Selling Prints to people I know?

I am a sucker....I hate charging for stuff lol

Thanks. Seems there really isn't much of a consensus there lol.

Reminds me. I need to learn to 3D model more then just a simple extrude..hehe

+1...

But if you want to take a stab at it, I think one method is to compute a "fair" machine run time cost per hour(whatever you're comfortable with); and then a cost per hour of your personal design time, if applicable...so if you are running one of your previously designed items, it should be rather reasonable.  So, at $10.00 / hr x a 3 hour print and a previously designed item ($0.00) = $30.00 can get you a spool of filament!

At the end of the day, as long as you and your customers are comfortable with what you are charging, then that's quite fair!

If you have not seen it, Forum Member Serin runs has a Shapeways shop that is mighty impressive:
http://www.shapeways.com/shops/PTG

widgets you can buy retail under $12 are not worth 3D printing to even get investment back. best just do like craft gifts for family/friends maybe have them buy filament they want used and let you keep leftover for making it. as Ive also done when designing repair part etc

unlike some of those people and others think. multiples of an item take just as long as doing each 1 at a time due to same amount of time/material printing each. but if an issue happens during a print any unfinished print is all wasted and if an item takes 1hr then  12 of them take 12hrs and prints over 2-4 hrs have much more chance to fail b4 finished plus long prints are harder to monitor. I havnt done many multi prints for this reason. just not that confident in error free long prints especialy new files not tested lots in G-code form

n2ri - the forum lets you edit posts. This might be far more beneficial for readers in threads you've posted in than chains of 4-5 posts from yourself.

Just a suggestion to make people not just skip chunks of your posts...

The way I look at it is If i purchased a 240m roll of filament for $30 then  30/240 = .125 or 12.5 cents a meter (just do the math). So I charge $1 a meter of filament used if the model was provided. Also a good idea is to set a base price like $10 and $1 every extra meter. This number is totally up to you, but it is a good way of looking at it. If you have to make the model then charge at least $10 an hr. of design time on top of printing.

funny experience. i myself had that same kind of situation once. what I did was check out similar products that on the market and give them a price a little lower, for friends and families. :-)

Why do you people only value your free time as $10 an hour?  In some states minimum wage is going to be $15 soon.  Flipping burgers shouldn't pay more than 3d design and additive manufacture. 

The way I've been doing it for the limited things I've sold is Shapeways / 2.  If I have to design then I charge for my time at $40 and hour and then cost to print.  I do get people that say no thanks, and for a friend I wouldn't charge but if I'm giving up my weekend I need to be compensated.  My time is more valuable to me than printing yoda heads for everyone that thinks it's neat. 

If you tell them $25 minimum and they say that's too expensive.  Have them try to find it elsewhere for less.  You'll save yourself a headache and they'll likely come back to you after checking on the professional services anyway.

+1
In my example (way above) I just calculated unattended run time of a previously designed item...but if I needed to design an item, it would be no less than $40.00 / hour!