Where to Sell 3D Prints: Etsy, eBay, or Direct Sales?
Most people who start selling 3D prints list the part at the same price everywhere. The catch is that each channel keeps a different slice of the price, so the profit that looked the same changes from one channel to the next. This guide takes one part, runs the numbers on the most common US channels and shows what matters when you choose where to sell. The fees come from the official pages, checked on November 4, 2026.
The same part on four channels
Assumptions for the example: the part costs $8.00 to make (filament, electricity, wear, labor and packaging) and you want $4.80 of profit, which is 60% on top of cost. No shipping charged or paid by you, and no sales tax in the math for now. Etsy: 6.5% transaction fee, 3% + $0.25 payment processing per order and the $0.20 listing fee, which renews after each sale. eBay without a Store subscription, most categories: 13.6% of the order total plus $0.40 per order.
| Channel | Fees used | Listing price | Channel keeps | Your profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct sale (no fees in this example) | none | $12.80 | $0.00 | $4.80 |
| Etsy | 9.5% + $0.45 | $14.65 | $1.84 | $4.81 |
| eBay | 13.6% + $0.40 | $15.28 | $2.48 | $4.80 |
| Etsy order from Offsite Ads | 24.5% + $0.45 | $17.55 | $4.75 | $4.80 |
The Etsy price is rounded up to the cent that covers the profit, which is why it shows $4.81. Offsite Ads only applies to orders that an ad outside Etsy brought in, at 15% (12% once a shop passes $10,000 in yearly sales), capped at $100 per order. You don't choose it per order, so price for the normal sale and check that the ad sale still leaves something. The full formulas are in the guide to Etsy and eBay selling fees.
Sales tax changes the fees too. Etsy and eBay collect it for you, and part of their fee is charged on it: Etsy's processing fee covers the whole order including tax, and eBay's 13.6% is charged on the total including tax. With an 8% sales tax, the same part needs $14.68 on Etsy and $15.48 on eBay.
How big each marketplace is
The size of a channel tells you how many people could find your listing, not how much you will sell. These numbers come from the companies' own quarterly reports and they measure slightly different things:
- Etsy: 87.5 million active buyers in the 12 months to September 30, 2026, according to its third-quarter shareholder letter.
- eBay: 147 million active buyers in the same 12 months, or 136 million without the recently acquired Depop and Tise, according to its third-quarter earnings release of October 28, 2026.
More shoppers also means more sellers competing for the same click. For a niche part, such as a stand for one specific controller, what decides is whether people already search for it on that channel. Search the part's name on each one and look at how many listings and sales show up.
One rule matters a lot for 3D printing: Etsy's Creativity Standards say items made with a 3D printer must be produced from the seller's original design. Printing someone else's model to sell there is not allowed, even with a commercial license.
Bundles: fees paid once
Etsy charges the $0.25 processing fee per order and the $0.20 listing fee per sale, and eBay charges its per-order fee once per order. A bundle sold as one item pays those fixed amounts once. Example: each part costs $4.00 and you want $2.40 of profit per part. On Etsy, a single part needs $7.57, and about 15% of that price goes to fees. A 3-pack needs $21.72.
The cheaper the part, the more the fixed fees weigh, and the more a bundle helps. For the cost of printing several parts at once, see the guide to batch cost per part.
Free shipping: when it comes out of your pocket
On Etsy and eBay you choose whether to charge shipping or offer it free. If you charge it, remember that both platforms take their percentage on the shipping too: Etsy's transaction fee and eBay's final value fee include it. If you offer free shipping, the label becomes a cost and has to go into the price, so a $5.00 label on the eBay example takes the price from $15.28 to $21.07. On a direct sale with shipping charged separately, your profit holds as long as what you charge covers the label and any fee charged on it.
The guide to finishing and packaging helps you count the box, the padding and the time it takes to pack, which are part of the cost before any fee.
How to choose where to sell
- Compare profit, not price. Work out each channel's price for the same profit, as in the table above, and ask whether that channel's buyers pay that price.
- Count the work. A marketplace brings customers but charges fees, has shipping rules and handling deadlines. A direct sale paid in cash has no fee, but you have to find the customer yourself. Card readers and payment links charge a percentage: add them as your own channel in the calculator.
- Test the price against the market. Pick three listings similar to yours on each channel and note the price with shipping and the delivery time. Work out how much you would keep at that price. If the price you need doesn't fit there, that channel isn't for this part.
- Start with one channel and measure. Opening shops in three places in the first month splits your attention. Pick the channel where your part is already searched for and add another once the first one runs.
- Recheck the fees. They change without notice: look at the official pages before you set a price, and again every few months.
The MakerPrice 3D calculator does this math for you: the Price on each channel block shows your part's price on a direct sale, on Etsy and on eBay with the same profit, and lets you replace any fee with your own.
Frequently asked questions
Can I charge the same price on every channel?
You can, but the profit won't be the same. In this guide's example, the part listed at $12.80 on eBay would leave $10.66 after the fee: $2.66 of profit instead of $4.80. If you want a single price, use the most expensive channel's price and accept a bigger profit on direct sales.
Should I sell on Etsy or eBay?
Etsy fits original designs and gifts, and requires the design to be yours. eBay accepts a wider range of parts, including replacement pieces and printed parts from licensed models where the license allows selling. Look at where buyers already search for your kind of part and compare the profit with each channel's fees.
Does sales tax change my price?
On marketplaces, the buyer pays the sales tax and the platform sends it to the state, so it isn't your money. But part of the fee is charged on it, so the price needed for the same profit goes up a little. On direct sales, check your state's rules.
Is it worth selling on more than one marketplace at the same time?
It is once the first one works and you can meet the shipping deadlines on both. Your stock needs to stay in sync: a part sold on one channel has to come off the other, or you sell what you don't have.