Major nosedive, To your door

During the last couple months I have seen a sharp decline in the sales on the 3D EUC store.  The slow down is something I haven’t seen in almost 3 years as there has been a relentless climb in activity which in most ways has been a good thing.  I don’t have a definitive explanation but there have definitely been some changes in the hobby.  There are now more alternatives out there for wheel stands.  There are a few other people making/selling 3D printed stands but there are also people that make their own solutions out of wood, metal, PVC and even rail mounted planters.  There are also 3D stand models available for free on the internet which people can print themselves if they have a 3D printer.

There are some distinct differences my stands have to the others, such as their ability to adjust in width to fit basically any wheel and the customization service I offer where I put whatever text a customer wants on the sides of the stands for a minimal upcharge.  In some ways not being that busy does have it’s advantages as well. It means I am buying less consumables, parts and spending less on electricity to power the print farm.  When I did my taxes this year I got a rough idea of my profit margin on the store, it wasn’t very good.  The best I could figure about two thirds of my gross sales are consumed by expenses, without factoring in electricity usage.  Still, the competitive side of me doesn’t like to “lose”, so I have been rolling ideas around in my head to see what I can come up with to get the foot back on the pedal.

One of the unique things about owning a Tesla is their remote service fleet.  If you do not live close to a Tesla service center they will often offer to bring the service to you instead via their fleet of mobile service techs.  I had a remote service call with my Model 3 and it was a pain free experience.  Today I have one for the Model Y.

The guy is supposed to fix the wiring in the rear passenger door jamb as well as install the Homelink garage door opener kit into the car.  The last time I had work done they came to my office to do it.  This time I left the Model Y at home since Cindy is there.  I set the appointment three weeks ago when we got the car but I already got a call this morning letting me know the tech should arrive within the hour.  As long as the work is completed correctly, it will be another gold star in my Tesla ownership experience.