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3D printing products to sell


14 Things to 3D Print and Sell in 2022 – Clever Creations

Thinking about starting a 3D printing business? Want to try to sell 3D printed items on the side? You may be wondering where to start.

There are several ways to make money with a 3D printer, for example, you can open an online shop to sell 3D printed items, or offer print-on-demand 3D printing services.

In this article, we’ll cover how and where you can sell 3D printed items. We’ll also show cool (and profitable) ideas for things to 3D print and sell, and explain what you need to know before you turn your passion for the hobby into a business.

What to keep in mind when selling 3D prints

Selling 3D printed items can be a lucrative business. However, you need to consider a few things before opening your shop and taking your first orders.

Profit margins

Before setting a price for your 3D prints, you should calculate your costs and margins. This isn’t unique to 3D printing, since all business owners need to know if their product will make a profit.

You need to consider all costs associated with 3D printing the item and selling it. This includes the 3D printer cost, but also the print materials, shipping supplies, 3D printer power usage, seller platform fees, and wages for your time. The more thorough you are, the more accurate the results of your calculations will be.

Copyright

The issue of copyright when selling 3D prints is twofold. If you are printing and selling a 3D model created by someone else, you must follow the designer’s license. If the designer has listed the model as non-commercial, you cannot sell it. If you still choose to do so, they can take legal action against you or your business for infringing on their copyright.

Another layer of the copyright issue is that you cannot sell prints of copyright or trademarked material. This is true even if the model has a commercial license. For example, Bulbasaur is a trademarked and copyrighted character of Nintendo. Thus, you can’t sell Bulbasaur planters even if the 3D model has a public domain license.

Where to sell 3D prints

You can sell your 3D prints using many different channels. Live events like craft fairs, festivals, and trade shows are a great way to garner in-person sales. Consignment shops and displays in local businesses can give your 3D prints a brick-and-mortar presence without the overhead.

Online eCommerce platforms are by far the easiest and most widespread sales channels to use. You can start your own website and sell directly from there or use an existing marketplace.

Image: crosslink via MyMiniFactory

3D printed vases are a hit on almost any platform

The latter option is much easier for beginners who don’t know much about online retail. By using existing marketplaces, you can leverage their existing audience and make money with a 3D printer in no time.

Etsy

The online marketplace Etsy focuses on handmade, vintage, and handmade supply products. They charge a $0.20 listing fee per item every four months (or until it sells and is relisted). They also take a percentage of the sales revenue when an item sells.

Many 3D printing shops have been very successful in selling items like planters, cookie cutters, and toys on the Etsy platform. Aside from those, there are plenty of other things to 3D print and sell on the platform.

Recommended:

The 5 Best 3D Printers for Making Cookie Cutters

Amazon

The Amazon marketplace is the largest eCommerce platform available. Amazon integrates third-party sellers into their warehouse system. An independent 3D printing shop using the platform can send their prints to the nearest warehouse and Amazon would process them and ship them out as they sell.

eBay

More dated than most of the other platforms on this list, eBay never quite left its days as an auction site behind. It has at least integrated the ‘Buy It Now’ functions that allow it to work more like an eCommerce platform.

New sellers get free listings to get started, then pay a flat fee per listing and a percentage of their revenue.

eBay shouldn’t be your main eCommerce platform for making money with your 3D printing business. However, it works well as a supplement to the other services we’ve listed.

Fiverr

Starting as a place to pay people to do menial tasks for $5, Fiverr has grown into a labor outsourcing giant. They are now competing with the likes of Upwork, Freelancer, and so on.

Fiverr’s system pays you for your labor, so you are not listing your product. You are listing your ability to 3D print cool 3D prints for other users.

Best 3D Printed Items That Sell

1. Miniatures (D&D, Warhammer, etc.)

Image: BaconuCrazy via MyMiniFactory

One of the best things to print and sell with your 3D printer is miniatures for tabletop games like D&D and Warhammer.

These figurines are small and highly detailed. This means that if you want to make money by 3D printing miniatures, you are best off with a resin 3D printer. On the other hand, larger terrain pieces are best suited for traditional fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers.

Recommended:

Resin vs Filament 3D Printers: What’s the Difference?

Part of the appeal of miniatures is that they are customizable. They are sold unpainted (similar to some model kits) so the buyer can decorate and paint the miniatures as they see fit. This is excellent news for anyone looking to make money printing by selling 3D printed miniatures. No painting means there is less need for post-processing work.

3D printed miniatures are well-liked among consumers, as customers can buy miniatures that aren’t available to them through traditional manufacturing companies.

Consumers also enjoy commissioning customized minis. These figurines are often original characters in their campaigns or stories. If you have the level of skill needed to model and/or sculpt these personalized minis, that can be a significant upcharge for your 3D printing business.

If you want to go this route, you might want to check out our article on the best 3D printers for miniatures.

2. Cosplay items (helmets, armor, props, etc.)

Image: TieKai via MyMiniFactory

Cosplay items are one of the most labor-intensive options on the list of things to 3D print and make money with. Taking hours or days from start to finish, making cosplay costumes and props to sell is not for the faint of heart. These items (especially 3D printed armor sets and 3D printed helmets) are large parts that take hours to print and post-process.

Most users expect their cosplay items to be finished and painted to a professional level when they buy them. This takes a great deal of time and effort on your part as the seller. The upside to this is that you can charge a premium price for these items to make up for the extra time spent 3D printing and assembling them. Customers are often willing to pay well for these items.

If you want to make money 3D printing and selling cosplay items, it is a good idea to use a 3D printer with a large build volume. That way, you won’t need to spend time splitting parts to fit the build plate and gluing them together when the printing is complete.

Use a large 3D printer for cosplay, and you can simply 3D print full-size pieces in one go.

