Most pricing advice for 3D prints is “multiply filament cost by three”. That works for a $20 part and bankrupts you on a $2 one, because it ignores your time, your failures and the 10–15% the marketplace takes. Here is a method that holds up.
Step 1: know your true cost
True cost is filament + electricity + printer wear + a failure allowance. The cost calculator does this; typical hobby parts land at 1–5¢ per gram. Write the number down per product — it changes with material and print time, not with how pretty the part is.
Step 2: pay yourself per minute of touch time
Count the minutes you actually spend: starting the print, removing it, clipping supports, bagging it. Multiply by an hourly rate you would accept for unskilled work — $15–25 is common. A print that needs 12 minutes of handling at $20/hour costs $4 in labour, which is often more than the plastic.
Step 3: add margin for the design and the risk
If the design is yours, this is where you get paid for it. If you bought a commercial licence, this covers the licence. 50–150% on top of (cost + labour) is normal for small parts; large, slow, risky prints justify more because a single failure wipes out several sales of margin.
Step 4: add the fees correctly
Fees are a percentage of the sale price, so you cannot just add them to the cost. The listing price that leaves you a target profit is:
price = (profit + fixed fees + cost + actual shipping − shipping charged × (1 − fee %)) ÷ (1 − fee %)For Etsy in the US (6.5% transaction + 3% processing + $0.25 + $0.20 listing), a part with $4 true cost and $8 target profit needs a price of about $13.76, not $12. On eBay (13.6% + $0.30) the same target needs about $14.24. The seller pricing calculator does this for you and shows what you keep at any price.
Step 5: check the market, then decide
Search the marketplace for the same item. If your calculated price is far above the going rate, you have three honest options: print faster (thicker layers, fewer walls), use a cheaper material, or do not sell that item. Pricing below cost to “build reviews” is how most 3D printing side businesses quietly lose money.
A note on Etsy’s rules
Since July 2024 Etsy’s Creativity Standards require items to be made, designed, handpicked or sourced by the seller, and in 2025 Etsy clarified how that applies to 3D prints: a purchased STL printed as-is generally does not qualify, while your own designs (or designs made to your specification) do. Read the current Creativity Standards before listing; the fee maths above is unchanged either way.