Etsy charges 6.5% transaction fee + $0.20 listing + 3% payment processing on every digital file sale — and an extra 15% whenever their Offsite Ads bring a buyer. For a $20 STL listing, that can mean Etsy takes more than $4 before you see a cent. Proofly charges sellers 0%: only the buyer pays a flat ~$1 service fee, and you keep the full price. This guide compares both platforms across the things that actually matter to 3D print file creators.
By Proofly · July 21, 2026 · 12 min read
Etsy is a general marketplace built for handmade goods where digital files are a secondary category. It has no 3D viewer, no per-buyer piracy tracing, a 20 MB / 5-file cap, and takes 10–25% of every sale. Proofly is built specifically for 3D model creators: native WebGL viewer for STL/GLB/OBJ/FBX/3MF, HiddenMark™ piracy fingerprinting per buyer, no file size limits, and 0% seller commission. If you sell 3D print files, game assets, or CAD models, Proofly keeps more of your revenue and gives buyers a dramatically better purchase experience.
Etsy's fee structure has several layers, and not all of them are obvious when you first list a product. Here is what every digital file sale actually costs:
$0.20 listing fee
Charged when you publish a listing. Renews automatically every 4 months if the listing is still active (even if it never sells). For a $5 STL file that sells once every few months, the listing fee alone can represent 4% of gross revenue.
6.5% transaction fee
Applied to the entire sale price including any shipping (not relevant for digital files). This is Etsy's primary revenue source and applies to every single transaction.
~3% + $0.25 payment processing
Etsy Payments is mandatory for most sellers (in eligible countries). The exact rate varies slightly by country but averages 3% + $0.25 per transaction in the US. Combined with the transaction fee, you are already at approximately 9.5% + $0.45 per sale.
15% Offsite Ads fee (mandatory for qualifying sales)
If Etsy advertises your listing externally (Google, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) and a buyer purchases within 30 days of clicking that ad, Etsy charges an additional 15% of the sale price. Shops with under $10,000/year in revenue cannot opt out. Shops above $10,000/year pay 12% and can opt out. When this kicks in on a $20 sale, Etsy takes $3.00 extra — on top of the ~$2.20 already taken in base fees. Total: $5.20 of a $20 sale.
The table below shows the seller's take-home on Etsy (base fees only, no Offsite Ads) versus Proofly. The Offsite Ads column shows what happens when Etsy promotes the listing externally — a scenario that is mandatory for most sellers on at least some fraction of their sales.
| Listing price | Etsy (base fees) | Etsy + Offsite Ads | Proofly (0%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5.00 | $4.07 | $3.32 | $5.00 |
| $10.00 | $8.80 | $7.30 | $10.00 |
| $15.00 | $13.28 | $11.03 | $15.00 |
| $20.00 | $17.75 | $14.75 | $20.00 |
| $30.00 | $26.70 | $22.20 | $30.00 |
| $50.00 | $44.50 | $37.00 | $50.00 |
| $100.00 | $89.00 | $74.00 | $100.00 |
Etsy base fees: 6.5% transaction + 3% + $0.25 payment processing + $0.20 listing (one-time per renewal). Etsy + Offsite Ads adds a further 15% of sale price. Proofly: 0% seller fee; buyer pays a separate flat ~$1 USD service fee.
At $20 per model with Offsite Ads: Etsy keeps $5.25 (26% of the sale). If you sell 100 models per month at $20, that's $525/month going to Etsy. On Proofly the same 100 sales return $2,000 to you — the buyer pays the $1 service fee separately.
Etsy was designed for handmade and vintage goods — physical products you can photograph from every angle. For 3D print files, this means buyers see only the static images you provide: renders, screenshots, or photos of printed results. There is no way for a buyer to:
The consequence is that buyers on Etsy purchase on faith. Many creators report a non-trivial refund rate from buyers who discovered the model wasn't what they expected — wrong scale, non-printable geometry, misrepresented detail level, or a file that required significant repair before printing.
A bad purchase experience also translates to a bad review. On Etsy, reviews are extremely powerful for discoverability: even one 3-star review can meaningfully reduce how often your listing appears in search results. When buyers can't inspect what they are buying, the risk of a disappointed review is higher.