3. Jewelry

Image: Muttonheid via MyMiniFactory

The jewelry market is a high mark-up market with excellent profitability if approached correctly. Its main problem is that it is oversaturated with artisans and hobbyists. Your designs and marketing both need to be unique and strategic in this space. Otherwise, it is impossible to have any visibility on most of the eCommerce platforms mentioned in this article.

Since jewelry pieces tend to be small, you need negligible amounts of raw material to print each piece. This keeps production costs low and makes it possible to create many at once. Like miniatures, jewelry requires a high level of detail. For the highest-quality pieces, you will need a 4K resin printer or higher (6K/8K).

Recommended:

The 8 Best 4K+ Resin 3D Printers

FDM 3D printers are not entirely ineffective for jewelry making. They can still print forms for silicone molding material. Then use those molds with things like polymer or precious metal clays, resins, low-temperature metals, and other castable materials.

3D printed mold forms need to be smooth and non-porous before molding. You’ll need to sand, fill, or use other extensive post-processing work to achieve the right look.

If you can keep the cost low and produce (customized) jewelry that you promote effectively (e.g. through social media), you will have a good chance at creating a successful 3D printing business in the jewelry niche.

4. Toys

Image: animm07 via MyMiniFactory

3D printed toys are a great option to sell. However, you need to be cautious about regulations on children’s products when choosing to manufacture them with your 3D printer. Some countries require certification to make and sell certain items. This mainly pertains to products for babies and very young children. The guidelines vary from country to country.

Fidget toys and articulated creatures geared towards older kids and adults run a much lower risk of liability and are quite popular. These items are even more memorable when printed from something like color changing, glow in the dark, or filled (Woodfill, Copperfill) PLA filament.

Recommended:

The 8 Best 3D Printers for Kids

Most toys are quick and efficient to make. They print easily on a traditional FDM 3D printer and don’t require much post-processing. Plus there are plenty of cool toy ideas out there that you can 3D print.

5. Nerf gun accessories

Image: GoKidd via MyMiniFactory

Customized or unique Nerf gun accessories and gun bodies are a popular niche in the 3D printing community. They also have quite a demanding retail market.

Items like sights, dart holders, extra clips for discontinued products, larger magazines, and improved barrels are all popular Nerf-related 3D prints. They are easy to create on most 3D printers and fit well with the other ideas of things to 3D print and sell.

It is also not uncommon for Nerf-enthusiasts to want custom guns that the company has not or will not make. Sometimes this means turning a cosplay prop into a functioning dart gun. Other times it means making a gun body that is not commercially available.

Cosplay prop and customized Nerf gun designs are great designs to sell. They have high markup potential and popularity. You can have a profitable business in this niche as long as you don’t overstep trademark rules.

The name Nerf is technically protected under trademark laws. It can help to use generic terms like dart gun, foam dart weapon, etc. in place of the brand in your product listings. This makes sure you don’t gain the attention of any corporate lawyers. They do periodic intellectual property sweeps on popular eCommerce platforms.

Accessories have a lower profit margin than 3D printing full Nerf guns. However, most users don’t care if their dart holders or magazines are not sanded smooth, so they are a quick and easy way to make money with a 3D printer.

6. Architecture models

Image: Format3D via MyMiniFactory

Architectural models are a difficult 3D printing project. They often recreate both the interior and exterior design of a building. They are usually printed in pieces so that the roof and separate levels can be removed for easy access to all the interior elements. Because of their complexity, they can be sold at a high markup and are a great option to 3D print and sell.

Architectural prints can be used for prototyping/visualization, education, play, and decoration. Selling house models as a dollhouse toy or a recreation of a famous building for education or decoration purposes is a great way to market them to consumers.

Some architectural and engineering firms like to have tangible models of their designs. This is helpful for prototyping, sales meetings, and even for troubleshooting the design. Aligning yourself with local companies looking for this 3D printing service could be a beneficial opportunity.

7. Figurines and statues

Image: philippeb66 via MyMiniFactory

Figurines and statues are yet another group of 3D printed products that sell exceptionally well. Many of the figurine and statue 3D models that are available online are of copyrighted content. Things such as characters from video games, movies, or tv shows. These are not particularly helpful resources for making commercial items.

Yet, there are still plenty of options for unbranded designs either through ready-made models or customized ones that you design yourself. Animals, mythological creatures, etc. are all popular designs to 3D print and sell without fear of copyright infringement.

Custom figurines of either customers or their pets are another option to diversify your product offerings. This does require an advanced skill level for 3D modeling and/or sculpting. If you aren’t there yet, keep it as an option for the future. In the meantime, you are welcome to look at our recommendations for free 3D modeling software.

8. Phone cases

Image: Malex via MyMiniFactory

Phone cases are a large market, and 3D printed versions are no exception. There are countless possibilities for making and selling phone cases with your 3D printer. You can print basic stretch cases using a flexible filament like TPU, or decorative hard cases made from PLA or ABS.

Recommended:

The 10 Best PLA Filaments for 3D Printing

Basic cases are inexpensive and readily available to the consumer from most stores and online retailers. If you want to sell cases, it’s best to use unique or customized models.

The most eye-catching 3D printed options emphasize the technical capabilities of 3D printing. The geared iPhone case is a great example.

A large difficulty with 3D printing a phone case to sell is that there are so many different phone models available and they update constantly. As such, you may find it difficult to source consistent phone case models. You may also realize your designs are becoming quickly outdated if you model them yourself.

The best solution to the variability of phone case compatibility is to start out 3D printing and selling cases for only a handful of different phone models. From there, you could make the decision to scale up or down as needed.

9. Self-watering planters

Image: diegopvp via MyMiniFactory

Planters in general are a hot seller in the 3D printing world, but self-watering planters are even more popular. They are hard to find in stores, making them a fantastic item to add to your business’ offerings.

