3D Print Pricing Guide
Find out how much to charge for 3D prints with market price ranges by category and a built-in cost calculator to check your profit margins.
Print costs (from your slicer)
Use the 3D Print Cost Calculator to get these numbers
Your labour
Sanding, supports, painting
Selling
Etsy ~12.5%, eBay ~12.8%
Minimum selling price
£9.30
| Your Price Breakdown | Amount |
|---|---|
| Machine costs (material + elec. + depreciation) | £2.00 |
| Failure overhead (+10%) | £0.20 |
| Labour (20 mins @ £12/hr) | £4.00 |
| Total cost | £6.20 |
| Selling price (50% markup) | £9.30 |
| Platform fees (12.5%) | -£1.16 |
| Postage | -£3.50 |
| Your profit per sale | £1.56 |
Market price ranges by category
Typical selling prices on Etsy, eBay and craft marketplaces. Your price is compared against each category.
Miniatures and Figurines
Small 28mm gaming miniatures, action figures, display models
Phone Cases and Covers
Custom phone cases, protective sleeves, grips
Replacement Parts
Drawer pulls, connectors, brackets, clips
Desk Organisers
Pen holders, cable organisers, desk accessories
Cosplay Props
Armour pieces, weapons, costume accessories
Planters and Containers
Decorative pots, succulent planters, vases
Nameplates and Signs
Door signs, desk nameplates, custom signs
Jewellery and Accessories
Rings, pendants, brooches, earrings
Functional Household
Drawer dividers, light covers, wall mounts
Prototypes and Models
Functional prototypes, scaled models
Pricing tips for 3D print sellers
Print time is machine time, not your labour. Only count the hands-on work: removing supports, sanding, painting, assembly and packing.
Complex post-processing (multi-colour painting, acetone smoothing, assembly) justifies higher markups of 50-100%.
Batch orders let you drop per-unit prices while keeping profits healthy since setup and post-processing time is shared.
Premium materials (Nylon, TPU, resin) let you command higher prices in categories where strength or flexibility matters.
How to Set a Selling Price for 3D Prints
Take your true cost from a print cost calculator (material, electricity, depreciation, failure overhead, labour) and multiply by 1.5x to 4x depending on the category. A typical phone case costing £2.50 to make sells for £8 to £15. A miniature costing £0.80 sells for £3 to £8. The variance is huge because customer expectations vary wildly between categories.
The pricing guide bakes in a default 50% markup, a 12.5% Etsy platform fee and £3.50 postage. On a £5 cost item this produces a £7.50 selling price, but after fees and postage you keep just £3.06 - meaning you have made £0.06 profit on top of cost. To actually take home meaningful money you usually need 100 to 200% markup, especially on lower-priced items where the £0.20 Etsy listing fee and 6.5% transaction fee eat a fixed slice of every sale. Use the [3D print cost calculator](/3d-print-cost-calculator) first to get accurate inputs.
Market Price Ranges by Category
Miniatures and figurines sit at £3 to £15. Phone cases £8 to £20. Replacement parts £5 to £25. Cosplay props £20 to £100. Planters £10 to £40. These ranges are what comparable items actually sell for on Etsy and eBay in 2026, not what they should sell for. The price marker on the calculator shows where your number lands relative to each market.
Below the range usually means you are underpricing. Buyers see suspiciously cheap and assume poor quality. Within the range means the price will not stop the sale, and your listing photos and reviews do the convincing. Above the range needs justification: premium materials (Nylon, TPU, metal-filled), exceptional finishing (multi-colour painting, acetone smoothing), or a recognisable brand. A first-time seller pricing 30% above market with no reviews will get zero sales.
Why Platform Fees Quietly Destroy Your Margin
Etsy charges 6.5% transaction fee plus £0.20 per listing plus 4% payment processing on UK sales. eBay charges around 12.8% all-in. That £7.50 print sale after Etsy fees nets you about £6.56, then £3.50 postage comes out, leaving £3.06. Subtract your £5 cost and you are 6 pence in profit. This is why prints below £10 often lose money even when the markup looks healthy on paper.
