Australia is seeing quick growth in the distribution of desktop 3D printers, as major retailers jump on board the 3D printing bandwagon. Following in the footsteps of other office retail giants like Staples and Office Depot, Australia’s own Kogan.com and Leading Edge Computers have begun reselling desktop 3D printers.
After other Aussie office supply stores like Harvey Norman and Officeworks began selling the 3D Systems Cube, Kogan.com and Leading Edge Computers have made their own deals with 3D printer manufacturers to sell desktop machines. Leading Edge, which has 135 shops throughout Australia, has gone with MakerBot. As an official distributor, the electronics store will begin selling MakerBot 3D printers in two of its stores, in Dubbo and Orange, but it’s likely that the product will move to other shops in the chain soon. According to group merchandise manager Lee Scott, “I would expect we could have 30 or 40 stores that will adopt the product fairly quickly. But all stores could order it if they get a customer wanting to do it.”
Apparently, the company has been considering the sale of 3D printers for some time, with Scott saying, “We’ve been watching 3D printers for about four years now as they’ve gone from a cottage industry, to the cost coming down and professional quality products.” He added, “It’s going to be really interesting to see where it fits over next three to five years and see what applications people use these for. 3D printing is one of the most exciting technologies for a couple of years.”
Kogan.com, as is its way, intends to undercut both the Cube resellers and Leading Edge by supplying the da Vinci 1.0 3D Printer from XYZprinting. The da Vinci has a price tag of $700 on the site, making it the first 3D printer under $1k to be sold in Australia by a major retailer. The plug-n-play machine has a cartridge based filament system, a 20 x 20 x 20 cm (7.8 x 7.8 x 7.8 inches) build volume, and an LCD screen. Kogan describes the printer as being for the “average Joe”, saying, “It is easy to use, requires no set-up, has a smart design, unique safety features and an open source cloud database allowing users to create thousands of items, from bowls and cups to key chains and smartphone cases, in 12 different colours.”
Lee Scott, however, doesn’t see the technology as something that every consumer would want in their home. Instead, he thinks that it will be used by “[a]nyone doing design and engineering.” Scott also understands that 3D printers aren’t necessarily an easy sell, saying, “It’s a sale that needs assistance. You don’t just sell the product and send the customer home.” All retailers are going to have to be aware that, with every sale, there’s the possibility of an irate customer tackling the technology’s steep learning curve. In this case, Leading Edge, Officeworks, and Harvey Norman may have an advantage over Kogan. Their brick-n-mortar locations will be able to help customers struggling with their new fabricators, while Kogan’s pure online presence will definitely prove an obstacle to buyers of the da Vinci machine.
Featured Image Source: sahrchitect on Thingiverse
