Afraid of burdening the consumer by charging for your actual hours or costs when pricing 3D Print design services?

We come across this all the time from designers, consultants and freelancers in all areas, not just in 3D Print design. Design value is already hard enough to quantify but mixed with new technology and a technical skill learning curve, pricing 3D Print design services seems overwhelming. It is especially difficult as you go to assess selling your designs on file services like Cults3D. As design consultants and experts for over 20 years, we have some guidelines we always apply whenever we estimate a job, design or service.

Hazz Design’s 3D Print Design Pricing Principles –

• Never Ever Undervalue: Pricing 3D Print design too low will devalue your contributions in the design process. It will also make it impossible to sustain. When your livelihood is your time, you cannot afford to sell it short. Offering cheap design services only devalue you as a designer. Next time you will have to match it or go even lower.
• One-Time Discounts Only: We never lower our hourly rate or the selling price of a 3D Print design or prototype. If we want to encourage or entice new business, we give a one-time total invoice discount. We very specifically state what the discount is for and that it is one-time only. This way the original rate for pricing 3D Print design services remains intact. The expectation is that the original rate applies next time.
• Require a Minimum Charge: If you feel you must charge a lower rate, then lump it into a requirement for  minimum charge. When we do retainer contracts or projects, the job is typically a flat rate per month. But, it comes with the requirement that they must guarantee us a minimum of six months to get that rate. Think of it like a volume discount. Buying multiple prototypes can usually be discounted without harming your bottom line because every print after the first takes less preparation time. For pricing 3D Print design services, a long-term contract discount is a marketing and sales discount. You don’t have to work as hard to gain new clients.

Pricing your designs and design services too low is an unsustainable business practice. Building your design brand requires being both realistic about the time it takes to develop the high quality designs you want to be known for and to continue to produce them. Cheapening that only cheapens your design and services.