Self-watering planters are typically designed in two parts: the planter and a water reservoir.

Since both pieces are in contact with water, they need to be watertight in order to not leak. Typical 3D prints have microscopic gaps between each layer. Water can seep through these layers and onto whatever surface the print is sitting on. A clear, non-toxic sealant is a great solution for this problem and gives customers a much better experience with their planter.

10. Designer vases

Image: didierklein via MyMiniFactory

3D printed vases are another home décor product capable of generating a large number of sales. With the exotic shapes that can be created in CAD and made on a 3D printer, the end results are far more modern and sophisticated than vases that are commercially available.

Like the planters mentioned above, vases need a sealant to make them watertight. They are quick and easy to make and can be 3D printed as one continuous spiral. The continuous print lines that this creates improve the speed and quality of the print job.

Items like vases can be printed on either FDM or resin 3D printers (if the print bed size is not an issue for the latter). Extruder-driven ceramic and clay 3D printers are also an excellent option if you are lucky enough to have access to one.

Regardless of the type of 3D printer you use, vases are an excellent choice for making money with a 3D printer.

11. Raspberry Pi cases

Image: Laza via MyMiniFactory

Raspberry Pi boards are a common component in homemade electronics projects. Pi boards are inexpensive single-board computers that are suitable for many projects. For example, they can control smart home equipment, act as a controller for other projects, power a video game emulator console, or run as an underpowered but functional DIY computer.

Since Raspberry Pi’s are so small, it is easy to print cases and enclosures for them. The cases not only protect their components but also make them look more functional and professional. Selling the cases to interested tinkerers has sales potential by itself. If you happen to be handy with electronics, you could also sell fully assembled Raspberry Pi projects.

12. Eyeglasses frames

Image: Sacha_Zacaropoulos via Thingiverse

3D printed eyeglass frames have risen in popularity over the years. Several major eyewear companies have started selling FDM-produced 3D printed eyeglass frames. These products are usually made from WoodFill and other specialty filaments.

Even so, consumers are also flocking to smaller businesses that can design a new pair of frames. Sometimes they want new frames designed for their existing lenses if their store-bought frames break. Other times, they want to transfer blue light or sunglass lenses to a new pair of 3D printed frames for comfort or aesthetic reasons.

We don’t recommend using PLA or other low-temp filaments on this project. If the person wearing them spends enough time outside on a hot day, the frames could soften and warp from the heat. ABS and Nylon are safer filament choices, as they have a higher glass transition temperature (i.e. they melt at higher temperatures).

13. Lamps

Image: Frank Cheung via MyMiniFactory

You can make a variety of different types of lamps on a 3D printer. They are popular choices when it comes to making and selling 3D printed items. Home décor is a thriving market. When you can offer something unique for their living space, design-minded consumers take notice.

Lamps (especially pendant lights) most often require a 3D printer with a medium to large build volume. Because of their shape and texture, most designs don’t fare well when split and glued back together. Seams also change the way light passes through the filament, so they may be noticeable once the light is on.

14. Landmarks

Image: ShakeandB1ake via MyMiniFactory

Landmark models and statues recreate well-known buildings, places, statues, and other monuments. They vary from highly-detailed architectural models of famous buildings to sites like Stonehenge. They don’t usually come apart as architectural models do.

These models are popular sellers with tabletop gamers. They are sometimes used in tabletop campaigns and world or story-building exercises. They also make excellent educational tools and are great additions to the modern classroom.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most popular 3D printed items?

Cosplay props, planters, and miniatures are some of the biggest sellers. The popularity depends on which platform you are selling on. For example, on Etsy, the main customer base is looking for pretty, trendy things. Beautiful planters, jewelry, and the like will be most popular.

The best way to learn what is selling on your platform is to do a little research. Find the shops with the best sales numbers, see what their bestsellers are. Use that as an estimate of which categories and niches are most popular. It will be much easier to make money with a 3D printer by finding the niche that works best for you and to fill it with unique products.

Is it legal to 3D print and sell?

It is perfectly legal to sell your 3D prints. Issues rarely arise if you follow licenses of the models you download and you don’t sell trademarked goods. There are some extra considerations for certain groups of products. For example, you sometimes need special certification to make or sell items directed at young kids or babies.

Certifications vary from country to country, so research the limitations and laws of your country to find out more.

The easiest way to avoid liability is to design your own models to 3D print and sell. Creating your own models avoids the complications of using other people’s intellectual property.

Image: TobiasKuijper via MyMiniFactory

Designing your own 3D models is a good way to avoid copyright issues when selling 3D prints

Is selling 3D prints profitable?

Depending on what you make and how you market it, selling your 3D prints can be a very profitable way to make money online. To get the best results from selling 3D printed items, you need to do thorough market research.

You should look at what items are selling, where they are selling, and what you can do to stand out.

Do people buy 3D printed objects?

They sure do! As awareness of 3D printing technology increases, more people understand it is an easy way to get their hands on custom or unique items.

Be sure you are very clear in your descriptions about what material the item is made from. It is common to see customers confuse 3D printed items with wood in their reviews.

Conclusion

That’s everything you need to know about selling your 3D printed items. Do you sell your prints? What’s the most difficult part of running a 3D printing business? Let us know in the comments below!

3D Printed Items That Sell - How to Make Money With Your 3D Printer!

3D printers are one of the technological marvels of our time, and people get them for many different reasons. Some are hobbyists wanting to try something new, others are artists and professionals of various kinds looking to expand their craft.

What we’re talking about here is in effect creating your own e-commerce business by looking for those niche things to 3D print and sell.

What we’re talking about here is you finding a product niche that ideally you’re enthusiastic about that you can provide products for sale that a specific group of customers want.

There are many benefits, and little downsides to starting a business this way. If you already have a 3D printer – you’re already half way there to making money with a 3D printer. 

