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Recently, Etsy quietly changed its creative policy to eliminate most 3D-printed objects on the platform. The policy change dictates that all 3D-printed goods must be created and designed by the person selling them. This would remove a vast majority of 3D printed merchandise sold by makers and print farms alike, who typically buy files from professional artists. Despite our attempts to contact Etsy and a flood of content creators making YouTube videos on the subject, Etsy has not addressed the topic.
Concerned Etsy shop owners have submitted support tickets – the company does not list a phone number or email address – and have posted the results to online forums. These responses take both sides, some saying that non-original 3D prints are fine, others saying that they are banned. After nearly a month, Etsy has yet to clarify the policy with either customers or its own staff.
Enter MyMiniFactory with a new offer that the company says can help address the blurry Etsy rules. MMF emailed Tom’s Hardware outlining a new plan in direct response to the Etsy dilemma: a Premium Merchant Program. “We believe decentralized manufacturing is the cornerstone for scaling the consumer 3D printing market, but for years, talented creators and makers have been battling with platforms that don’t properly support them,” states MMF in a blog post.
MyMiniFactory believes it can fill the gap. The 13-year-old platform is currently only known as a digital file shopping site, where people can purchase professionally designed digital models to use with their 3D printers. Models can cost anywhere from 99 cents to hundreds of dollars for large collections. A large portion of MMF files are directed at tabletop gamers, but it also has files for toys and home decor.
For $25 a month, anyone with a 3D printer can become a Verified Premium Merchant and sell physical 3D prints on MMF’s platform. The seller would receive a Verified Merchant Badge on their profile, global visibility on an MMF Merchant Map, and various discounts. MMF hopes that sellers with a Premium Merchant Profile will stand out as professionals, thus earning the trust of customers.
However, there are a few problems. First, in order for MMF to verify that sellers have proper permission to sell prints, they will need to purchase their commercial licenses through the MMF “Tribes” system. At the moment, people who want to legally sell a designer’s work can obtain their licenses or memberships through a number of sources, such as Patreon, Thangs, and Printables, which are all in competition with MMF’s services.
Licensed 3D print sellers on Cinderwing3D’s Discord are skeptical that MMF could replace sales currently made on Etsy. Love it or hate it, Etsy has established a reputation with shoppers as a marketplace for unique and handcrafted goods you can’t find anywhere else, no matter what material they're crafted from.
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