I nearly quadrupled your net working in the oilfield last year, but I spent 8 months away from my family basically straight. Can't put a price on that my friend. Glad someone is making some decent scratch, ~~$50k/year isn't anything to turn your nose up at. I'd happily take a cut to work from home. I just found your videos, so I'll go through and check them out. Honestly, I don't even know what to print that would make that kind of money.
You’re doing great. 👍🏼 Keep it up and I’m sure things will work out how you want them. It takes time to build a business and in the end that’s where the money is at. Also working for yourself is way better than making money for someone else.
I appreciate you and your videos and especially your transparency regarding the costs. I also want to start a 3D business this year and have watched many of your videos as well as those from others. You are straightforward and I’ve learned a lot from them, but the real learning begins when you start working on it yourself. Greetings from the Netherlands!
Thanks for taking the time in putting together all the numbers and for your honesty. You're setup helped me a lot in deciding if I should try to make money out of my 3d printing hobbies.
That is a lot of sales! Nice job! I did about 50k net, and 35k complete profit pre tax. Had to get a few more printers during black friday cause orders were coming in like crazy, up to 6 now! Ordering filament and bubble mailers in bulk really helped me cut costs, hoping to order more filament in bulk (most I did was 30kg), but it adds up quick in costs.
Nice! I'm looking to grow mine. I started late 2023 with two printers. Ended 2024 with 4 more printers. I don't know what my net in is with the costs but I did make $14k net from Etsy. So I am hoping to scale it again this year.
I think you are uniquely qualified to talk about everything in this space. I mean you are a designer and run a membership program. I'd love to see more of that side of thing. I'd really be interested in your take on working a 9-5 that pays more than running a farm vs running a farm and doing side things like you are doing.
I don't believe so. Those advertisement costs accounted for ~$75,000 of my gross revenue so its about a 3x return on ad spend (Would have been more but I experimented with advertising for Christmas early, resulted in about 30 days of lower ads return). So yes I could have lowered my expenses by $28,000 but it would have cut my revenue by more then half. My ad spend is about 22% of my total revenue. The "average" spend for online retail is 15%-20%. So had I not had that one bad month I think I would be right inline with that.
I have 6 printers, running 16 hours a day average. With wall adapters telling me their electricity cost. For me in PA, .16 cents a kWh, 22$ a printer per 6 months. (only got those outlet things 6 months ago)
great breakdown. I've been doing mostly digital only on etsy with some decent results but thinking of moving in to physical products. It's really hard though when those digital sales keep coming in and I don't have to do any work to fulfil them :)
For sure. I did do dome digital last year. Something I learned....If you do start to sell physical do it in a separate shop. I tried to sell both in the same and the shipping was nightmare because things wouldn't ship together. I did a video on it in yearly 2024 😁
One expense I don’t see is taxes. When you sell these items you have to pay taxes on it. Is the 147k after the taxes you pay on the items or is before? I am referring to sales tax not your personal income tax
It depends where you sell. If you sell on amazon or etsy, they take care of the taxes. Your personal income taxes are something you have to take care of on your own.
I shoot for 3x. I was slightly below that this year. Mostly because I started advertising Christmas items in October. I was curious when the Christmas shopping really starts. I can tell you it isn't October 😂 So that hurt my return, but my goal is to be a 3x return on ad spend for the year. And have my advertising cost be 20% or less of my total Revenue. I was at 22% for 2024.
What’s crazy is you have numbers that show making over $100k but you make almost less than a third of that because of fees. You should dive into how to lower your fees
Yeah I mean thats a business, it cost money to operate. Most e-commerce run their operating margin in the 2-10% range. I'm at 37% but like I said I don't have labor in there. If I did I would probably be in the same range as most e-commerce business.
Great breakdown. Please tell me you're taking the tax advantages of having a side hustle and have a LLC/ SCorp. If not look into it. You should be able to write off quite a bit and put more money in your pocket. Best of luck.
There will always be jealous people who can’t do what you are doing mainly because they are mentally challenged. You can’t please all of the people all of the time, just some of the people some of the time.
thanks for the info and transparency! I would love to know how much of that sales is attributed to how many individual products e.g. do you have a few (or only one?) runners, can you identify impact of advertising etc? But nice video and thanks tk the trolls I gusss. Anyway they're just trolls because it's easier to get noticed negatively than positively by actually achieving something constructive, trolls are just attention wh@res.
I haven't done a complete break down but I can say as in most areas of life the 80/20 rule applies here as well. 20% of my listing account for about 80% of my revenue.
I make RUclips videos to make money. I run an Etsy shop to make money. I invest in Real Estate to make money. I created 3dprintforce.com to make money. People are interested in a thing I've worked to become an expert in. They get my expertise for free and in return I hopefully make some revenue because they watched. Seems like a fair trade.
@@3dDesignBros Your numbers weren't that great, looks like the real winner was Etsy. There will be a race to the bottom, happens with everything these days, and don't worry in a couple years there will be a whole new fad to get excited about. I'm actually thinking about 3d printing myself, But I'm trying to look at it with reality in mind. I've already done this where I get all excited about something, It's good for a year or 2 then it die's because it gets over saturated....
