3D printing pricing strategies compared

Cost-plus

Compute full cost (material, machine, labor, failures) and add 30-100% margin. Defensible and consistent - the baseline every shop should be able to produce, and what our calculator automates.

Per-gram and per-hour

Per-gram is simple but ignores time; per-machine-hour is accurate but confuses customers. Hybrid rate cards (per-gram within a size class, plus setup fee) work well for farms with repeatable jobs.

Value pricing

A discontinued appliance part is worth its replacement pain, not its filament. One-off functional parts, urgent repairs and design-included work command 2-5x cost-plus. Value pricing requires understanding the customer's alternative - ask what happens if they do not get the part.

Minimum orders

Every shop needs one ($10-30 typical): handling, communication and invoicing cost the same on a $3 part as a $300 one. State it publicly and small orders either bundle up or filter out.