making money from 3d printing?

[cipher0]

At this point it sounds like you're just making excuses. No one is going to lay out a plan for you to generate money.

No one is asking for one.

There is literally an infinite amount of things you can make with an ever expanding amount of materials.

And you mentioned none.
This thread is me basically asking what can be printed where quality doesn't matter and you're replying "literally an infinite amount of things"...

Geoff sold his trinkets on eBay which is a global marketplace. No matter where you are in the world, the product will have the same demand because of this thing called the internet. You don't need to worry about where you're from.

Actually just because something is sold on ebay doesn't mean it can be shipped globally. If you're from the US you maybe haven't noticed this but the rest of us get "Does not ship to your country" or "May not ship to your country" on many items. Shipping costs money too, for some more than the product itself.

[Geoff]

No one is asking for one.


And you mentioned none.
This thread is me basically asking what can be printed where quality doesn't matter and you're replying "literally an infinite amount of things"...


Actually just because something is sold on ebay doesn't mean it can be shipped globally. If you're from the US you maybe haven't noticed this but the rest of us get "Does not ship to your country" or "May not ship to your country" on many items. Shipping costs money too, for some more than the product itself.

There are options to sell worldwide, but it can be costly (often more than your item is worth as you said) and personally I don't think I could keep up with the demand right now, I picked Australia obviously because it's local for me, and not one of my items costs more than a couple of dollars to send anywhere in the country in a padded envelope. If I had even double the orders I have now I'd be in trouble and could not make delivery promises - that's why I don't advertise.

I've sold completely on just listing it on ebay and never posting one link to the page and being clever with keywords in the title, it's there for anyone to do.

[cipher0]

There are options to sell worldwide, but it can be costly (often more than your item is worth as you said)

Thanks for the info Geoff.

Yeah, Australia is a large country/continent and it's developed, so I'm not surprised there's enough demand.

I'm from Armenia and there are only around 2.7 million people here, half from villages, don't even have internet connection. We have closed borders from east and west. From north there's Georgia and from south there's Iran, so you get the idea. Shipping from/to Europe or USA is costy and slow.

People here say I'm making excuses, but there you go.

And before you say my situation is rare, it really isn't. The world isn't just USA, Europe and Australia and few more countries.

[squadus]

No one is asking for one....

....And you mentioned none.

Okay....? Why does it matter that I mentioned none if no one is asking... even though you're obviously still searching for one. smh

cipher0, if Armenia is as bad as you make it sound like it is then I think you may actually have ample opportunities! In an underdeveloped country not all manufactured goods are readily available. In your situation the best bet may be to produce common goods and bring things to the anguished people of Armenia that may only be available elsewhere.

If people are impoverished and suffering with a choice between drinking water with your bare hands or using a 3D printed cup with jagged edges, I hardly think people in an underdeveloped country are truly concerned about quality over function. Might want to "get over" your quality issue and just start designing and making..

[cipher0]

Okay....? Why does it matter that I mentioned none if no one is asking... even though you're obviously still searching for one. smh

Seriously?

"No one is asking for one" - reply to your "no one is going to lay out a plan for you to generate money.". No one is asking for a plan.
"And you mentioned none." - reply to your "There is literally an infinite amount of things you can make". You mentioned not a single thing from the "literally infinite things" that can be printed and sold.

cipher0, if Armenia is as bad as you make it sound like it is then I think you may actually have ample opportunities! In an underdeveloped country not all manufactured goods are readily available. In your situation the best bet may be to produce common goods and bring things to the anguished people of Armenia that may only be available elsewhere.

If people are impoverished and suffering with a choice between drinking water with your bare hands or using a 3D printed cup with jagged edges, I hardly think people in an underdeveloped country are truly concerned about quality over function. Might want to "get over" your quality issue and just start designing and making..

I mention that we have a small population and half of it almost doesn't use internet and also the country is geographically far from Europe, USA, China, Australia, etc. to even conisder the option of eBay because of shipping cost and you conclude that the country is "bad" and the people here are "anguished" and "suffering with a choice between drinking water with your bare hands or using a 3D printed cup with jagged edges"? WTF.

[RAMTechRob]

Maybe make some household goods people need. I'm not sure what you are looking for, but you certainly have enough people to sell things to.

[cipher0]

What kind of household goods, RAMTechRob ? Leaving things that need to be made in iron, glass or wood aside, things that have electronics in them aside I don't see anything left but toys and plastic dishes and cups...

[RAMTechRob]

You need to take a small notebook where ever you go and start writing things down that can be made of plastic. When you are in a local store, ask them what is selling and if they would be able to sell a 3D version of it. There are thousands of products on Thingiverse already that people just have to have. I have 25 home projects already for my printer, and it hasn;t even shipped yet. Things from iPhone charging racks, to coat hangers, to wire bundle holders, a grocery bag hook for my wife's Challenger, bicycle flashlight holder.

Just think to yourself -- "what is a pain in the azz, that can be fixed with a simple plastic part?"

[LambdaFF]

I'd like to emphasize what other people wrote before : nothing is easy and you'll need to develop several different skillsets.

1/ You probably saw it before, but I find it really interesting and detailed : Mr Choo's blog.
http://www.dannychoo.com/en/post/269...+Products.html

As you can see, in that case 3D printing is just a means to an end. But you can also consider that not all parts need smooth to the touch finish : structure parts don't need to be.

2/ 3D printing used to be called fast manufacturing and prototyping. Fast ? why yes it's fast ! Have you ever tried to create the whole industrialization for a part ? CNC programing, blank part supports, ... You should look where it all started : look for people with big iteration loops in need of prototype milestones. The R&D dpt of my company owns a printer for just such a reason.

[broudie]

Had to post on this thread. I am a 3D printing N00B and I can already see a ton of stuff that I can make and sell for a profit.

To OP: asking someone for "what can I sell" just using a 3D printer in a world where you can easily make anything plastic at low volumes will not give you a satisfactory answer. If someones suggests it, chances are someone has already made it and are selling it (because of the low barriers to entry). Chances are someone has already copied it and created competition which will lower margins to the point that you don't want to do it anymore. Case in point - iPhone cases? Come on! Everyone and their grandmother's dead neighbor is making iPhone cases.

What you need to look for is specialized, niche stuff that no manufacaturer is looking at, where there is very little competition. If you're the only one in the space you can charge an arm and a leg for something and still they will come and pay.

Being able to charge an arm and a leg for stuff will overcome any issues around shipping costs. Because if you can sell your widget for $100, the $10 shipping will be trivial.