Before selling 3D prints, check the model's licence, calculate the full cost and choose how to produce and ship. This guide helps with those three decisions. Model permission alone does not settle every product or selling requirement.
Which model rights do you need before selling?
Start by checking whether you have the rights needed for commercial use of the model. Possible sources are:
- your own designs, with the necessary rights to any third-party elements;
- models designed for you, with commercial rights agreed in writing;
- models with a commercial licence from the designer.
A free download from MakerWorld, Printables, Thingiverse or Cults does not tell you whether commercial use is allowed. Check the licence for that exact model and the rights the creator can grant.
How to tell whether a licence allows selling
Read the exact licence and its conditions. CC BY permits commercial reuse with attribution and the required notices; CC BY-SA also requires adaptations to use the same or a compatible licence. CC BY-NC does not grant permission for commercial use. If the planned sale is outside the licence, obtain the necessary separate permission before production.
Some designers sell a separate commercial licence, per model, per number of items or as a subscription. Read exactly what it covers: only the original model, or also variants and other designs by the same creator.
How to check a free model's source, scale and permission is explained in find free 3D models and check permission.
Brands, figures and characters
A model licence may not cover all rights in a character, logo or branded product. The CC BY 4.0 licence, for example, does not grant patent or trademark rights. Check the rights relevant to your intended use; permission from the file uploader alone may be insufficient.
Not sure? Resolve the rights question before listing the product. Where permission is required, obtain it from the relevant rights holder and keep the licence and permission records.
How much does an hour of 3D printing cost?
It varies by printer and provider. If you print yourself, the hourly cost is made up of:
- electricity and printer wear, such as nozzles, the build plate and belts;
- failed prints, which you need to count over time;
- your own time for starting, checking and finishing.
At OmniTechs, machine time is €0.30 per print hour before markup: €0.39 excluding VAT after 30% markup once. This is our outsourced-production rate, not a benchmark for running your own printer. Total material and machine time across all items in the order. Processing, print removal and inspection has a €0.50 base cost once per order. Apply 30% markup once to all raw costs, including separate packaging, actual postage, agreed assembly and storage; do not mark up amounts that already include it again. A shelf has a €15 base cost: €19.50 per month with markup, excluding VAT. This separately billed monthly storage is not added again to each order. The invoice follows applicable VAT rules; 21% is used only in the Dutch domestic illustration.
How to calculate the price of a 3D print
Open your model in the slicer. It gives you the weight and the print time. Then:
- Material = weight × our material basis. Example: 250 g × €18 per kg = €4.50, before markup.
- Machine time = print hours × hourly rate. Example: 6 hours × €0.30 = €1.80.
- Order processing = €0.50 once per order for print processing, removal and inspection; not per item.
- Apply 30% once to each item’s material, machine time, required parts and agreed assembly. Processing, packaging and postage are separate from the item price and each receive 30% markup once. Round each item and order charge to cents, then apply the applicable VAT. Separately billed shelf storage already includes markup and is not added again to each order. Allocate order costs across items only when you need a per-item comparison. The 250 g, 6-hour example is one order containing one print, excluding separately billed storage, packaging, postage and assembly.
The two-item 3D print dropshipping example calculates one order with two items, each 250 g and 6 print hours: €17.03 with OmniTechs-supplied filament or €5.33 with seller-supplied filament, excluding VAT, packaging, postage, assembly and separately billed shelf rent; it is one supplier input for your costing, not a selling price or a complete-lamp price.
What drives print time and material for each model is covered in understanding 3D printing costs.
Costs that are easy to forget
The print is only part of your cost price. Also count:
| Cost line | What to check |
|---|---|
| Packaging | Box, void fill, insert card, label and agreed packing work; separate from the item price and once-per-order print processing |
| Postage | Actual destination and parcel details, plus applicable supplier markup; do not assume a shipping tariff |
| Platform | Etsy or Amazon commission, or your payment provider's fees |
| Returns | Return shipping and items that can no longer be sold |
| Your working time | Model preparation, sales and customer work, and your own dispatch where applicable; value your actual time |
| Model licence and product development | Actual licence and design costs, required components, assembly, product qualification and checks for the complete supplied configuration |
| Failures and reprints | Actual material, machine time, handling and possible shipping exposure; agree responsibilities before outsourcing |
| Monthly storage | At OmniTechs, €19.50 per month excluding VAT, already including markup and billed separately; for analysis: monthly rent ÷ actual orders that month. Allocation is not another invoice charge. Rent remains a commitment even at zero orders |
Use this as a worksheet: enter your real costs and expected volume, then check what your selling price leaves after all costs. The list does not guarantee profit.
Is selling 3D prints profitable?
Profit depends on the selling price and all production, fulfilment and selling costs. Check:
- a product that is not sold everywhere: your own design, a niche or personalisation;
- a selling price that covers every cost, including postage, platform fees and returns;
- marketing: a webshop without visitors sells nothing.
A sample or small batch can help investigate quality, costs and demand. Choose the step that fits your product, and sell only a complete configuration that meets the necessary requirements.
Print yourself or outsource?
| Question | Print yourself | Batch delivered to you | Direct fulfilment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investment | Your own printer, material and space | Supplier batch quote and seller-held stock need funding | Agreed production and monthly shelf rent; finished stock production paid in advance when selected |
| Your work | Print, finish, check, pack and send | Store, check, pack and send, plus sales | Sales, customer contact and production coordination |
| Costs | Actual machine, material and working time | Actual supplier quote plus your storage, packing, postage and time | Agreed whole-order costs, separately billed monthly shelf rent and seller fees and time |
| Failures and reprints | Actual failure costs | Agree supplier defect and reprint responsibilities; include your own handling | Agree defect, reprint and aftercare scope and costs before production |
| Stock and delivery | Your own capacity and planning | Unsold-stock risk and seller dispatch | Made-to-order production or funded finished stock; actual capacity and carrier estimate |
Compare the same complete configuration, volume and delivery destination using your actual costs and the real supplier proposal. With 3D print dropshipping, we agree production, assembly and dispatch under your brand. Material and machine time are totalled per order; processing is charged once per order and storage separately per month. Check the full price breakdown before agreeing your first product.