Category: Cubeecle

Opening a Cubee Printshop is a great way to boost your 3D business, but there’s much more you can do to fully utilize Cubee’s system and harness the power of the 3D community. This guide explains what to do and how, but first – a short but essential introduction.

Short but essential introduction

Cubee is home to many. 3D businesses with printer farms, 3D hobbyists with a 3D printer in their garage, designers selling their models across the world & customers who want to buy 3D products.

In general, Cubee Printshops get two types of customers: 

1. Those who need 3D on-demand services.

2. Those who want to buy a specific product.

Both types can come from two different sources:

1. Those who find your business randomly through our printshop map.

2. Those who reach you directly – landing on your personal Printshop site.

Introduction’s over. Let’s get started 

Here are the first steps you need to take to get a customer base:

First step: Use your link

The best way to get started is to reach out to people you already know. They trust you and will recommend you to a friend. Copy your personal Printshop link, and share it: post it in your social media accounts, put it in your bio, and send it to family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. 

Second step: Use the model bank

The real groundbreaking component of the Cubee Printshop is the licensed 3D model catalog made by designers worldwide. It is featured on your storefront, and customers can browse through categories, buy products and even personalize their 3D prints in your shop. All the models we have are yours to sell. It means you can explore our 3D model bank inside your shop, choose models you like or think others will appreciate, and promote them. Every product has a unique URL you can post on your social media accounts to attract customers right to your shop.

Third step: Generate coupons

The best way to get the sales flowin’ is with special offers. You can create your own coupon codes through your store settings and can even provide 100% off coupons to friends & family. This great gift is also a way to get some reviews. That leads us to our next step.

Fourth step: Increase credibility

The best way to get more customers from outside your community is by showcasing real customer testimonials. Once you complete a printing job, customers will be asked to leave a review. Top reviews and your replies will be shown on your homepage for other customers to read.

Fifth step: Verify your Printshop

This is where you start getting more customers from inside Cubee.  A verified Printshop Is a Printshop that has been reviewed by Cubee and approved both as a trustworthy business and as a Printshop with sufficient manufacturing quality and capabilities. It is authorized to manufacture “secured” designer products and is open to unique collaborations with designers, brands & merchants. Read more here.

Sixth step: Get the marketing kit

There are many reasons why you should consider becoming a Cubee Patron. One of which is the Patron marketing kit. Each patron member receives a personal kit that has a dual purpose: to help your store look better inside Cubee and give you tools to promote it outside. Among other treats, you can arrange a one-on-one meeting with Cubee’s marketing team and get model pics and time-lapse videos you can share on your social accounts.

Final step: Patience

This is the part when inspirational music starts playing in the background. Growing your business can take time. But you are in the right place at the right time. As the tech develops, local and private makers will continue to grow, E-commerce will slowly shift to local manufacturing, and the world will move in a greener, smarter direction.
One more note on patience. Cubee is in beta. We are a small team, working 24/7 to improve ourselves. Our product is constantly developing thanks to the community’s input, but there’s still much to do. Meanwhile – You can help us improve. Use this link to set up a 1X1 meeting with our team or just report a bug here.

Exclusively until the end of July, Cubee has decided to waive Its transactions fees on any sales made by Printshops on the platform. This means that anyone with a free Printshop on Cubee will receive his payments combined with the Cubee transaction fees, and In Fact, make 10% more on any sale.

Generally, any sale made through a free Cubee Printshop is subject to the Cubee transaction fee, which is 10% of the Sale. The Cubee transaction fee is not relevant for subscribed Cubee Patron users and Cubiz users who pay a one-time monthly/yearly fee and are only charged the third party transaction fares, while enjoying premium features and a greater profit margin on their sales. Please contact support to learn more about Cubee subscription plans.

For the next two weeks, Cubee is introducing a special offer to all free Printshops on the platform. Cubee will not take fees from any sale made by a free Printshop for the entire month.

Notice: third party transaction fares that add up to 3% of the sale still apply on transactions made throughout the month, but all other fees usually charged by Cubee are canceled until July 31st.