Don’t have a 3D printer yet? The best 3D printers in every price range

This article is going to cover the different ways you can set up your own business selling 3D prints, with different product ideas in different niches. Any one of these products can be used right now to create a profitable 3D printing-based business, and hopefully they’ll spark your imagination for thinking of other product ideas and niches.

Table Of Contents

  1. What Should You Know?
    • It’s never been easier to start an e-commerce business
    • Copyright
    • Marketing
  2. Make Money With Your 3D Printer By Starting Your Own Site
  3. What 3D Items Sell Online?
    • Nerf Gun Accessories
    • Cosplay Clothing and Accessories — hugely popular 3D printed items that sell to superfans
    • Customized Shoes (Flip Flops)
    • Statuettes and Figurines — great 3D printed items that sell
    • Architects’ Modeling
    • Jewelry & Ornaments
    • Movie-grade Props
    • Vases and Plant Pots
    • Retro Raspberry PI Cases
    • Bespoke PC Cases
    • Cell Phone Covers
    • Robotics Kits
    • Own Range of Drones, RC Planes & Accessories
    • Toys
    • Current Trend
    • Customized Ear Buds
  4. Where Can You Sell Your 3D Prints?
    • Thingiverse
    • Etsy
    • Fiverr
    • Amazon
  5. Conclusion: is it worth selling your 3D prints to make money?

But first, here’s some key things you should know.

What Should You Know?

It’s never been easier to start an e-commerce business

With a plethora of Marketplace channels to sell your 3d prints on and low-cost ways to create your own e-commerce website. What’s more, often the most problematic issue in e-commerce is product sourcing – but you already have that sorted, sitting on your workbench.

A 3D printer is the perfect micro-factory for many reasons. You can update your designs and print new revisions of your product near-instantly, keeping your inventory up to date in real-time. In fact, you don’t even need to hold a physical inventory.

Let’s say you get your first order at 5:30pm on a Weds night? Set the printer on an overnight batch, pick, prepare and ship by Thursday morning. The customer gets their order (hopefully) on Friday, and you’ll be getting great feedback by the weekend.

OK, so that’s a little over-simplified. Business is never that simple, and let’s face it – 3D printing isn’t always either. But this does illustrate the potential once you’ve smoothed out your processes.

What we’re not talking about here though is selling 3D printed items that are custom for people. The margins are too low, because so many people do it. You can’t really brand a commodity like that. We’re also not going to choose items that sell simply because of the novelty that they’re 3D printed – like useless cheap trinkets.

The “Ohh wow, that’s 3D printed?!” reaction at your friend’s dinner parties wears thin pretty quickly…

No, we’re talking about creating quality products, that frankly the customer couldn’t care if they were 3D printed or not. They just care that they fill a need, or want that they have and the quality of the product and your service is something they can rave about. See the difference?

All the examples I’m going to list through below are taken from existing businesses that are actually doing this, right now. Many of them are currently our customers. People are doing this stuff right now, on standard FDM printers.

There are many varieties of complexity, from simply ‘print & send’ easy to make prints to high-end prints that need a bit of finishing. It might help to choose something in your range of complexity. Let’s dive into what could potentially be your next e-commerce business!

Copyright

Before making money with your 3D printer, there are a few key things to note. The first of which is the legal ramifications of selling 3D printed items that resemble the likenesses of copyrighted IPs.

While 3D printing figurines of famous characters is fine for personal use, selling them for a profit can have legal consequences. Be sure to know the laws surrounding fair use of copyrighted material before bringing your work to the marketplace.

The easiest way to avoid these consequences is to only 3D print and sell original or open-source designs. However, some referential designs such as cosplay accessories and ornamental logos are safe to 3D print for profit.

To design your own 3D printable models, check out:

Our ranking of the best free 3D modeling software

Or, check out our list of the best sites where you can download free 3D printer files

Marketing

Most online sellers these days turn to social media to advertise their products. Many online retailers will recommend you avoid inundating or spamming particular pages or timelines, so some finesse will be required to make sure you get your product out there without bothering potential buyers.

As is the case with many artforms, selling 3D printed items requires good presentation. Professional, high quality photos show off your creations and make them appear more desirable to consumers, as do in-depth descriptions and any necessary instructions for assembly to let customers know they’re in good hands.

Make Money With Your 3D Printer By Starting Your Own Site

Many artists have found a new way to reach their market by cutting out the middle man and starting their own websites and blogs to show off and sell their creations and make money with their 3D printers.

Selling 3D printed items on your own site does remove commission costs, but at the price of having to do just about everything yourself. All marketing and publicity needs to be done by you, and self-made businesses like that take some time as most people are hesitant to give money to unverified businesses.

But with enough know-how, careful self-promotion, and good word-of-mouth, you’ll be able to sell your 3D printed stuff in no time.

What 3D Items Sell Online?

If you can print it, then you can almost definitely sell it. While choosing which 3D printed items to sell comes down to your own design specialties, preferences, and what your hardware is capable of, making money with a 3D printer can be achieved in many ways.

Below are just a few of our favorite ideas for what you can 3D print to sell.

Nerf Gun Accessories

This looks a bit obvious (and yes, I briefly covered Nerf mods in another article) but I wanted to kick things off with something that perfectly encapsulates what I’m trying to get across here. There’s a growing following around Nerf guns, they’ve grown from a child’s toy in just a few years to a necessary component of office warfare.

Just doing a quick search on eBay for “3d printed nerf” lists a host of cool aftermarket mods. From the picture above, you can see that most of them are really very simple prints. That silencer that sells for  $34 US? It likely only uses about 50g of filament (at most). That means you could print 20 from a 1KG spool costing around £30. That means those silencers would cost you about £1.50-£2.00 to print each one.

