You'd think if you were going to rip off other people's work and sell it as your own. You'd pick something obscure.

Not so sarah wilkinson at makeit3d - she's claiming the lefabshop articulated robot and elephant as her own work and selling the designs.
https://www.make-it-3d.com/product-category/toys-games/

I'm currently looking for a pay-to-download site to call home for my designs.

3dsha.re won't let non-members see anything - so they're out till that changes.
Thought a uk based one might make sense.

But if the people who run the site are letting members pass off such well known models as this, as their own - that's just too bloody criminal for my liking.

Okay it's a start up site and only lists two 'designers' - who are probably the site's owners as well.
But still blatantly ripping stuff from thingiverse is not the way to get your company started.

It's a tough world for the freelance designer - but I'll be damned if I'm going to steal other people's designs to make a few quid.

Got some nice clean designs looking for a home - guess I'll have to keep looking.

I presume the creative commons licence doesn't allow selling a design and claiming it as your own.