Amazon starts flogging 3D printed tat

You can now buy 3D printed jewellery, decorations, toys and iPhone cases from a new dedicated Amazon store. The US-only store doesn’t allow people to design any 3D printed items themselves, but does include options to customise and tweak a wide range of tat from third-party sellers.

More than 200 ‘on-demand’ products are available, with options to change what they’re made of, their size and colour and even add personalised text and designs. A new Amazon design tool for items such as phone cases, wax seals and bobble heads lets people customise 3D printed objects before purchase.

Amazon said that the new store was the “largest online destination” for 3D printed products and that being able to customise items was the future of online retail.

“The 3D Printed Products store allows us to help sellers, designers and manufacturers reach millions of customers while providing a fun and creative customer experience to personalize a potentially infinite number of products at great prices across many product categories,” said Petra Schindler-Carter from Amazon Marketplace.

The new design tool lets people view a 360-degree virtual model of an object while personalise it, with all the customisable products coming from Brooklyn, New York based Mixee Labs. The vast majority of items available on Amazon’s 3D printed store are not customisable.

Customisable 3D printed items on sale from Amazon include a miniature 3D printed sword for $9 and 3D printed cufflinks for $60. Most products are made of plastic and come in a range of garish colours.

Companies that rely on 3D printing to make money were understandably enthusiastic about Amazon’s latest venture. Paris-based Sculpteo, which has been selling 3D printed products since 2009 said that 3D printed products were only limited by people’s imaginations:

“The online customer shopping experience will be redefined through 3D printing. When you take into consideration the investment needed for manufacturing products, 3D printing offers a cost effective alternative that benefits customers by limitless product options,” said Sculpteo CEO Clément Moreau.

Amazon’s new 3D printed store is currently only available on Amazon in the USA, with companies interested in selling their wares encouraged to get in touch.