No fees July is a perfect time to make use of the new Cubee Coupon feature, available for a limited time to free Printshops. Makers can use the Coupon feature to generate coupons at various discounts and give users a great reason to start using their services while at the same time, generating more profit – by not paying the Cubee fees.

Enjoy no fees July!

Owning a Cubee Printshop is a great way to accelerate your on-demand 3D printing services. But to fully utilize the power of the 3D community to boost your 3D business, it is important to Verify your Cubee Printshop.

What is a verified Printshop?

A verified Printshop Is a Printshop that has been reviewed by Cubee, and approved both as a trustworthy business, and as a Printshop with sufficient manufacturing quality and capabilities. 

Once a Printshop has been verified It is inserted into the Cubee Smart Buy algorithm, authorised to manufacture “secured” designer products, and is open to special collaborations with designers, brands, merchants & businesses.

Notice: A Premium Cubee Account is not required for a printshop to be verified, nor does it ensure verification. 

Why verify a Printshop?

There are two kinds of sellers on Cubee:

• Manufacturers, who provide on demand 3D printing services via a Cubee Printshop.
• Designers, who sell products with a Cubee studio.

Designers upload their designs to Cubee. These are sold as products and are manufactured post-sale, near the location of their customers. 

If a designer sells a product from his studio, the model is instantly sent for production via the Cubee Smart Buy algorithm that takes into consideration price, location, quality control, inventory, Printshop rating, manufacturing capabilities and the 3D file settings. Only verified Printshops will be able to receive these orders, so becoming a verified Printshop will open up a new potential revenue stream for the manufacturer.

A designer can choose whether his files will be shared with general Printshops worldwide or remain “secured”. A “secured” model will only be manufactured with Partner Printshops – These are verified Printshops that Cubee and the designer can trust will do whatever it takes to protect the designers intellectual property. Some models are so sensitive that the even Partner Printshops authorised to make the parts are hand-picked by the designer. 

How to verify a Printshop?

To become a verified Printshop a Manufacturer must complete 10 On-demand 3D printing jobs through the Cubee Platform, with an average rating of +4. At least 3 of the completed jobs must be paid jobs (though they can be jobs purchased with a discount coupon – in fact, we recommend using coupons to increase rating and prove manufacturing capabilities), and at least one of the jobs must include shipping. Once 10 jobs are complete the manufacturer will become verified after answering a short form. The Cubee team may ask the manufacturer additional questions in order to complete the verification process. The purpose of this process is to ensure that the Manufacturer is responsive to customers on the platform, its manufacturing quality is sufficient and is all around trustworthy.

How to become a Cubee Partner Printshop?

Once a verified Printshop remains active for over two months, (with at least 10 jobs per month) while holding it’s +4 rating, It can apply for a partnership, and will be assessed by the Cubee team. Cubee will select Partner Printshops depending on the geographical and manufacturing needs of specific designers.

That’s All!

Feel free to contact Cubee Support for any further questions you might have.

A vision for the future of 3D commerce

The global chain of supply today is dependent on mass manufacturing and shipping. Though classic manufacturing techniques are projected to remain the most dominant production methods in the market, new methods such as 3D printing are growing fast and grabbing a strong foothold in the manufacturing market.

As 3D printing and scanning technologies develop, the spectrum of products they can manufacture widens. Demands are growing, expanding beyond classic 3D printing audiences (such as students, designers, and hobbyists) and becoming more and more appealing to general end consumers. 

3D printing represents a revolution in world manufacturing. Many see it as the cornerstone of Industry 4.0. It holds the potential to reorganize the global chain of supply, by locally manufacturing customizable objects on-demand, anywhere. 

Creating such a vast global spread of 3D printers might seem like quite an expensive, complex feat, but it actually isn’t… because it already exists. Dense urban environments worldwide are already webbed with privately-owned 3D printers. 1.2-1.5 Million 3D printers are expected to sell worldwide in 2021 alone, and many 3D printer owners are interested in providing 3D printing services for pay. 

The 3D printing community is the bridge between the ever-evolving innovative technology and everyday people wishing to utilize this amazing commodity. As the tech develops, local and private makers will continue to grow, E-commerce will slowly shift to local manufacturing and the world will move in a greener, smarter, location.