Selling a physical copy of a publicly traded stl?

[Kokanee]

Last summer I printed out a prop kit that was freely available for use online, and did all the finishing work to bring it up to spec as a top shelf prop. Unfortunately, my collection is getting rather large for my space, and I'm going to divest myself of a few pieces to make room for newer items.

Is there anything wrong with my selling this prop to get back some of the money I sunk into it instead of throwing it in the trash? I'd rather it go to a good home that will appreciate it but I'm not giving it away, I put too much work into it.

Also, the files were distributed without a license.

Thanks,

 

[TazMan2000]

If it was free for use online, then you're not selling the STL, your selling the print. Unless the author bans such work.

TazMan2000

 

[jhusel]

There is a lot of work on both sides: making the file, then printing and finishing it. Depending on the model and the build, one could take drastically longer than the other.

That being said, as long as you aren’t trying to claim you made the model, and if the file maker didn’t say not to resell, then I personally feel it’s fine.

I do not agree with downloading free files, and printing with the intention on selling tho. I hate seeing people on eBay selling a prop they downloaded for free and slapped some paint on with zero cleanup in hopes to make a quick buck.

 

[Magnavis]

I think as a one off that you've owned for a while, and are looking to move along, there is no problem with it really. There is a huge difference between that, and printing/finishing a file with selling in mind. That's where the line gets drawn I think. But just as a declutter, I don't see an issue.

 

[Moviefreak]

I agree, if you made just this one and now want to sell it off because you are moving on, that is acceptable. But if you took the file, downloaded it, finished it, then molded that finished item and started selling multiple casts as a money making machine, that would be frowned upon.

 

[TazMan2000]

If the file is downloaded for free and there is no restrictions from the artist, then even printing physical copies, while still being frowned upon, is not illegal. You can not claim that the design is your work, but you can be compensated for materials, and the time it took to improve the print, even if all you did is remove it from the print bed. Etsy and eBay are full of these items as well as objects who have restrictions, and they are being sold without the artist's knowledge. Recasting is an activity that a person makes resin copies of another's work and sells them as their own. You will notice a few threads on this site noting this activity. But I guess we need to figure out a word in the 3D world. Reprinting? Nah.

On a slightly related note about people profiting from not creating something, but repackaging it and selling,...this is not solely done on Etsy. A Canadian company compresses fresh mountain air and sells it to China as "Premium" air. (Edit...This kind of reminds me of the first Total Recall movie)

TazMan2000