To make money with 3D printing, it’s good to narrow down what niche you sell 3D prints in. It lowers competition and allows you to find gaps in the market where there’s demand. In addition, it lets you sell 3D prints for a higher price and make more profit.
To find profitable 3D prints in your niche, you need to focus on functional 3D prints, look for gaps in the market, sell low-volume, high-ticket items, analyze trends, focus on high-value, low-effort items, and create prototypes.
This article will explain each one of them in detail. So, keep reading to learn more.
How to Find Profitable 3D Prints in Your Niche
Here is what you need to do to find the most profitable 3D prints in your niche:
Focus on functional 3D prints that serve a purpose
Look at 3D prints that can be customized
Look for gaps in the market
Sell low-volume, high-ticket items
Focus on smaller objects that don’t use a lot of material
Analyze trends
Find niches related to personal hobbies
Create Prototypes
1. Focus on Functional 3D Prints that Serve a Purpose
Start by identifying items people struggle to find, like unique car parts for older models, appliance replacement clips, or custom phone holders. Look for things that break often—these are always in demand.
Functional prints aren’t just trendy; they’re practical and have consistent year-round value. By offering solutions to everyday issues, you’ll attract customers who genuinely need what you create, making your niche more profitable.
Ecstatic-Essay-7802 makes custom electrical parts for sailing boats. For example, he made a lights panel with a relay box; it took him around 2 hours to print and assemble and then two more hours to install it onto a boat.
After the expenses and work hours, his margin was around 75-80%, depending on the part complexity. He adds that Marine parts are usually quite expensive, so nobody minds the prices, especially when he can make stuff the way the boat owners want them to be.
Ohmbrew makes about $200 from Etsy each month, selling a functional item that helps keep trash cans upright and prevents dogs from knocking them over. He has several finished products in-store and ships them to the buyer after getting an order, getting about 50% profit from each sale.
Maethor_derien says that to make a profit; you should go for replacement parts you can’t patent. A great example is knobs. Most knobs are keyed and sized very specifically, so if you are good at designing replacements for people, you can charge a pretty big markup.
In this YouTube video by 3D Printed Profits, Ian explains how he was able to design office accessories such as under-desk laptop mounts and cable organizers and turn them into a $6,000-a-month business.
2. Look at 3D Prints that Can be Customized
Next, look for 3D prints that can be customized, like phone cases, keychains, or even home décor items. Customization adds value because people love personal items. You can offer personalized designs with names, logos, or unique patterns.
Consider what could be made more personal for your customers—custom gift items or specialty parts. Customizable 3D prints often attract more buyers because they feel unique and tailored to the customer’s needs, allowing you to charge a premium.
For example, these personalized keychains that Yorkshire3DLtd sells on Etsy have been a best-seller for a while. What’s great about them is that you can select the name and color of your choice.
One customer said these personalized keychains were lovely, and her son would love them for Christmas.
3. Look for Gaps in The Market
Look for gaps in the market by identifying products or needs that aren’t being met. The best way to do this is to check out marketplaces to see what people are looking for but can’t easily find.
You can also check out online forums or social media where people talk about specific challenges—like custom mounts for drones or tools for artists. If you can create 3D prints that solve these problems, you’ll fill a gap with less competition and attract more customers.
Irishlyrucked from Reddit says that they make two products for a very niche market, giving them a 30% margin. They also claim their margin could be even higher if they weren’t vastly undercharging initially.
The user doubled the price after the first 50 items and increased the other by 50% and has, since then, started working on two more items, aiming for at least a 50% margin on both.
Captain_carrot states that they discovered demand in a niche market and started designing and selling products on Etsy. The user claims they made about $75k in profits that year and almost reached $85k in profits the following year. The important thing is solving a niche problem.
Shu2kill states that you need to find a niche where clients need specific designs. The user claims that he makes some parts that only take up a single roll and cost $15.He then sells them for $120 to $150.
Most of the time, the filament they use is not too important. The item’s cost is based on the solution offered and how much the alternative would cost.
There is a great app called GummySearch that I came across, which lets you quickly discover popular and growing topics discussed in any subreddit or collection of subreddits.
It analyzes discussions to uncover market gaps and patterns, making it perfect for finding 3D print ideas with high demand but low competition. This video gives a short demo of how the GummySearch Topic analysis feature works.
4. Sell Low Volume, High Ticket Items
Another way to find profitable 3D prints is to focus on more expensive products that don’t need to be sold in large quantities to make a good profit.
For example, instead of printing a ton of cheap keychains, you could focus on creating custom-made cosplay armor or high-quality, personalized 3D-printed jewelry.
These items cost more, but because they’re unique or specialized, you can charge higher prices, making up for the lower sales volume. Plus, they often attract customers who are willing to pay a premium for something specially tailored to their needs.
An example is EnderB3nder from Reddit, who focuses on low-volume, high-ticket items like large wearables. They were currently working on a 6-foot-tall print that sold for £4,000.
This made them just over £2,500 in profits from the product; however, their usual items often range from £150 to £800. They also make molds that can be cast in resin, rubber, foam, etc.
A user on Reddit was inquiring about the most profitable item that someone could print. OddChest replied that a life-sized Star Wars battle droid sells for £1000 on Etsy and costs only £150 in filament. However, it does take around three months to print one.
