WheresWaldo, thanks. I agree, keystone markup really isn't going to cut it especially since some of the stuff I've had Shapeways make has been at what I assume is their minimum price.

Some of the stuff I've designed will need additional parts, so I'll probably need my own ecommerce site and stock inventory (or find a distributor- ha, ha, now I'm dreaming. I don't think many people would like to deal with the hassle of buying some parts from me and buying the rest from Shapeways. I figure that's also better for buyers since they then don't have to wait for Shapeways to print it, which can take a while. But of course, there's the whole problem of stocking inventory and predicting sales.

But I get what you're saying- the Shapeways storefront is just a token effort to allow others to sell their designs. It could be better with better search, filtering, etc., but it's probably better to have my own site and link directly to a Shapeways product if selling there.

And of course, Shapeways isn't the only game in town. Though some other places have high minimum orders, at least it's not a problem if I'm planning on larger orders for stocking inventory. And some have a bit faster turn around. Or much faster for a premium. And there's something to be said for not being tied to any one company for parts.

What do you think of the idea of putting my designs up on a 3D model website but also selling the parts? That way, people have options: print the part themselves, send the model out to a place like Shapeways and get it in the color they want, or order it directly from me. Each has its pros and cons- they either have to have (a friend with) a 3D printer and be willing to possibly tweak the design for their printer, or they have to wait for Shapeways, or they pay more (but maybe not that much more because of economies of scale) for something that I have tested and can ship immediately.

Of course, there's the fourth option of buying it from someone who may have completely copied my site- possibly even pretending to be me- and is undercutting me. But that can happen even if I don't publish the design- they'd just make an even worse copy and give me a bad name. Or someone could improve the design and put me out of business.