Is Thingiverse's Business Model a Bad One?

[3D_is_my_LIFE]

Guys, don't you think that giving away your awesome 3D designs is a bit of an insult to yourselves? I feel that if we design something that is really innovative and useful, we should get compensated for it in some way or another.

I believe that Thingiverse should charge users a fee in order to be able to download products, and in turn give developers money based on the number of times their 'things' are downloaded. Either this or allow designers to charge for the download of their designs.

I think it's only a matter of time before there is some money involved. If thingiverse doesn't do it, another popular website will emerge that allows for the sale of designs.

[MysteryAlabaster]

What if they turned it into a business thing like what Bandcamp does? You can either give downloads of your stuff for free, charge a set amount, or say you can pay me more if you want but this is what it costs.


I think that would be better. Personally, I would put mine up as pay what you want.

[RobH2]

I agree with this too. The app market of $0.99 seems to be generating millions of dollars and no one minds giving up a dollar. As much as I like it it's not fair that I can download a Wade's Extruder for free. A lot of time was spent developing that. So, let's start one....

[DrLuigi]

Well Thingiverse is at the moment in my opinion a great way to share your 3D files, I would personaly hate if they ever would charge you for STL files,
This would also create another black market for Torrent STLs,

They could give the User a fee if they would get up some Adverts, Like a Ad.fy (Thought it was named like that) that you have a page with adverts and gotta wait 3 sec before you can download it,
This way they would get a few cents every download, But i would certainly not like if they would ask like 1-5 dollars for a design that you have to print wich is another 5-8 euro to print sometime depending on what your printing.

If you realy want to get money create a shop, don't ask Thingiverse to change the idealism they have at the moment just due you would want to earn 2 easy cents.
I would be for the Advert thing, but totaly against a shop like Appmarket and such.

I also have a few designs up in the air, I don't mind it i just wanna share them so others can enjoy them as i did/do.
Even tho with a Advert system i wouldnt mind earning a few cents of course, But i wouldnt ask money for a STL file.

[SteveJWilson]

Thingiverse does allow posters to control the licensing rights to their designs, which is a nice feature. However, I think that it is a very disruptive model.

I understand the concept of open collaboration. You can enjoy the free designs posted by everyone else, if you allow others to enjoy yours. As long as everyone continues to cooperate, the model will continue. However, I do feel that there is tremendous potential profit within the site, since it is so established already.

However, it is also important to remember that the site is run by Makerbot. So the current model makes perfect sense for their business model. Since potential customers looking to buy 3d printers are going to need files to print. And the popularity of the site has to drive customers to them.

[RobH2]

Don't get me wrong, I love open-source models and sharing of ideas and technology. But, corporations in the US make insane profits and sometimes open-source generosity enables a company to take those ideas and run with them. It's not always feasible for a small guy to "just open a 3d shop" as there are some significant financial and logistical hurdles to clear. Being able to manage rights really does nothing for you if you can afford to go to court and challenge it. Plus, it's impossible to know where your ideas are being used unless it becomes mainstream and you happen to catch it or see it somewhere. I've had several managed rights breaches myself and have never pursued any of them because it would cost me $1000's to do so.

I'm always cheering for the "small guy" and see no harm in enabling a system where some of us can make a little bit of money under the noses of the behemoth corporations. I'm risking being too political on this site but it's bad enough that the US is full of "Patent Trolls" that sue anyone they can find for "alleged" patent infringement. Frequently it is unfounded but they have more financial resources then the people they are scaring, so they squash innovation. So, creativity is being sniffled in this country by this insidious trend.

To be specific, there is one issue we all are going to have to face at some point and that is ABS Smoothing. Apparently someone got a patent for it, smoothing ABS with Acetone vapor. Anyone who works with ABS knows that Acetone is a solvent for it and smooths it. A patent for that is like getting a patent for cleaning your paint brush by running it under the sink.

Ok, I'm off of my soapbox now. Sorry for that divergence. To summarize, I don't think there is anything wrong with "some" system that allows all of these creative people to derive some revenue (even if pennies) from all of their hard work. It's called free enterprise and it's what our economy is base upon.

[eflyersteve]

Their business model is to sell printers. Creating a conduit to free content will certainly help them sell more printers.

I have no problems with it being totally free for people who want to give to the community. I also have no problems with someone wanting to keep their design to themselves and capitalize on it if they desire. There are various licenses that can be applied to ensure the designer is protected as they desire.

[RAMTechRob]

They are already starting content for sale. I'm sure by the summer, you will be able to buy alot of designs that have been "verified" .

[eveninggown]

It's not a bad business model. It's a way to let 3D printing make a difference. It is part of the whole open source attitude. Think about all the great things that have come about because of thingiverse. I'm talking about prosthetis hands, replacement parts, etc. Sure it may not be a great way to make money, but it is a great way to help others, share designs, and allow people to approve upon other designs.

[awerby]

The business model certainly worked well for Makerbot - it allowed them to cash out for big bucks. It seems that Thingiverse must haqve been the main driver of that deal, since their hardware/software was pretty much all open-source and very similar to all the other filament printers out there. Whether it makes sense for designers to give away their work-product is another matter - I suppose it's easier than trying to sell it.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com