@@kwebber9248 maybe, but I've been doing this for over 4 years. Every year has been better then the last. Could that change? sure. To be honest I've just become deaf to the term "Over saturated". If over saturated mean growth YOY I guess sign me up. All that being said you can't leave anything unattended and expect it to keep producing. I'm constantly looking at different tactics, making new products, expanding. If you aren't moving forward you're getting left behind.
Why spend a third of your RUclips income on an editor? Not that the editing isn't well done, but seems like for the size of your channel it's not a necessary expense.
like @hanaeqorar2510 said I can spend my time else were. Editing is my expertise so what takes and editor 3 hours would take me 10 hours. How many more listings could I add in those 10 hours? How many models could I prototype? Even take the 3D printing business out of it. How many more videos can I record and post by taking the editing off my plate?
Ok lets hear it, who blew me out of the water in 2024?
Certainly not me 😂 Nice job! Always looking forward to the next upload! Here’s to a successful 2025 for you
I did 21k last year with 3d printing. I was pretty pumped about that.
@ thanks! I appreciate your videos as well.
@@bmike410 that’s awesome! Will done 👏
I nearly quadrupled your net working in the oilfield last year, but I spent 8 months away from my family basically straight. Can't put a price on that my friend. Glad someone is making some decent scratch, ~~$50k/year isn't anything to turn your nose up at. I'd happily take a cut to work from home. I just found your videos, so I'll go through and check them out. Honestly, I don't even know what to print that would make that kind of money.
Love the transparency and realism!! I have started with products I like for myself and am evolving to products that generate real margin... Thanks!
Don't listen to the haters and trolls. Keep doing what you're doing.
Well do 🫡
You’re doing great. 👍🏼 Keep it up and I’m sure things will work out how you want them. It takes time to build a business and in the end that’s where the money is at. Also working for yourself is way better than making money for someone else.
Guess I´m keeping my 9-5 job :D thanks for the transparency
AWESOME video. Thanks for being so transparent and real.
I'm starting this year. Should have my first printer in a week or less. Looking forward to getting this ball rolling.
Good luck. I have spent months trying to get rolling and have barely sold shit.
Thank you for the honesty. Great work breaking it down.
I appreciate you and your videos and especially your transparency regarding the costs. I also want to start a 3D business this year and have watched many of your videos as well as those from others. You are straightforward and I’ve learned a lot from them, but the real learning begins when you start working on it yourself. Greetings from the Netherlands!
Best of luck!
Thanks for taking the time in putting together all the numbers and for your honesty. You're setup helped me a lot in deciding if I should try to make money out of my 3d printing hobbies.
Glad I could help
Thanks for sharing the info. Now, I’d be interested in seeing a similar video that details out your time.
That is a lot of sales! Nice job! I did about 50k net, and 35k complete profit pre tax. Had to get a few more printers during black friday cause orders were coming in like crazy, up to 6 now! Ordering filament and bubble mailers in bulk really helped me cut costs, hoping to order more filament in bulk (most I did was 30kg), but it adds up quick in costs.
Loved it! The transparency was well appreciated and stirs my impatience more as I wait to be selected for the next round of the program. 😅
Keep an eye on your inbox. Q4 delayed us a bit has we had to handled orders but we should be getting a round of invites out very soon!
Nice! I'm looking to grow mine. I started late 2023 with two printers. Ended 2024 with 4 more printers. I don't know what my net in is with the costs but I did make $14k net from Etsy. So I am hoping to scale it again this year.
Well done! keep it going.
Thanks for sharing. Good info. Looking to start this year.
Good luck!
Thank you for sharing all the data. Its been insightful for me! Trolls are always gonna troll, there is no way around that.
I Appreciate You and your work. Thank you.
Thanks 🙌
I think you are uniquely qualified to talk about everything in this space. I mean you are a designer and run a membership program. I'd love to see more of that side of thing. I'd really be interested in your take on working a 9-5 that pays more than running a farm vs running a farm and doing side things like you are doing.
Appreciate the info 👍
Great insight, hoping to catch up to you one day
Those advertisement experiences are crazy. Could you have the same profit without any advertising?
I don't believe so. Those advertisement costs accounted for ~$75,000 of my gross revenue so its about a 3x return on ad spend (Would have been more but I experimented with advertising for Christmas early, resulted in about 30 days of lower ads return).
So yes I could have lowered my expenses by $28,000 but it would have cut my revenue by more then half.
My ad spend is about 22% of my total revenue. The "average" spend for online retail is 15%-20%. So had I not had that one bad month I think I would be right inline with that.
Thanks for the info - very educational. Interested in what % electricity is of your expenses?
I have 6 printers, running 16 hours a day average. With wall adapters telling me their electricity cost. For me in PA, .16 cents a kWh, 22$ a printer per 6 months. (only got those outlet things 6 months ago)
great breakdown. I've been doing mostly digital only on etsy with some decent results but thinking of moving in to physical products. It's really hard though when those digital sales keep coming in and I don't have to do any work to fulfil them :)
For sure. I did do dome digital last year. Something I learned....If you do start to sell physical do it in a separate shop. I tried to sell both in the same and the shipping was nightmare because things wouldn't ship together. I did a video on it in yearly 2024 😁
You forgot to make your face look like you just spotted a three-headed alien in the thumbnail.
