r/3Dprintingbusiness

Both shops have IP violations but that's for another day. So it seems a shop can have or not have a niche.

51k sales shop with no niche

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBearandWolfStudio

VS

14k sales from Slants3d own shop selling mostly headphone stands.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SlantedDesigns

Hey everyone,

My name is Daniel, I’m 15 years old, and I’m from Portugal.

Over the past months, I’ve been building my own small 3D printing project called StepperLab completely on my own.

I started with money I saved from small jobs, birthdays, music performances, and other side opportunities. With that, I bought my own equipment and started learning everything from scratch:

• 3D printing
• Product design
• CAD modeling
• Customer communication
• Social media content
• Branding and product testing

StepperLab creates everything from custom keychains and desk accessories to musician accessories, trumpet training tools, and experimental product ideas.

Besides building products, I also create content around the process, mixing education, creativity, and humor to make 3D printing feel more accessible.

I’m still learning every day, making mistakes, testing ideas, and improving.

Not here to sell anything — just documenting the journey and connecting with people who also like building things.

Any advice from makers or entrepreneurs is welcome.

So i started my operations about 3 months ago now and I had some problems regarding packaging my products, any tips from experienced people helps :-

Packaging - I initially started making/selling my own designs but some customers started asking if I can do custom works or print models they provide. I started accepting these (have become almost half of my orders) but the problem is the wide range of custom orders Im getting from small to big, the same box sizes I use don't suffice and I don't think stocking 20 different box sizes would work.... Any tips for size varying Packaging options ?

Thanks in advance for any info 🫡

(Im a uni student doing this on the side, so this is my first time having/operating an actual business set up 😅)

Hi everyone. I'm looking for a 3D printer for a business idea I'd like to execute which involves printing miniature personalized accessories. The pieces are not that small and range from about ring size to about 3-4 inches in size. The models are not complicated in design, think simple key fobs or a holder for your earpods. I'm fairly new to this but I'm very confident that a 3D printer will execute my ideas but not sure which exactly to go for and what to look for. What I know is that I'm not looking for anything commercial or “large-scale” , something smaller and that can fit in my room.The printer should be able to print at least a couple of models in an hour or so, not too loud and cumbersome. I've been pointed to Alibaba but the choices are too many for me to decide. This is just a hobby I have begun and see an opportunity to do business. Would also appreciate pointers to filament usage and types.