How to Open a Shop

  1. Become a Shapeways member!

  2. Create a PayPal account so we can pay you.

  3. Upload your designs to Shapeways.

  4. Click on My Addresses in the user menu (at the top right of this page).

  5. On your Addresses page make sure that your Billing Address has been completed correctly. Then click the My shop link in the navigation to reach the Shop page.

  6. Choose a shop name and URL, and then click the box to accept the Terms and Conditions. Press the Save button. Your shop will be created, and then you can enter a detailed description, upload a unique logo, and provide more information about your shop on the same page.

  7. Next, click on each design's detail page. In the right column you can change the properties of that particular product.

  8. Check model availability to see if your product is set to: "available to all" and "finished." This is outlined in the lovely green color below. Check model View State to see that your product is set to "Show and Allow Ordering." This drop down menu is outlined in purple below.
    These settings indicate that others can order the product and see it. The rights to your original design will always remain with you. You simply give us a license to print your product and sell it. You get to decide how much this license costs. You can at all times remove your product from Shapeways. When you do so, this ends the license and we can no longer produce products based on that design.

  9. You can now decide how much you would like to earn for each product you sell, under the title "Make Your Profit." We suggest you mark up from 10-20%, but the choice is yours. We would recommend that you strike a healthy balance between avarice and affordability. If in doubt, lean towards affordability. Save your changes when ready.

  10. You can now visit your shop, at the URL: www.shapeways.com/shops/yourshopname (where "yourshopname" is whatever you entered in Step 6). All for-sale products will have a pink shopping cart logo on them when viewed in the main Shapeways gallery or in your shop.

  11. Tell all your friends, family, colleagues, and people you stand next to on the subway about your shop. Blog about it, post it on your Facebook and Twitter profiles, and spread that URL far and wide. Profit!


    After successfully completing the above steps, you are now able to sell your own physical products worldwide. Global distribution, global shipping, putting a product on the market. These are all things that used to take months (or years) and thousands of dollars and you've now done it together with us in a few minutes (or hours) for free!


    Now it is time to start designing awesome things, and we look forward to being at your side along every step of the way towards our shared success.


    Any more questions? Read our FAQs on shops.

    Open your own shop now!