Proofly's viewer is built on Three.js and runs entirely in the browser — no plugin, no download, no app required. Here is what it offers compared to Etsy's image-only product pages.
| Feature | Etsy | Proofly |
|---|---|---|
| In-browser 3D viewer | ✗ | ✓ |
| Orbit / zoom / pan | ✗ | ✓ |
| Wireframe overlay | ✗ | ✓ |
| X-Ray / clay / normals mode | ✗ | ✓ |
| Watertight check badge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Real-world dimensions (mm/cm/in) | ✗ | ✓ |
| 2-point distance measure tool | ✗ | ✓ |
| Polygon / vertex count display | ✗ | ✓ |
| GLB / GLTF PBR materials | ✗ | ✓ |
| OBJ + MTL material support | ✗ | ✓ |
| Animation playback (GLB/FBX) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Explode view (multi-part models) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fullscreen viewer | ✗ | ✓ |
| Screenshot download from viewer | ✗ | ✓ |
| FPS / performance monitor | ✗ | ✓ |
| Camera bookmark / restore | ✗ | ✓ |
| Auto performance mode (mobile) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Static product images | ✓ | ✓ |
Etsy is one of the highest-piracy platforms for digital 3D print files. The reasons are structural:
No per-buyer file identification
Every buyer on Etsy downloads the same file. There is nothing embedded in the file that links it to a specific buyer. If one buyer shares the file on a Discord server, a Reddit thread, or a piracy site, the creator has no way to determine which buyer was the source.
Counterfeit listings
Etsy has well-documented problems with counterfeit digital products. Stolen STL files frequently appear as listings from other sellers. The DMCA process on Etsy requires submitting a formal takedown notice and is not automated — a creator monitoring dozens of listings across the platform can spend hours per week on enforcement.
Buyer account sharing
Because Etsy has a huge general audience, it is common for buyers to share account credentials with friends specifically to access digital downloads. Etsy has no mechanism to prevent a single purchase from being downloaded by multiple people across shared accounts.
For creators who invest hundreds of hours into a high-quality STL set, the piracy risk on Etsy is a material business concern — not a hypothetical.
Etsy's digital download system was built for small files: PDFs, SVG patterns, and low-resolution images. STL and 3D model files often exceed these limits significantly.
| Limit | Etsy | Proofly |
|---|---|---|
| Max file size per attachment | 20 MB | No limit |
| Max files per listing | 5 files | Unlimited |
| ZIP packages supported | Yes (as attachment) | Yes (as attachment + viewer) |
| 3D viewer in listing | No | Yes (STL, GLB, OBJ, FBX, 3MF) |
| Supported sell formats | Any file | STL, GLB, OBJ, FBX, 3MF, STEP, BLEND, ZIP |
| File hosting | Etsy CDN | Proofly dedicated storage |
| Download link expiry | Permanent after purchase | 7-day signed URL (renewable) |
| Buyer re-download limit | Unlimited | Unlimited (re-request at any time) |
The 20 MB / 5-file cap on Etsy is a hard constraint that affects a large proportion of 3D print file creators. A multi-part miniature set with STL + pre-supported STL + FDM profiles can easily reach 80–150 MB total. On Etsy, creators must either compress files to the point of quality degradation, split the set across multiple listings (requiring the buyer to purchase twice), or use a third-party delivery service like Dropbox or Google Drive — adding friction and removing Etsy's purchase protection.
| Feature | Etsy | Proofly |
|---|---|---|
| Seller commission | 6.5% + 3% + $0.20 | 0% |
| Offsite ads fee (mandatory) | 15% (can opt out at >$10k/yr) | None |
| Listing fee | $0.20 per renewal (every 4 months) | Free |
| Buyer fee | None (absorbed by seller) | ~$1 USD flat (shown at checkout) |
| Application / approval required | No | No |
| In-browser 3D viewer | No | Yes (WebGL, all formats) |
| Piracy protection | None | HiddenMark™ per-buyer fingerprinting |
| File size limit | 20 MB per file | None |
| Files per listing | 5 max | Unlimited |
| Supported formats | Any (no viewer) | STL, GLB, OBJ, FBX, 3MF, STEP, BLEND, ZIP |
| Watertight / mesh check | No | Yes (auto-check on upload) |
| Multi-currency pricing | Limited (USD base) | PLN, USD, EUR natively |
| Creator analytics | Basic (views, revenue) | Advanced (funnel, geography, A/B) |
| Creator dashboard | Seller portal | Dedicated creator dashboard |
| Payout method | Etsy Payments (Payoneer/bank) | Stripe Connect (bank + card) |
| Account suspension risk | High (automated moderation) | Low (manual review) |
| Primary audience | General shoppers | 3D model buyers |
| SEO for 3D models | General Etsy SEO | Dedicated 3D model SEO |
| Support for DMCA takedowns | Manual form submission | HiddenMark™ identifies source |
High-volume STL creators
If you sell 50+ files per month, Etsy's fees compound significantly. At $15/model × 50 sales, Etsy takes ~$335 per month in base fees. On Proofly, that $335 stays with you — every month.