That’s a pretty incredible profit margin! http://3dprintedsolid.com/ have even gone as far to release their own custom fully modded Nerf guns costing up to $300!

Pros: This business would be very easy to set up. I imagine a lot of the designs for mods are already available free on Thingiverse and the prints are very simple. Prints are fast with no to little post print processing.

Cons: Easy to replicate and potentially lots of competitors could set up quickly (but then again, which business doesn’t?). But you could stay ahead by creating your own unique designs as the demand grew.

Read more: the coolest 3D printed Nerf files you can download and print today

Cosplay Clothing and Accessories — hugely popular 3D printed items that sell to superfans

Cosplaying has seen a huge surge in popularity in recent years, with conventions popping up for just about every fandom from comic books and videogames to TV and film.

Cosplayers take pride in their referential outfits, and many choose to make their costumes themselves to add a layer of uniqueness to the homage of their chosen hero (or villain).

However, many cosplayers don’t have the means to create some of the more intricate or complicated parts of their outfits, and official merchandise of the franchises they seek to emulate can be extremely expensive.

Selling 3D printed cosplay items means providing cosplayers with the clothes and accessories they need to really feel like their favorite characters. There are plenty of 3D printed stuff to sell that will delight cosplayers of all kinds. Batman’s armor, Cloud Strife’s iconic soldier guard, Link’s gauntlets, and the Nazgul’s helmet are all available as pre-made designs, and that’s just to name a few.

See also: our list of the coolest things to 3D print

Or, our ranking of the best 3D printers for miniatures

If you’re creative enough, you can design and 3D print custom items to sell to consumers with specific requests or unique spins on the cosplay of their dreams.

Customized Shoes (Flip Flops)

This sounds a lot more high-tech than it needs to be. This is one of the better ideas here, that hasn’t actually been done yet – but I think it would have fantastic potential. I don’t like sharing my best ideas normally, but I’ve got my hands full at the moment. Besides, execution is everything, anyway (meaning ideas on their own, are worth zilch).  

But we’re not talking complex multiple-material shoes like the big companies are working on. But yes, this is part of the mass-customization revolution. The problem I personally find with flip flops is that they’re most comfortable when they’re fully worn in. But flip flops typically aren’t made all that well, certainly not to last (even the more expensive ones).

The paradox is that if you made them out of a material hard-wearing enough to last a long time, they’d never wear in properly. Thus never being optimally comfortable.

So why not create 3d printed flip flops, designed to the exact contours of the wearer’s feet? The high grade of flexible materials to print them (such as TPU filament) with would ensure they last a long time and as they were perfectly created for the wearer, they’d feel like they were worn-in from day one.

You might be thinking “I don’t wear flip flops, so who cares?” – well, a lot of people do wear them. And you might be surprised how much people will pay for them. Remember the Crocs fad? They were hideous, and cheaply made, and they sold for a lot of money.

You can also get apps for mobiles now that can accurately scan simple objects – yes, like the bottoms of your feet. You could sell the flip flops for £50-£100 a pair (and yes, people would pay that for the most comfortable shoes they’ve ever owned, and that are stylish and that could last them 10 years+).

Pros: New idea, could easily get PR from uniqueness. Simple to print, wouldn’t take too long to print each one if using a larger nozzle size. High margin

Cons: Need a reliable way of scanning feet (existing apps around?) and need larger print bed to cover all sizes.

Read more: our feature story on 3D printed shoes

Statuettes and Figurines — great 3D printed items that sell

Speaking of fandoms, there’s nothing quite like decorating your home with physical representations of your favorite characters from the big and silver screens.

Like cosplay, officially licensed likenesses of these characters can be pricey, and so they make for some popular 3D printed items that sell well on the internet. Figurines don’t have to be representations of fictional characters, and you can 3D print and sell likenesses of celebrities, animals, and even fictional creatures.

People are always looking to make their home or workspaces as personal to them as possible, which makes custom decorative figurines all the more popular with online shoppers.

They can be made from files found on many sites, and can take the form of these adorable Pokémon statuettes, to extremely detailed figures like the ones found here.

Because figurines and statuettes vary so widely in detail, they can be made as 3D printed things to sell no matter your 3D printer’s size or capabilities.

Architects’ Modeling

Now this could be set up as a service business, or an e-commerce business depending on which way you look at it. As a service business, you could offer bespoke quotes for architects to show projects in a physical 3D form and print out all the props custom.

As an e-commerce business, you could offer a huge range of buildings of various sizes and props for Architects wanting to show a project as custom, but on a much tighter budget. Naturally, the building in question would need to be custom printed (perfect up-sell opportunity here) but the surrounding buildings and ‘setting’ can be from more generic stock buildings. The most profitable way here might be to run the e-commerce side and service sides of the business in parallel.

There are many off-shoots you could cover here, like dioramas for model railways, Warhammers etc.

Here’s a picture of one of our customers on Twitter, showing off some work they’ve done. It should give you a better idea of the things that are possible.

Pros: Rapidly expanding area, with high levels of repeat trade from business customers.

Cons: Some level of design skill required, or to know someone who can do it cheaply to make it more viable.

Read more: the best 3D printers for architects

Jewelry & Ornaments

Jewelry is one of those universal likes of which almost everyone owns at least a piece or two. Many people who wear jewelry regularly like to have pieces that are unique to them, especially if they’re custom made.

Selling 3D printed jewelry can be a nice way to earn some extra cash by following templates and simple patterns that can be found all over the internet, or by creating your own. If you’re open to exploring your creative side, 3D printed jewelry can be made in different ways including pendants resembling famous logos.

With extremely high resolution and the increasing affordability of photopolymer-based resin 3D printers, bespoke “one-off” jewellery can be crafted from lost wax casting.

