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...At the moment, the products can all still be ordered through Shapeways but sometime before the end of the year, I will be able to take orders for select products that I can print and ship myself...
I know your pain, Mike. I just did the same thing for probably the very same reasons: bought my own printer. It was a good decision, although printing is time-consuming and more labor-intensive than I had anticipated. Products printed in-house are less expensive than the identical product sold via Shapeways, about 10-20%.
Shapeways may remain the less costly option for international shipping to customers in the EU. Shapeways can ship cheaper from The Netherlands to EU customers than I can to those same customers from the US.
I don't know how Shapeways pricing for existing products in my store will look come January but new products I am uploading now are significantly more expensive than similar products uploaded in the past, about 15-20% more. For those readers here not yet in-the-know, Shapeways has grandfathered the pricing for previously-uploaded products in stores until after the holidays. New uploads come under the new pricing algorithm. Come January, the new pricing model will affect all products.
Good work on your catalog!
As your store grows and you gain an in-house capability, you might consider putting an online store together. I chose Wix.com as a hosting service for in-house production. That simplifies the bookkeeping and order tracking and they can safely process credit cards, PayPal, etc.. Shopify is probably another good option.
Wishing you great success! Love your work!
