Page last reviewed on 9/23/2026. Pages are reviewed annually.
Merchandise sales transactions to help support your unit are not considered a charitable contribution, and therefore cannot be processed through a gift fund.
If your unit is considering selling merchandise so that the proceeds can benefit your department, there are a number of considerations to take into account including:
- Administrative burden: Does the volume of potential sales and any net revenue offset the administrative work involved?
- You must coordinate with UW Trademarks & Licensing, which must approve any designs.
- You must purchase from a vendor approved by UW Trademarks & Licensing.
- You may need to register as a wholesaler.
- You are responsible for collecting and tracking sales taxes.
- You must plan internal controls for receiving payments, including connecting with UW Merchant Services to set up an approved method of collecting credit card payments.
- Revenue from merchandise sales is assessed the institutional overhead.
- There are additional considerations including records management & retention, and accounting for inventory.
If your department is still interested in exploring merchandise sales options, please connect with someone in the CAS Finance and Operations to make sure you're aware of and planning for all of the considerations.