Essentially this is where you design a ring, for example, and print it with a UV light curing photopolymer wax. The wax can then be used to create a cast mold, and will burn away when filled with molten metal.

Naturally, this takes a little bit of skill to learn the craft properly, but if you’re extremely creative – retailing your own line of exclusive, high-end jewelry could be a popular business, especially if you make a name for yourself.

The key to this type of business is finding a nice targeted niche, and then specialize in materials and designs that lend themselves to that target audience.

It’s also possible to get extremely accurate FDM printers now, printing with just 0.1mm nozzle diameters. You could get wax filament to print lost wax designs for the casts. High precision print using a our clear PLA with a 0.1mm Nozzle size on a Mass Portal 3D Printer

Pros: Again, potentially high ticket and unusual. Lots of potential to be featured by niche publications and blogs. Very big influencers could be persuaded to promote your designs if they get behind them.

Cons: An element of skill and creativity required. Also potentially higher setup costs due to rare metals, and using a resin printer.

See also: our ranking of the best 3D printers for jewelry

Or, our list of the most stunning pieces of 3D printed jewelry

Or even, our list of the best jewelry design software

If you like to draw, jewelry can also be made using 3D pens, which are ideal for those who are better with working directly with their hands.

Movie-grade Props

This could be really high ticket. Extremely realistic props are very sought after by hard-core fans. You’d have to check the legalities of selling items like these though depending on what Game or Film you were basing them on. But private collectors would pay good money for their own Iron Man suit, or a massive gun from a famous game for example.

You’ll need to know how to finish your 3D prints, though.

Pros: High ticket, big sale price items – high virality aspect on social media. People who have their own iron man suit, complete with lights etc. tend to get a bit of attention.

Cons: Large amount of work, but you could make systems to speed up repeat orders (i.e printing small batches of same components, painting them all at once etc.). Potential issues with copyrights.

Vases and Plant Pots

I said vases, but this could be with any high-end designer in-the-home product. Like coasters, clocks, toothbrush holders. You get the idea.

The key here is that you don’t rely on the fact these items are 3D printed to be the reason people love them. Think high-end, luxury, beautiful-looking items. Are you starting to see a trend here?

I’ve mentioned ‘MeshCloud’ before, but they do this high-end luxury homeware business to a T – they’re a perfect example of how to do this business model right. They have a large range with a variety of prices for unique designs. Etsy, Amazon and NotOnTheHighStreet.com make perfect platforms to retail these kinds of items.

Creative plant pots and other indoor fauna containers are the pride of many an interior décor, and 3D printing lends itself well to these, making them one of the better, and sometimes easier, 3D printed projects that sell well online.

Plant pots can be 3D printed to sell as designs that you either find online or create yourself, and, like many things on this list, can be made to order depending on a consumer’s needs.

Vases and plant pots are known for being both heavy and fragile, and both of these problems are avoidable with 3D printing. By 3D printing plant pots to sell, you can find a wide market of people who want a unique decoration that won’t break so easily and is easy to transport and move around.

Pros: Very easy to setup and build a range. Low skill required to produce, although you’ll need some creativity for the designs. Would be a great business to build further product lines onto (like those mentioned above).

Cons: Competitors could easily copy your designs, so it would be important to build close brand loyalty with customers and innovate new designs or ranges often.

See also: 3D printed vases you can download and print

More: 3D printed plant pots and planters

Retro Raspberry PI Cases

This is a favorite of mine, because it appeals to a specific group of people that love electronics and programming, and therefore are probably pretty nostalgic about the now retro games consoles they used as kids.

This way of tapping into people’s nostalgia speaks volumes and is a powerful combination. You don’t need to stop at retro-themed cases either, you could launch into a realm of new designs. And remember, you only need to print one of each out for photographs – you don’t need to hold inventory of all of these. So why not build the range out?

If you’re just looking for 3D printed items that sell and a simple business model to sell 3D prints online, then a business like this could be for you. 

Pros: Fun to do, range of ideas already available. Most competitors aren’t currently marketing their businesses very well, so you’ve got potential to grow easily. Low setup costs.

Cons: Potentially low sale price compared with other 3d printing business ideas here, but plenty of opportunity to scale relatively easily.

Bespoke PC CasesThe ‘Vesper’ by Makirole (Left) and the Star Wars Destroyer by Sander van der Velden (Right)

OK, so this is very high-end stuff. But some people will pay serious money for one-off (or very limited run) custom cases. These examples are at the extreme end of quality, but you could easily make more repeatable designs that look almost as good, but a lot easier to create and design.

I know I said you want to be looking at scale-able ways to make money 3D printing like printing in batches – but you can make an exception for high ticket stuff like this. 

Pros: They’d get a lot of attention on social media. People love geeking out over insane gaming rigs, and these case designs are the cherry on top.

Cons: Can be very time-consuming to make, so ensure you charge accordingly. Choose between more mass appeal, more reasonable cases that you can make faster and more easily, or one-off cases that are truly exceptional.

Cell Phone Covers

Whether we like it or not, our cell phones go everywhere with us these days. Work or pleasure, e-mail or Instagram, they’re an integral part of our day-to-day lives.

As such, customization is key. Not only do we like to make our devices easily recognizable at home, but like many things we take everywhere with us, many people like to decorate our cell phones with covers that express our passions or personalities.

Cell phone covers are a great way to make money with your 3D printer. They are small, often simple projects that don’t take long to print and fit a relatively small variety of sizes. This means that you can keep the base models saved, and alter their designs as necessary to suit your customers.

Robotics Kits

You can create fantastically innovative Robotic Kits from repurposed 3D printer parts. The Robots range from self-balancing RC style, to internet-controlled Whiteboards and Airhockey bots.

These are a fantastic educational guide for children to learn from, and there are many sub niches you could target for ‘robots’., but does require skill and creativity to set up.

