Shapeways and Etsy share a similar passion for supporting small business owners and making entrepreneurialism accessible and straightforward. So we couldn’t think of a more perfect partner to tap for an e-commerce integration, allowing Etsy shop owners to manage their orders and fulfillment directly from Shapeways. With this addition to the platform, selling and shipping your very own 3D printed product is easier than ever before.
To show you all the new possibilities our Etsy E-Commerce Integration presents, we spoke to Brian Richardson, a Shapeways community member who is using the link to expand his business. Richardson is the founder of Mythic Articulations, a company that specializes in creating 3D-printed mythical creature and cryptid skeletal models.
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Shapeways Makes 3D Printing Simple
“SHAPEWAYS WAS THE FIRST 3D PRINTING COMPANY I CAME ACROSS AND I STUCK WITH IT. THE PRICING IS STILL BETTER THAN THE COMPETITION FOR THE MATERIALS I TYPICALLY USE AND THE AUOTMATED CHECKS AND 3D TOOLS THEY OFFER MAKE CREATING PRINT-READY MODELS VERY SIMPLE”
Brian Richardson: I initially took up 3D modelling on a whim after finding the free program Sculptris by Pixologic. I very much enjoyed it and ended up teaching myself a bit more about it and eventually bought Z-Brush due to the plethora of additional features and ease of use it provided. When I decided I’d like to bring a sculpture or two into the real world, Shapeways was the first 3D printing company I came across and I stuck with it. The pricing is still better than the competition for the materials I typically use and the automated checks and 3D tools they offer make creating print-ready models very simple.
With Shapeways, it’s easy to get a model to the point where it will print without issue. The New York production facility is also located a few hours away from where I live, so orders generally get to me the day after they are shipped, which is always a plus.
Shapeways’ High-Quality Materials
Dragon Skeleton 3D Print Taxidermy Sculpture by Mythic Articulations
Most of the models I print are skeletons, which have many thin and intricate parts. I use Shapeways’ laser-sintered white nylon, partly because it gives a nice bone-like texture and appearance, but also because it requires no support material. I’ve recently acquired a small FDM printer but having to support the model as it prints takes a toll on the intricacy of the parts I can produce and the surface finish as well. Laser-sintered parts just have a nicer look and feel than ABS or PLA prints.
The Etsy E-commerce Integration
Selling on Etsy opens my sculptures up to a much wider audience than selling on Shapeways alone. Where the main focus of the Shapeways marketplace is 3D-printed items, the general vibe of Etsy is more handcrafted products and art/sculptures, which fits my products fairly well.
The sales channel integration will also allow me to transition away from manually re-packaging and re-shipping orders. This makes the whole business a bit more turn-key and will also lead to faster processing times for a good number of orders, as well as cheaper shipping, since the orders will go straight to the customers rather than going through me first. This will be especially helpful for foreign customers as most international orders will no longer be shipping from the US. Orders to the U.K. and France, for example, will instead ship from the Eindhoven facility, which should greatly reduce the delivery time and shipping cost.
I currently only sell my work on Etsy and Shapeways. My immediate plans are to transition the majority of the non-poseable skeletons I offer over to the Etsy-Shapeways sales integration.
Connect your Etsy store with Shapeways
You too can have access to seamless order fulfillment for all of your products today.