Hello, what size is the shelving you have your printers on ? Im trying to start a small business this year
Now do your Patreon and your Thangs membership ;)
and... no link to your etsy store?
What is your opinion about the FLSUN T1 Pro ?
Haven't used it yet. I do have the FLSUN S1 pro in the shop right now. Should have a video on that out next month.
Im trying to figure out how to get started this year i have one printer.
same
It worth it all
Everyone is asking about sales, but I’m curious on the products you use for your beard
😂. All natural! Maybe I should try to get some sponsorships 😂
You missed the chance to say EXPOSED. Lol. Love your stuff great job. That backdrop is sick by the way.
Thanks!
~$600 first year. ~2500 the second year. Growth is growth.
Absolutely 💯
One expense I don’t see is taxes. When you sell these items you have to pay taxes on it. Is the 147k after the taxes you pay on the items or is before? I am referring to sales tax not your personal income tax
It depends where you sell. If you sell on amazon or etsy, they take care of the taxes. Your personal income taxes are something you have to take care of on your own.
On Etsy the buyer pays sales tax at the time of the sale.
did I miss it or why did you not include rent of your 3d print space? that has to be quite a bit on top of expenses aswell
I run this out of my basement so I don't have that expense.
What about electricity?
Bros doing a better balance sheet than me 😭🙏
What was your return on the $28k in ad spend? I'm really on the fence about Etsy ads. It's been a loss for me
I shoot for 3x. I was slightly below that this year. Mostly because I started advertising Christmas items in October. I was curious when the Christmas shopping really starts. I can tell you it isn't October 😂
So that hurt my return, but my goal is to be a 3x return on ad spend for the year. And have my advertising cost be 20% or less of my total Revenue. I was at 22% for 2024.
What’s crazy is you have numbers that show making over $100k but you make almost less than a third of that because of fees. You should dive into how to lower your fees
Yeah I mean thats a business, it cost money to operate. Most e-commerce run their operating margin in the 2-10% range.
I'm at 37% but like I said I don't have labor in there. If I did I would probably be in the same range as most e-commerce business.
What is your internet and electricity cost in running your 3d printing business?
I have spent months and thousands of dollars trying to make sales. It is next to impossible.
I would challenge you look at what you are trying to sell....do people want it?
@ that is a great question. When I try things like other sell out of I can’t sell those.
Great breakdown. Please tell me you're taking the tax advantages of having a side hustle and have a LLC/ SCorp. If not look into it. You should be able to write off quite a bit and put more money in your pocket. Best of luck.
LLCs offer no tax advantage. It’s a huge misconception.
@ethanchosdad-xh9ih they do if you do it correctly
@ okay 🤣
There will always be jealous people who can’t do what you are doing mainly because they are mentally challenged. You can’t please all of the people all of the time, just some of the people some of the time.
thanks for the info and transparency! I would love to know how much of that sales is attributed to how many individual products e.g. do you have a few (or only one?) runners, can you identify impact of advertising etc?
But nice video and thanks tk the trolls I gusss. Anyway they're just trolls because it's easier to get noticed negatively than positively by actually achieving something constructive, trolls are just attention wh@res.
I haven't done a complete break down but I can say as in most areas of life the 80/20 rule applies here as well. 20% of my listing account for about 80% of my revenue.
@@3dDesignBros thanks for the reply, and that makes total sense indeed
So why are you making Videos??? The Goodness of your heart????
I make RUclips videos to make money.
I run an Etsy shop to make money.
I invest in Real Estate to make money.
I created 3dprintforce.com to make money.
People are interested in a thing I've worked to become an expert in. They get my expertise for free and in return I hopefully make some revenue because they watched. Seems like a fair trade.
@@3dDesignBros Your numbers weren't that great, looks like the real winner was Etsy. There will be a race to the bottom, happens with everything these days, and don't worry in a couple years there will be a whole new fad to get excited about. I'm actually thinking about 3d printing myself, But I'm trying to look at it with reality in mind. I've already done this where I get all excited about something, It's good for a year or 2 then it die's because it gets over saturated....
@@kwebber9248 maybe, but I've been doing this for over 4 years. Every year has been better then the last. Could that change? sure. To be honest I've just become deaf to the term "Over saturated". If over saturated mean growth YOY I guess sign me up.
All that being said you can't leave anything unattended and expect it to keep producing. I'm constantly looking at different tactics, making new products, expanding. If you aren't moving forward you're getting left behind.
Why spend a third of your RUclips income on an editor? Not that the editing isn't well done, but seems like for the size of your channel it's not a necessary expense.
It’s time better spent
like @hanaeqorar2510 said I can spend my time else were. Editing is my expertise so what takes and editor 3 hours would take me 10 hours. How many more listings could I add in those 10 hours? How many models could I prototype?
Even take the 3D printing business out of it. How many more videos can I record and post by taking the editing off my plate?
Justifying yourself to random people on the internet is a terrible idea. Don't frame it that way