Multi-part print set creators
Large STL sets — miniature armies, architectural models, cosplay props — often exceed Etsy's 20 MB / 5-file cap. On Proofly you upload the full set with no compression, and buyers get a viewer that lets them see every part.
Creators worried about piracy
If your models have appeared on piracy sites before, or if you know others in your niche who have been affected, HiddenMark™ gives you per-buyer accountability that Etsy simply cannot provide.
Game asset and GLB creators
Buyers of GLB / GLTF and FBX files want to inspect materials, textures, and animation clips before buying. Proofly's viewer renders PBR materials and plays animations inline. Etsy shows a static thumbnail.
Etsy sellers losing accounts to moderation
Etsy's automated moderation has resulted in sudden shop suspensions for many 3D file sellers, particularly for models with mature themes or weapons. Proofly uses human review and is focused specifically on 3D model content.
Creators building a long-term brand
Etsy's interface makes it difficult to build a strong brand identity — every shop looks similar and buyers stay within Etsy's ecosystem. Proofly gives creators a dedicated creator page with their own models, bio, and analytics.
You do not need to choose between Etsy and Proofly. Neither platform requires exclusivity. A practical dual-listing approach:
Create a free Proofly account and connect Stripe
Sign up at proofly.store — it takes about 2 minutes. In your dashboard, connect a Stripe account for payouts. Stripe supports bank transfers in 40+ countries and card payouts in many more.
Gather your original files
Download the original STL / GLB / OBJ / 3MF files from your own storage — not re-downloads from Etsy (which may be compressed). You want the highest-quality version you have.
Upload each model to Proofly
Use the Proofly upload flow: drag in your files (no size cap), add your existing title, description, and tags, set your price, and upload your product images. The 3D viewer generates automatically from the mesh. Set the license level (Personal / Commercial / Extended) as appropriate.
Enable HiddenMark™
On the listing settings, toggle HiddenMark™ on. This activates per-buyer piracy tracing with no visible impact on the file or the buyer experience. Each buyer now receives a uniquely watermarked copy of the mesh.
Update your external links and Etsy shop bio
Add your Proofly creator page URL to your social media profiles, YouTube descriptions, and Etsy shop announcement. Buyers who discover you through Etsy can follow you to Proofly for future purchases where you earn more per sale.
Etsy charges a $0.20 listing fee per item (every 4 months), a 6.5% transaction fee on the sale price, and approximately 3% + $0.25 for payment processing. Combined, that's typically 10–12% of every sale before Offsite Ads. When Etsy drives a sale via external advertising — which you cannot opt out of below $10,000/year in revenue — an additional 15% is charged, bringing effective fees above 25% on some sales. Proofly charges sellers 0%; only the buyer pays a flat ~$1 service fee.
No. Etsy has no 3D viewer of any kind. Buyers see only the static images you upload and purchase entirely on trust. Proofly includes a full WebGL viewer for STL, GLB, OBJ, FBX, and 3MF files: orbit, zoom, wireframe, watertight check, real-world dimensions, and animation playback — all before buying.
No. Etsy has no per-buyer file identification. Every buyer downloads the same file, and if one buyer shares it, you have no way to trace the source. Proofly's HiddenMark™ system embeds a unique invisible watermark into each buyer's copy of the mesh. If the file appears on a piracy site, you can upload it to Proofly's verify tool to identify exactly which buyer account it originated from.
Etsy limits each digital file to 20 MB and a maximum of 5 files per listing. High-detail STL sets, multi-part print files, and ZIP packages routinely exceed these limits. Proofly has no per-file size limit and supports unlimited files per listing.
Yes. Neither platform has an exclusivity requirement. The common approach is to keep Etsy listings active while building a Proofly catalogue, directing all new marketing to Proofly where you keep 100% of the sale price.
Create a Proofly account, connect Stripe, gather your original high-quality files, upload each model (no size cap, no compression needed), enable HiddenMark™, and update your external links. Migration for a typical listing takes 10–15 minutes, and you can keep your Etsy shop active throughout.
Proofly supports STL, GLB, GLTF, OBJ (with MTL materials), FBX, 3MF, STEP, BLEND, and ZIP packages. Most formats get a native 3D viewer. Etsy supports any file as a download attachment but shows no preview for any of them.
Join Proofly as a Founding Creator — open to all 3D model creators, no application required. Upload your first model today and see the difference a dedicated 3D marketplace makes for buyers and your revenue.
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