gift fund.
If your unit is selling or considering selling merchandise to benefit your department, there are several considerations t keep in mind before proceeding:
- Administrative burden: Does the volume of potential sales and the anticipated net revenue offset the administrative cost involved, including staff time for tracking and fulfillment?
- Have you coordinated with UW Trademarks & Licensing? All designs must be approved.
- Have you confirmed that you are purchasing items through a UW Trademarks & Licensing approved vendor? This is a requirement.
- Have you checked whether you are required to register as a wholesaler?
In general:
- You are responsible for collecting and tracking sales taxes associated with item sales.
- You must plan internal controls for receiving payments, including connecting with UW Merchant Services to set up an approved credit card processing account. You cannot use the online gift portal for these transactions.
- Revenue from merchandise sales is assessed institutional overhead; please factor this into your net revenue calculations and processing plans.
- You are responsible for all records management and retention policies related to these sales, including inventory tracking.
If your department is still interested in exploring merchandise sales options, please connect with CAS-AST for final approval.