The fix is either pricing high enough that the fixed fees become a small percentage (a £30 sale with £0.20 listing fee is 0.7%, while a £6 sale is 3.3%), or shifting to channels with lower fees like local Facebook Marketplace, market stalls, or your own website. Many 3D print sellers run Etsy as a top-of-funnel discovery tool and direct repeat customers to direct order at lower prices. The [Etsy fee calculator](/etsy-fee-calculator) shows the full breakdown for any sale price.
True Profit on Common Selling Prices
| Sell Price | Etsy Fees (12.5%) | Postage | Net to You | Cost £3 | Cost £5 | Cost £8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £8 | £1.00 | £3.50 | £3.50 | +£0.50 | Loss £1.50 | Loss £4.50 |
| £12 | £1.50 | £3.50 | £7.00 | +£4.00 | +£2.00 | Loss £1.00 |
| £18 | £2.25 | £3.50 | £12.25 | +£9.25 | +£7.25 | +£4.25 |
| £25 | £3.13 | £3.50 | £18.37 | +£15.37 | +£13.37 | +£10.37 |
| £40 | £5.00 | £3.50 | £31.50 | +£28.50 | +£26.50 | +£23.50 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I charge for a 3D print on Etsy?
Take your cost from the 3D print cost calculator and multiply by 2.5 to 4 for retail. Then check the calculator's market range bars - if your figure lands inside the typical range for your category, you are competitive. Below the range and you are leaving money on the table. Above and you need premium photos, reviews and finishing to justify it. For a £3 cost item, £10 to £15 is the realistic Etsy sweet spot.
What is a fair markup for 3D printing?
Markup depends on what you are pricing in. If your cost figure includes labour and machine time honestly, 50 to 100% markup leaves room for fees and postage. If your cost only counts material, you need 200 to 400% markup to actually pay yourself. Most successful sellers use 150 to 250% on top of an honest cost figure that includes everything: filament, electricity, machine depreciation, failure rate and post-processing time.
Is selling 3D prints on Etsy actually worth it?
It can be, but the maths is tighter than people expect. After Etsy fees, postage and material, a £15 sale typically nets £8 to £10 of profit. To make the equivalent of a £15 per hour wage you need to sell roughly two prints per hour of work invested (including listing time, customer messages, packing). High-volume sellers with batch printing make it work; one-off custom commissions usually do not pay below £25 per item.
Should I include postage in the price or charge separately?
Either works but the maths is the same. Etsy's algorithm slightly favours free postage listings (the platform calls them out in search results), which is why many sellers build the £3.50 to £5 postage into the price and offer free shipping. The trick is making sure the postage bake-in does not push your price above the market range bar in the pricing guide.
What categories sell best for 3D prints?
In 2026 the consistent sellers are: phone grips and stands (£8 to £15, low cost to make), bag charms and keychains (£3 to £8, perfect impulse buys), replacement parts for IKEA furniture and appliances (£10 to £25, low competition), cosplay accessories (£15 to £80, high markup but slow turnover), and tabletop gaming miniatures (£3 to £12, repeat-customer driven). Avoid generic decor: planters and vases are saturated and price-pressured.
Related Tools
3D Print Cost Calculator
Calculate the true cost of 3D printing including filament, electricity, printer depreciation, failure rate and labour. Supports FDM and resin printers with popular presets.
Etsy Fee Calculator
Calculate your true Etsy seller fees and profit per item. Includes listing fees, transaction fees, payment processing, offsite ads and regulatory fees for 2026.
Side Hustle Hourly Rate Calculator
Find out what you actually earn per hour from your side hustle after deducting all expenses. Compare your real rate to minimum wage. The brutal honesty tool.