Wouldn’t it be nice if your 3D printer can make some extra money for you? Perhaps an extra $100 per month, $200 per month, perhaps even more, if you really wanted to?
Here are 5 legitimate ways to help you make extra money with your 3D Printer.
1.) Solve a problem for a market niche
Do you have a group or community you follow? Perhaps you also have interest in action figures, toys and custom accessories? If so, you just found a potential market niche you can cater to.
Once you’ve found a potential niche, you’ll need to find common problems that this market has and then try to solve those problems with products that you can 3D Print or offer your skill in 3d printing as a service to bridge the gap (more on this later).
For example, my small 3d print shop Mini Arms Depot came about because years ago, I was annoyed with the idea that there weren’t many selections for custom 1:12 scale weapons and diorama props. So, I decided to 3D print some for my own GI JOE Classified figures. Then, someone mentioned I should sell them.
I took the advice, started selling 3d printed GI JOE Classified accessories on eBay and Etsy, and next thing you know I was getting sales and fulfilling orders daily! I didn’t even know that I was helping solve a problem in a market niche! Yes, I was naïve.
Pay attention to what your community is talking about. If it’s something that you see or hear constantly in forums, blogs, or YouTube comments, then there’s a great chance it’s a problem that needs a solution. Then, create a product using your 3D Printer to solve those problems. If the solution you provide is good, people are usually willing to pay for them. Just make sure to price it right.
2.) Sell your SKILLS
If you can’t think of a problem to solve with a 3D Printed product, you can help people with your 3D Printing skills instead. Although 3D Printers have become more streamlined and cheaper these days, the thought of owning and maintaining one is still a daunting task for most people.
You know exactly what I’m talking about. Owning a 3D Printer requires some tinkering, curiosity and what often feels like hocus pocus wizardry just to get them to print right.
Well, guess what, most people are still not willing to go through all of that, and they are certainly not willing to tinker around when things break or needs replacement. That’s where you come in and you can offer to 3D Print people’s stuff for a fee.
Since I’ve opened Mini Arms Depot, I constantly get requests from customers to make them custom diorama props and pieces for their personal needs. Trust me when I say this, over the past 7 years since I’ve started doing this, people ALWAYS want some form of custom diorama or piece that no one else offers. So, since the rise of 3D printers, they’re ALWAYS on the look out for folks who can do the job.
If you’re into action figures, toys, miniatures and dioramas like we are, you can sign up for a FREE account on classified ads sites like Dio Props 4 Hire and post your 3D Printing skills there. It is highly encouraged to post on multiple categories to increase your chances of getting found by a potential customer looking for someone to 3D print a piece (or pieces) for their next project. As of this writing, I actually just directed 2 of my very own customers to Dio Props 4 Hire because they needed something custom printed, and unfortunately, I don’t have the time to commit to them at the moment.
3.) Sell 3D Printed parts for REPRAP 3D Printers
Ever heard of RepRap? Without going in too much detail, RepRap is basically a self-replicating 3D printer that is capable of making plastic parts and making a plastic kit of itself that anyone can assemble given the time and materials.
Our humble beginnings started from the original Prusa i2 from RepRap, where everything we printed was still made out of 3.0mm PLA filament. Since RepRap machines require 3D printed parts, people wanting to build RepRap machines are looking for folks who already have a working 3D printer to print them the parts they need.
Again, this is where you come in and offer your 3D printing service for a fee. Since RepRap is mostly on the Creative Commons license, you likely sell the 3D Printed parts on platforms like eBay or Etsy. Just make sure to check the license agreement on the parts for the machine type you choose to sell, and give proper credit to the 3D designer and author who designed the parts.
4.) Sell Personalized 3D Printed items
Possibilities here are endless. You can offer to create a custom personalized coaster, personalized 3D Printed cake toppers (make sure you use a food grade filament), or a personalized 3D Printed wall décor, just to name a few.
Think of things that you would want to get personalized for yourself. Perhaps it’s a custom cake topper, book mark, perhaps a keychain? Whatever it may be, there are ways to make it unique to a style of your own and get it personalized for customers willing to pay.
Once you figure out which items you would like to make and how you’re going to design them, you can head over to Dio Props 4 Hire and see if you can find a 3D Designer who make the design for you. Make sure to make it clear that you’ll need to change the name(s) on the design from time to time so that it can be personalized for your customers.
5.) Sell 3D Printed products for small businesses and professionals
This kind of goes hand in hand with #4 above, but more targeted to small businesses owners and professionals. For example, if you happen to know a Real Estate Agent, you can 3D Print them a custom 3D Printed business card. Instead of the traditional paper business card, you can create a small key-shaped object with the realtor’s printed on it, or even a small FOR-SALE sign in a shape of a small house with their name on it.
I’ve seen the same idea for Lawyers, where someone made a custom business card in the form of a court room’s gavel (hammer), with the Lawyers name imbedded on the gavel. That was pretty clever I thought.
You can also make custom 3D Printed pizza box savers for pizza shop and restaurant owners in your local town. The possibilities are endless. It just takes a little bit of effort and time to research. Then, you need to talk to the right people and offer them what you can offer.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it, 5 legitimate ways you can make money with your 3d printer. With planning, research and effort, you can put your 3D Printer to work and make some money for you.