Pros: This is a high ticket product, and huge potential for innovation on a range of areas. Especially as InternetOfThings gains in adoption – Wifi Controlled Kettle anyone? Set up costs should also be fairly low.

Cons: Of course, this does require some technical skill to design, and implement.

Or: 3D printed DIY robotic arms

Own Range of Drones, RC Planes & Accessories

This is really exciting. Why? For two reasons; a) drones are becoming really popular, because they’re getting faster, more powerful and can fly for increasingly longer (and of course, they’re really fun).  b) the materials available to those who 3D print are becoming more impressive, so you can now print stronger, lighter and more durable stuff.

For example, carbon fiber is a low density, hard and durable material, ideal for small aircraft that undergo significant stresses and high impact crashes. Sure you can use regular PLA, but it’s very dense, and not as hard. With new materials like this, you can create ever higher-performing machines.

Another bonus is that when you’re flying a drone or 3D printed RC plane at 70pmh+ into a tree, no matter how strong the parts are, you’ll get some breakages. Leading to repeat business. 

Read more: 3D printed RC planes you can build today

This is a Spitfire printed by Laurent Muchacho in PLA – Weighs about 500g

Pros: Rapidly expanding niche, open-source designs – low tech 3D printer required. Good margins.

Cons: Some knowledge is required to really gain the best understanding of drones and how to improve them. 

See also: our guide to 3D printing drones

Toys

3D printed toys can in more forms than statuettes, and people are always looking for unique gifts for their children or toy aficionado friends.

See also: get some ideas from our list of the coolest 3D printed toys

Board game parts, custom chess pieces, doll house furniture, and marionettes are just a few of the things you can 3D print and sell as gifts for all occasions.

Articulated dolls and puppets will require some assembly, but with enough creativity you can create your own line of unique characters and even give them back stories for a level of intrigue that has been proven to add to marketability (as seen with the likes of American Girl Dolls).

Current Trend

Every now and then, a craze sweeps the world and everyone gets excited about something. Sure these are often a flash in the pan, relatively speaking – and nearly everyone is too slow to react to make a business from them. But things are changing…

With 3D printing, if you have an idea, you can create something overnight. It allows you the luxury of speed. This is great, because with a good idea and the speed to do it, you can launch new exciting products and gain fast press publicity off of the back of the trend.

If you’re a fast thinker with a dash of creativity this could be the answer to your how to profit from 3D printing queries. 

In the past I explained the HODOR door-stop reference, which could be made from filament (only really makes sense if you’re a Game Of Thrones fan I’m afraid) – and since then we’ve had the Pokémon Go craze. You may or may not be aware of the ins and outs, but essentially it involved everyone in the world, mindlessly chasing invisible Pokémon everywhere.

And to catch them, you needed to have a steady finger. Except a of people don’t seem to have one of those, so Pokémon ‘aimers’ were devised. There were different designs for different phones.

This sort of thing works fantastically well on crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter – you can then list for sale on Marketplace websites during and after the main Kickstarter campaign to mop up excess sales and squeeze the craze for each last drop.

Pros: If you can be first, the potential is huge. The HODOR door stop raised over $12,000 US on Kickstarter in about a week.

Cons: Short-lived, so you have to be fast and able to jump on what’s trending. Twitter Trends might be a great thing to keep an eye on.  

Customized Ear BudsOwnPhones have created a really slick product here – but it’s pricey 

Everyone’s ear is different. If you wear stock earphones, it’s likely they’re not as comfortable or sound insulated as they could be.

There are a small handful of companies offering this service already – which proves there’s a market for it. Using a phone 3D scan app, the customer ‘scans’ the inside of their ear, for the app to create a 3D file. You can then custom print the earbuds which fit inside the customer’s ear to the perfect size.

The actual earphone part of the product could be bought off-the-shelf, and you package the custom bud as part of the product. This would allow you to retail a high-end sound quality item, with the custom size benefit.

The unit costs would be extremely small as the material used would be next to nothing. So once you’ve paid setup expenses for a high-resolution printer, your margins would be good.

You could later build out the range with different colors and styles. As far as print-on-demand e-commerce businesses go, this has a lot going for it.

With the small size of each earphone, it may even be worth getting these outsourced to a 3D printing service. This would keep fixed setup costs to an absolute minimum in the early days. An SLA printer might only charge £20-£30 for something that you could sell for £100 or more.

As a way to get started, here’s a fantastic guide to printing your first set of custom earphones. 

Pros: High margin and it’s a big niche – so plenty of potential customers, especially if you can create an efficient system to keep price sensible.

Cons: Precision printing and sizing is a must, so make sure you get the correct equipment. Don’t skim on the audio quality of the earphones – or it’ll cheapen your whole product offering.

Where Can You Sell Your 3D Prints?

After you’ve decided on what things to 3D print and sell, you’re going to want to chose the right retail venue to reach customers and maximize sales.

There are many online marketplaces where you can sell 3D printed items, each one offers a different experience depending on what kind of service you’d like to provide.

Thingiverse

Thingiverse is a very popular site for people who want to share their 3D printed creations online. While most of these are shared as free downloads for other users, it is possible to sell 3D printed items on the popular site.

Anyone can list their 3D printed items for sale on Thingiverse provided they’re original designs that neither copy another user’s files nor infringe on copyright laws.

While selling on Thingiverse is possible, most people will use the site to look for free files, which the site is known for, and so are more likely to turn away from a price tag.

Moreover, physical items cannot be sold here, only the files. So as popular as Thingiverse is for 3D printer owners, using it to sell 3D printed items is difficult and may yield little success.

Etsy

Etsy is an online retailer for amateur creators that is normally the first stop for anyone seeking to make a profit out of their hobby.

