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Can you sell 3D prints? A guide to every common model licence

Whether you may sell a print depends on the licence the designer chose for that model, not on the site you downloaded it from. Pick a licence for a plain-English verdict.

Plain-English summaries, not legal advice. Always confirm the licence on the model page before you sell.

Licences that generally allow selling prints

  • CC BY

    Selling prints: yes, with the conditions below

    CC BY allows commercial use, including selling physical prints, as long as you credit the designer.

  • CC BY-SA

    Selling prints: yes, with the conditions below

    CC BY-SA allows selling physical prints with credit. If you share a remixed file, it must carry the same licence.

  • CC BY-ND

    Selling prints: yes, unmodified only

    CC BY-ND allows selling prints of the design exactly as published, with credit. Modified versions are not allowed to be shared.

  • CC0

    Selling prints: yes, with the conditions below

    CC0 and public-domain designs can be sold with no licence conditions.

Licences that don't, or where it's unclear

  • CC BY-NC

    Selling prints: no, not without separate permission

    CC BY-NC does not allow selling prints. Commercial use needs separate written permission from the designer.

  • CC BY-NC-SA

    Selling prints: no, not without separate permission

    CC BY-NC-SA does not allow selling prints, and remixes must keep the same licence.

  • CC BY-NC-ND

    Selling prints: no, not without separate permission

    CC BY-NC-ND is the most restrictive Creative Commons licence: no selling prints and no shared remixes.

  • GPL

    Selling prints: unclear, ask the designer

    The GPL generally allows commercial use, but it was written for software and how it applies to physical objects isn't settled.

  • BSD

    Selling prints: unclear, ask the designer

    BSD licences are permissive and generally allow commercial use, but they were written for code.

  • MakerWorld Standard

    Selling prints: no, not without separate permission

    The Standard Digital File License is personal-use only. Selling prints needs that designer's Commercial License Membership.

  • OCL

    Selling prints: no, not without separate permission

    The OCL allows internal business use but not commercial reselling of the design or products copied from it.

Go deeper

Read can you legally sell 3D prints from Thingiverse, Printables or MakerWorld? for platform-by-platform detail and Etsy's original-design rule, or browse niches by share of sellable designs and the best things to 3D print and sell.