Rules & Resources
Newspaper Support Center

Third-Party Sales Guidelines and Rules

(U.S. and Canadian Newspaper Publications)

PURCHASER

Name of Purchaser

A newspaper needs to know the name of the business entity that is purchasing third-party sales newspapers. If there are multiple purchasers for one program, then the names of all businesses must be known.

If the third-party sales program is one in which the program is funded by vacation donations, then the following guidelines apply:

  • A general fund for third-party sales is not acceptable.
  • When the subscriber is solicited for the vacation donation, they must be given a choice as to how that donation will be used (e.g., Meals-on-Wheels, newspapers to nursing home patients, hospital patients, etc.). The subscriber must then choose the specific program to which their funds will be donated.
  • The newspaper must maintain records to support the funding for each specific program.
  • Funds designated by subscribers for NIE may not be used to fund circulation claimed on ABC reports as third-party sales. In addition, funds designated by subscribers for a third-party sales program may not be used to fund copies claimed on ABC reports as NIE.

Purchaser’s Primary Business Function

A newspaper must know the primary business function of the third-party purchaser of third-party sales. It is this business function that will determine if the entity is an eligible purchaser, as defined by ABC guidelines.

The ABC board of directors adopted a guideline that defines an ‘eligible’ third-party sales purchaser as:

  • An individual or organization whose primary function is to market and sell products and/or services directly to the general consumer public.
  • An individual or entity that does not have a financial interest in the newspaper.
  • An individual or entity that does not sell or distribute the newspapers as an employee or independent contractor/distributor.
Examples of eligible purchasers include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Realtors
  • Restaurants
  • Retail stores / Online stores
  • Airlines
  • Auto dealerships
  • Hotels/motels/bed & breakfasts/resort lodging
  • Universities/schools
  • Nursing homes/hospitals/doctor’s offices
  • Sports teams
  • Theaters
  • Libraries
  • Boys and/or girls clubs/YMCA /learning centers
Examples of ineligible purchasers include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Advertising agencies
  • Chambers of commerce/tourism bureaus
  • Churches
  • Malls
  • Informational-only Web sites
  • Sister publications, parent companies
  • Other publications (newspapers and magazines)
  • Distributors of the newspaper
  • Independent contractors of the newspaper
  • Subscription solicitors, outside sales forces
  • Carriers, motor route drivers
  • Employees
If the third-party sales program is one in which the program is funded by vacation donations, please note that vacation donations from employees and independent contractors are not eligible to fund a third-party sales program.

Business Reason for Purchasing Newspapers

It is the publisher’s responsibility to be knowledgeable as to why the purchaser is choosing to enter into a third-party sales transaction with the newspaper.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Promote a new item in the store
  • Increase customer service at its business location
  • Increase sales of a particular good or service
    • If the third-party sales program is one in which the program is funded by vacation donations, then the specific program to which the individual is donating should be communicated to ABC.





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