While not specifically designed for selling 3D printed items, Etsy is an open marketplace for creators of all kinds to offer their designs for sale at a price they set themselves.

Online shoppers go to Etsy for unique, handmade objects, so your 3D printed designs aren’t likely to be buried under mass-produced products that can be found in other marketplaces. This means that customers are more likely to favor 3D printed items for sale on the store.

Etsy charges $0.20 per item up for sale and a transaction fee of 5% of the total value of each sale, even more if you choose their online payment service.

Fiverr

Fiverr is an online resource for freelancers to sell their services. While Etsy caters specifically to handmade items by artists and designers, Fiverr is geared towards all those who work either full- or part-time from home in any capacity, from writing and translations to 3D printing and artwork.

Unlike most online marketplaces, Fiverr is geared towards those who work to commissions, with buyers requesting specific, custom items and works from sellers. This means printing to order, and often to exact specifications, so it’s a marketplace of choice to dedicated designers who are capable of modifying models to specific degrees before printing.

Fiverr has a peer-to-peer review system where both sellers and buyers receive star ratings and notes based on others’ experiences, helping to ensure all users are able to accept or decline orders as they see fit.

Amazon

The Amazon marketplace is probably the most secure of all the online sites to sell products on because of their high profile requiring them to pay more attention to theft and fraud prevention. However, this comes at quite a literal price, as Amazon takes a higher commission than most at 8-15% depending on the product.

While the 3D printer Amazon marketplace is a good place for part-time sellers, many people who have turned to online retail as full-time professions tend to look elsewhere due to the higher commissions that can take wide margins from fully formed businesses.

Conclusion: is it worth selling your 3D prints to make money?

For weighing up whether it’s worth it to start 3D printing commercially, only you can make that decision for yourself.

If you can make it work, using your 3D printer to make money can be a great and fun side hustle.

  • If this article has piqued your interest, you should also read our guide to starting a 3D printing business.
  • The best 3D printers for small business
90,000 BUSINESS for 3D printing-How can you earn on a 3D printer

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  • 3D printing
  • Small-service production
  • 3D-printing medical products
  • 3D objects
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What successful business can be opened using 3D printers? I will make a reservation right away that so far there are few such examples. I'll tell you about some of them.

3D printing studio

The first thing that comes to mind is the creation of a 3D printing studio. Its business model is based on modeling and printing models for the client. The main success factor is to ensure a consistently high level of equipment utilization. For such a project, it is more important to focus on mass replication than on printing single copies, even in large volumes. The cost of printing a small model should be low, and the labor costs should be high. The main production processes are the high-quality development of printing technology for each specific detail or project, the selection of the right material. The client model is checked for errors, and both the material and the printer are selected. It remains to agree on the price and, in fact, print the model. It is necessary to approve it with the customer, and, if necessary, modify it.

You can build such a studio with almost any level of investment: start with one or two printers, gradually increase the fleet of equipment, or immediately invest in a fleet of 3D printers. You can also purchase industrial equipment for functional prototyping and small-scale production. But in any case, the most important thing is to correctly build the business model of the enterprise.


Small batch production

The second most popular business idea is a studio focused on small-scale production. In this case, the main task is not to find a client, but to understand what product will be in demand. There are many examples of such studios, and their success primarily depends on the quality and originality of the products offered. For clarity, consider the production of molds for the manufacture of confectionery. They are easy to model, customize, print and sell. The target audience of this product is clear and stable, the product is easily promoted in social networks, the cost is low, and the most budget 3D printers are suitable for production. The main thing here is the optimal ratio of the number of devices with production volumes. Another popular example: accessories for gamers. Game weapons, masks, costume elements from computer games for cosplayers. The product is not so massive, but consistently in demand, and its price niche is significantly higher. More time will be spent on modeling and printing, but in return you get markets around the world, since the studio is not limited to the location of your region.


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Medical 3D printing

The third option for a 3D printing studio is medical. Today it is very much in demand. Prostheses, orthoses, orthopedic insoles, hearing aids, temporary crowns, aligners, spectacle frames are complex in conventional production, but our technologies greatly simplify this process. The equipment here is selected based on the specific task. Usually one company is focused on printing a particular line of models. The accumulated experience allows you to create a product with unique properties as efficiently as possible. In this direction, business goes in tandem with science. The success of the enterprise directly depends on innovative approaches in orthopedics and medicine in general.

3D printed art objects

Fourth place will be given to art. 3D printing of sculptures is another way to capitalize on this technology. Creating a large art object is not an easy task, and certainly not a cheap one. However, many interiors or public spaces are in need of an aesthetic upgrade. Modern sculptors began to use the new technology in their work precisely to create final products, and not prototypes or layouts, as one might think. To achieve this goal, large-format printers using FDM technology (the model is formed from molten plastic) are needed. Typically, a computer model is divided into parts and printed on several 3D printers, after which it is glued, sanded, primed and painted in the desired colors, sometimes with the addition of texture. This makes the sculpture almost indistinguishable from those made from natural materials.

Another option is to show the model in full size, without post-processing, which allows viewers to see the 3D printed model at different stages of its creation.

It is difficult to fit into a short article all the variety of opportunities that 3D printing offers to enthusiasts of this technology, but we see that every day there are more and more new interesting stories of its application. It gives impetus to the development of new technologies and brings innovation to seemingly established areas such as the creation of sculptures or gingerbread. As the American inventor Chuck Hull, who patented the first 3D printer, said: “I don’t have a crystal ball that will tell me what should happen in the future, but one thing I know for sure: when smart people work on a specific task, they gradually move forward. forward".

Alexander Kornweitz,

Founder and CEO of Tsvetnoy Mir

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Russian entrepreneur, expert in the field of additive technologies and 3D equipment. Founder and head of the Tsvetnoy Mir company and the Center for Innovative 3D Printing Best3D Print.

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