Terms of use

Last updated 2026-09-16 · Beta service operated by Formada3D (ABN 20 147 316 802), Melbourne, Australia.

What MakerNear is

MakerNear is a directory that introduces people who need something made ("buyers") to independent makers. We are not a party to any job. Each maker quotes, contracts, makes, ships and invoices under their own terms, and is responsible for the quality, safety, legality and delivery of what they make. We do not take payment for jobs and we do not hold funds.

Beta

This is an early, free service. Features may change or break, listings may be sparse, and we may pause or close the service at any time. Illustrative listings are clearly labelled "Example" and are not real businesses.

Buyers

• You must be 18 or over to send an enquiry or list a workshop.
• You warrant that you own or are licensed to use any file you send. Character and brand IP — game miniatures (e.g. Warhammer), LEGO-compatible parts bearing marks, Disney/Marvel/Pokémon characters, logos and branded spare parts — needs the rights-holder's permission; do not send it otherwise. You indemnify MakerNear and the maker against claims arising from a file or brief you supplied.
• You keep whatever rights you hold in your designs; you grant the chosen maker permission to use the file to quote and make your job, and grant us a limited licence to store, screen and forward it.
• You confirm, by ticking the box on the enquiry form, that the item is not a weapon or firearm part. Briefs and files are screened automatically; matches are refused or held for human review, and we may report unlawful requests.
• Uploaded files are deleted from our servers 30 days after upload.
• Agree price, turnaround, materials, tolerances, warranty and payment directly with the maker before they start. Keep that agreement in writing (email is fine).

Makers

• You must be 18 or over to send an enquiry or list a workshop.
• You must be the owner or operator of the workshop you list and must give accurate details. We may edit, decline or remove a listing at any time.
• You are responsible for your own pricing, GST, insurance, licensing, safety and consumer-law obligations (including the Australian Consumer Law guarantees that apply to you).
• Do not use buyer details or files for anything other than quoting and making the job. Do not make a prohibited item even if a buyer asks; tell us instead.
• Two upheld intellectual-property or prohibited-item notices in 12 months and your listing is removed (see Repeat-infringer policy below).

Prohibited items

You may not request, upload, list or offer to make any of the following. We refuse them, may delete the file and record, may block the sender, and may report them to police.

• Firearms and firearm parts — receivers/frames, barrels, bolts, slides, triggers and fire-control groups, auto-sears/"switches", magazines, sound suppressors/silencers — and any CAD/STL/3MF/G-code for them, including gel-blaster receivers and imitation firearms. Possessing or sharing such files is a criminal offence in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA, Tasmania and WA.
• Ammunition, reloading dies and projectiles.
• Prohibited or controlled weapons — knuckle dusters, flick/butterfly/push knives, non-metal knives, throwing stars, batons, tasers/stun guns, crossbow and slingshot parts, body armour.
• Medical and dental devices — implants, dental appliances, orthotics, prosthetic sockets and other patient-matched devices regulated by the TGA, unless the maker is a TGA-registered manufacturer and says so.
• Safety-critical vehicle and aircraft parts — brake, steering, suspension and seat-belt components, flight-critical drone/aircraft parts, pressure vessels, gas fittings, helmets, child car-seat parts, mains-voltage enclosures without certification.
• Counterfeit or branded goods and unlicensed character IP (see Buyers above), including anything bearing a third-party logo or trade mark without permission.
• Food-contact items unless the brief discloses the intended food use and the maker confirms food-safe material and process.
• Lock-bypass tools and restricted key profiles, skimming/RFID-cloning devices and signal jammers, drug paraphernalia, products for children with mandatory safety standards (toys for under-3s, cots, dummies, button-battery products), and anything illegal in the buyer's or the maker's state or territory.

Intellectual property and takedowns

If you believe a listing or an enquiry misuses your copyright, trade mark or registered design, follow the takedown process. We act on a valid notice within two business days: the file or listing is disabled, the uploader or maker is told and may file a counter-notice, and everything is logged.

Repeat-infringer policy. Two upheld notices against the same maker within any 12-month period result in the maker being delisted; two upheld notices against the same buyer result in their email address being blocked from sending enquiries or applying to list. We may act sooner for flagrant cases.

Consumer guarantees and liability

Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded. Subject to that, MakerNear is provided as a free beta "as is"; we are not liable for the acts or omissions of any maker or buyer, the quality of any job, loss of files, or indirect or consequential loss, and where our liability for a guarantee can lawfully be limited it is limited, at our option, to re-supplying the service or paying the cost of re-supply (s 64A ACL).

Acceptable use

No spam, scraping, automated enquiries, harassment, or attempts to bypass rate limits. We may block addresses that abuse the service.

Law

These terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia. Questions: [email protected].