I think I’m done, hit my mental energy limit. I have a very small 3d design company, where I started by taking small projects, making the design and then selling it on either Etsy or Artisans coop. I’d also attend local craft fairs, or makers markets.

I’ve had a lot of fun and satisfaction doing this, solved some cool problems for people and made a small amount of money. (Mostly just paid for the printers)

But, the last three craft fairs I’ve attended I sold literally nothing at one, and only a few dollars at the others, Etsy sales have dried up and Artisans coop never got off the ground for me. I know I need to market, but I’ve been doing it without Meta/deadbird etc which is so tough.

So I think I’m done and just want a way out.

If anyone either has advice on how to sell this company (its an LLC) or if you are even interested in buying it, maybe DM me. I’ve got tons if filament, a pair of nice printers, probably a few dozen 3d designs plus a bunch of replacement parts for the printers. PrusaXL2T and Vivedino Troodon300 heavily modded.

    • Test_Tickles@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      I fully understand that feeling. Of course there’s nothing that says you won’t be able to start it up again at a later date. 3d printing is seeing a seismic shift right now with cheap and reliable multi-tool systems showing up, by the time the economy recovers, efficient, fast, multi-color, and multi-filament will be the norm. And with some of the more industrial plastics and even metals available through specialty printing services, I think we were already going to see a bloodbath amongst the smaller printing services out there no matter what. So maybe right now isn’t the worst time to dip out of the market anyway. I would suggest that you take this time to hone your design skills or focus on the more niche aspects of the market. You got the opportunity to learn and sample the market while money was gushing into it market, but it was a bubble that was never going to last. So, now you have the choice to take what you have learned and find something sustainable, or just run the other way and do something different.

      I can personally tell you that having the market you are in ever so slowly shrink and die under you while you try to squeeze just a bit more out of its husk all the while feeling trapped because you have employees and customers depending on you… it’s fucking brutal. My family and I are doing well these days, but I can only imagine how much better I would have been doing if I had just called it quits much earlier.