MakerShop.co is an online marketplace for 3D printer designs. If you have a design you would like to monetize, you can either set up a basic storefront for free, or pay a small, monthly fee for a more customizable shop that offers a richer experience for your fans. On the subscription sites, you can customize many of the pages with videos, donate buttons, or special graphics.
Michael Spivey of SpiveyWorks created MakerShop.co earlier this year, because he envisions a time in the not-too-distant future when certain designs will go viral. A designer in one country one might devise something so cool over a weekend that tens of thousands of people around the world will want to download the design and print it on their own 3D printers.
The MakerShop.co website passed the 5,000th download mark in June after fans flocked to Fantasygraph’s 3D printer designs. The owner of the Fantasygraph shop said “For a long time, I tried to find a good website to run my own ‘Web shop’ for my 3D printing product. As soon as I found MakerShop, I knew that I had found my place. The interface was neat and professional, and the opening of my web shop was free and was made in ten minutes without a problem.”
Spivey believes that enabling MakerShop “store owners” to embed more videos on their pages will enable them to make better, and more personal connections with their fans.
“People want to know who the designer is when they create great work,” says Spivey. “3D printing the work of a person is one dimension of connection. Video provides an additional way for designers to differentiate themselves in a growing marketplace for 3D printable models.”
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