Quote paid 3D print jobs from the real cost ledger: material, machine time, labor, reject risk, packaging, shipping exposure, marketplace fees, and the margin your shop needs to keep.
material + electricity + machine depreciation + labor + packaging + seller-paid shipping
Use slicer grams or milliliters, actual print hours, and paid labor time for setup, cleanup, support removal, sanding, packing, and customer messages.
failure-adjusted cost = direct cost / (1 - reject rate)
A 10% reject rate turns a $20 direct cost into $22.22. Custom resin, tall prints, tight tolerances, and fragile parts deserve a larger buffer.
quote = (failure-adjusted cost + fixed fees) / (1 - percentage fees - target margin)
Marketplace and payment fees reduce the final sale price, so calculate the customer quote after fees instead of adding margin to cost first.
Example quotes
95g PLA, 7 print hours, 25 minutes of labor, $2 packaging, 10% reject risk, local pickup, 35% target margin.
Direct cost lands near $18.50, the reject buffer raises cost to $20.55, and a no-fee local quote should start around $32.
180g PETG, 12 print hours, 40 minutes of finishing, $5 seller-paid shipping, $0.20 listing fee, 9.5% combined marketplace/payment fee, 35% margin.
A $38 base cost becomes about $42 after a 10% reject buffer. Solving through Etsy-style fees pushes the recommended price near $77.
160ml standard resin, 6 machine hours, 75 minutes washing, curing, support cleanup, gloves and towels, 18% reject risk, direct invoice.
The labor dominates the quote. If the adjusted cost is $48 and you need 40% margin, the batch should be quoted around $80 before optional shipping.
Quote controls
The formula gives the floor. The final customer number should also reflect deadline pressure, fragile geometry, finishing quality, repeat-order likelihood, and whether the order blocks higher-value machine time.
Charge a minimum order price when setup time makes tiny jobs unprofitable.
Separate shipping charged to the buyer from shipping paid by your shop.
Use a higher labor rate for sanding, painting, assembly, CAD cleanup, or customer revisions.
Requote when the customer changes material, infill, layer height, color swaps, or deadline.
Lower per-unit pricing only when setup labor is shared across a real batch.
Move high-fee repeat customers to direct invoices when marketplace rules allow it.
Use all three internally. Material covers grams or milliliters, machine depreciation covers print hours, and the finished-part quote lets you include labor, reject risk, fees, and margin without exposing every shop input.
Many small paid jobs need 30% to 50% gross margin because failed prints, messages, packing, and slow batches eat time. Commodity repeat work may tolerate less, but custom work should protect labor and risk.
Use one whenever setup, slicing, color loading, communication, and packing would make the formula produce a tiny quote. A $15 to $25 minimum often prevents one-off parts from consuming unpaid time.