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by jasobake 58 days ago
I wish I could just start a business fixing 3d printers and helping people set up really nice plex servers with hardware transcoding, but there's this pesky mortgage...

Anyway, these posts always make me think of this https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142eg6r/...

4 comments

I love the refined personality of the sour dressing guy. Would love to shake his hand and make him a salad.

I see some light from a door down a narrow alley from the main shopping street, I knew this building was empty for a decade and the store front was still covered in wood planks. Curious I walk into the alley to check out what was going on.

I see a guy jumping around as if dancing with the largest bouquet of flowers I have ever seen. Around him 5-7 similar giant vases with layered compositions. Each with enormous exotic flowers in the center.

Woah, what is that? I asked. He looked up and said loudly this is me!

I said it looked stunning and asked how long he was doing this. He said, I will only do this for 2 weeks and ill be happy when it is over! I asked, is there no money in it?

He said, I charge an ungodly amount of money for these. You cant buy anything like it anywhere.

Then why only 2 weeks? I'm not going to trap myself! 2 weeks, a vacation, then ill do something else entirely.

While talking his hands moved at lightning speed adding and removing different flowers.

He ended the conversation with: I have to get these finished then I have to deliver them as fast as possible as fresh as possible. I didn't sleep for days! Cant wait for it to be over!

My slacker life style allowed me to think about this strange encounter for a few days. I decided he was still doing it wrong but it looked absolutely beautiful. I'm happy he doesn't get it.

I have no idea what I just read, but it's beautiful. Is this your own work?
That's quite the depressing post, but also quite pessimistic. There are lots of stories that start that way but end happily.
If it was a business, why would it not help with that pesky mortgage?
No one would pay to have a 3D printer fixed. Or at least not pay enough for it to be a viable business. A brand new printer can be purchased for the equivalent of a couple hours labor, and that’s before replacement parts.
This is the problem (or arguably success) of modern appliances in general. They just aren’t generally worth repairing.

People grumble about planned obsolescence but the reality is that there are people who will repair them, if you are willing to pay. But when repairs cost a significant chunk of the price of a new appliance, most people opt to replace.

Customers may buy a retail functional replacement now for <$400.

It is called the Shoemakers paradox, where the shoemakers kids go barefoot.

Also, the same reason why CNC Milling factories don't tend to produce paperclips. =3

Rule #23: Don't compete to be at the bottom, as you just might actually win.

Milling a paperclip is absurd and does nothing for the argument as it's just not sane.

There are many people that can afford a <$400 printer, yet at that price range it might be totally inadequate for what is actually needed. Some people are willing to not spend that money for a one/two off project in that manner, but would rather spend that money with someone that already has the right gear and experience using that gear to just produce the thing needed.

yeah - that's like PCBWay, et al. You can make boards yourself (even etch your own if you want to). But a lot of people opt. for the convenience of out-sourcing it.
Indeed, because getting 2000 plated via PCB in 2 weeks is not feasible on hobbyist equipment.

3D printing is also fundamentally a small-run slow process, and can't match injection molded versions outputting 30000 pcs/month.

Market fragmentation means low-margin business plans won't survive very long. ymmv =3

Correction, it was only a $389.00 USD option before coupon code "$10OFF"

https://www.sovol3d.com/products/sovol-zero-3d-printer

Not enough business, not highly paid enough. No true market for such a service.
Then that's not a business, that's a tax write off.
And it's not even a tax write-off until you have enough income to offset expenses. (Which is nice as far as it goes but is small scale where you can write-off a few $K in expenses against a few $K in income.)
Coming at it from a different angle

If there's already income paying the pesky mortgage, you start up an official business as a side hustle. As long as you are showing income even if at a loss, you then get to use that loss as a deduction. If it never pans out to be profitable to the point the tax man strongly suggests the business should close, you close it. In the mean time, you've followed a passion, that even as a loss, still gives financial benefit helping with the pesky mortgage.

There's doubtless some wiggle room but it's like home office deductions. Triggering an audit by the "tax man" is rarely a good idea for most people and may well cause accounting bills that exceed any marginal gains.
If you want to scratch the itch, you could fix up broken 3d printers to donate to schools.