This life-size B1 Battle Droid that I found on Etsy is currently going for £1500.
If you’re into selling low-volume, high-ticket 3D prints, EverBee is a game-changer. This tool integrates with Etsy to analyze product trends using its powerful Product Analytics feature. You can filter by minimum price to focus on higher-priced items and uncover profitable designs.
It’s perfect for finding high-demand, premium products without relying on bulk sales, making it easier to maximize your profits per print! Here is a video that walks you through the process of using this tool.
5. Focus on Smaller Objects that Don’t Use a lot of Material (High-Value, Low-Effort Items)
Print smaller items such as custom buttons, cable holders, coasters, bottle openers, personalized bookmarks, desk organizers, or fridge magnets. They don’t use much material but can sell for a reasonable price.
They’re quick to make, easy to store, and cheap to ship. It’s all about making high-value, low-effort prints that still generate profit.
Temporary_Hat_9038 on Reddit says that he can squeeze a profit margin of around 40% and grow by printing products that cost around $5 in materials and go for $150.
Technikal, who works in an office, spends his downtime coming up with things people want on their desks, in their offices, etc. Mostly <$20 accessories like business card holders, pen cups, and keychains.
He draws the model in Fusion and throws it in Etsy. It works as a decent side hustle since he is able to double his material cost and make a decent amount per hour of printer/handling time, and both his printers are paid for.
6. Analyze Trends
To find profitable 3D prints, analyze trends in your niche. Keep an eye on what’s trending in social media, online marketplaces like Etsy, or forums related to 3D printing. This way, you can jump in before everyone else, giving you a competitive edge.
For example, if everyone is excited about a new movie or game, you could make 3D prints related to it, like keychains or decorations.
You could also follow the seasons and research trending sales on e-commerce platforms. For example, you could print products you can sell during Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.
Maethor_derien from Reddit states that the biggest trick is to follow the seasons. For example, you can print back-to-school items when schools open and even Halloween products in September.
However, if you’re too late, copying popular trends like flexible dragons or generic items on Etsy, Instagram, or Facebook Marketplace may not be the best way to go.
Instead, it is a race to the bottom since these markets are crowded and competitive and often lead to price wars. These can work well selling in-person but not so much online.
A great tool for analyzing trending products is Google Trends. Just head to the homepage and search for “Iron Man Masks” to see interest over time.
You can then use the data acquired to identify seasonal peaks or growing interest, helping you stay ahead of the curve. For example, this item had the highest demand around the 8th to 14th of September.
7. Find Products Related to Your Hobbies
A smart way to find profitable 3D print ideas is to look for products related to your hobbies. When you’re passionate about something, you can easily spot what’s missing or could be improved.
This makes it easier to create products will appeal to others who share your interests and from which you could profit!
For example, if you’re into fishing, you could design custom tackle boxes, rod holders, or unique accessories like fish hooks. If you’re into photography, consider making tripod adapters or camera accessory mounts.
He is in Cosplays, LARP, firearms accessories, and backcountry ski groups, which know him and his services. His social media is not massive, but it helps him show off examples of his work. His margins are great as he orders bulk filament and has a low utility overhead.
Travis from the PrintFarm Academy on YouTube has an excellent strategy for identifying profitable niches by considering a combination of your interests, experience, and expertise. You can check it out.
8. Create Prototypes
Finally, you can create prototypes to test new ideas and offer unique products. Designers and engineers always look for prototype parts or models to test concepts.
TinkerCAD is a great prototyping software because it is beginner-friendly. Use its intuitive drag-and-drop interface to combine basic shapes to create detailed models without needing advanced skills.
You can quickly visualize and adjust your designs until you find the one that resonates with your target audience. This will help you focus on the most profitable concepts.
Here is a quick tutorial on how to use TikerCAD.
By printing and selling these prototypes, you can serve industries like automotive, tech, or fashion, where innovation is essential. Plus, you can charge a premium for your custom, one-of-a-kind prototypes!
On Reddit, Crazyhamsales states that they do a lot of design work, print prototypes, and create finished products for companies and individuals. They say their business is self-sustaining. The user makes good profits from working 4 to 5 hours daily, and their major clients are design customers.
These customers send them rough ideas, which they make into functioning prototypes. The user explains that they charge a minimum of $50 an hour for each design and that any extra hour they take to finish the design is billed to the buyer.
They state that this pricing is reasonable for some buyers; however, some opt to find a different designer.
PlankToTheFace from Reddit says it is better to find a niche in industry solutions and engineer parts for that niche. He does things for appliance technicians and has a 3,000% markup on the raw material’s cost; however, they did have to spend 100 hours refining and iterating the design.
In this video, Dan explains how he developed a Peloton Bike accessory prototype that allowed him to measure resistance accurately. He 3D printed it and used it successfully. Afterward, he started selling them to people with a similar problem and made close to $1,500 in profit monthly.
Michael Dwamena is the founder of 3D Printerly, a platform dedicated to simplifying 3D printing for hobbyists and professionals alike. Owns over 20 3D printers (filament and resin) and has plenty experience 3D printing. Michael has authored over 900 articles, helping millions navigate the exciting world of 3D printing.
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