Really confused with the Royalty Free License regards selling a 3D printed product

It means you can't sell or give away the printable format, or file. It doesn't say directly, or clearly, but that also means that you can't convert the file to some other format and sell the digital file. With Royalty Free you can print copies to sell, or print a copy and make a casting of it and sell the castings. If your friend wanted to sell the same product, he would have to buy the file from the artist and then make copies himself. You can't sell or give the file to your friend.

Q: So if I pay for it can I use it to 3D print it in castable resin, then cast it and sell it? If not, how can you use it commercially in a project?

No, you can't. You can 3D print the model for yourself, or as a gift for a friend, or family member, but you can't sell such print for profit as it is, or distribute it en masse. I think you can still 3D print and sell it as incorporated product, i.e. if the model in question is not a central part of bigger model, but don't take my word for granted and consult cgtrader support before making any business decisions.

As for commercial usage example, imagine that your client commissioned you to create some physical miniature, that involves a boy walking a dog. You could make all 3D models by yourself, or you can buy the models of boy and dog on marketplace, incorporate them into the scene and deliver 3D printed model (not a source file) to your client. That's a commercial usage. Keep in mind that you're still not allowed to 3D print that model in bulk and sell it to other people.

CGTrader really needs a special license and pricing for 3D prints as this thread clearly illustrates.
Jewelry is great example.
I'm pretty sure > 90% of buyers buys these models for physical production without reading the license.
And probably great amount of sellers sells them for this purpose.. also without reading the license.

My appologies Lemonade CG. I should have read the CGTrader license agreement in it's entirety and not rely on snippets of whatever the OP's managed to cut and paste.

https://help.cgtrader.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015124437-Royalty-Free-License

The first paragraph:

"If the model is under Royalty Free license, you can use it as long as it is incorporated into the product and as long as the 3rd party cannot retrieve it on its own in both digital and physical form. You cannot resell the model you bought in its digital form and you cannot resell it in its printed form as a separate, single item. "

However, from my understanding, you can sell this if it is incorporated into another product. Again, it's best to clarify this with support@cgtrader.com and explain to them your intentions.

This is the agreement on this website. I've noticed that this can mean different things on different websites based on different media. So it's best to consult with support of whatever website you're on to determine what the exact definition is, as this can vary.

Thanks, everyone. I contacted one of the sellers and he freely gave permission to cast and sell the jewellery. I'm not sure if this then makes it okay, or CG Traders license overrules that. I'll contact them to find out.

I've contacted CG Trader and they advised it's okay if the seller gives permission to sell cast models, but suggested I get it in writing. The seller also didn't understand the license and indicated they thought the exclusion referred only to the file. I'm hoping the record on CG Trader here of our conversation is the 'in writing' I need. All very messy and does need to be clarified.

keep working

Big Sale
https://www.cgtrader.com/designers/AB-JEWELLERY

The terms actually say you cant sell something in the form it was downloaded. It says you can sell it if its incorporated into something else. If you buy an stl of a dickie bow tie, print it out and sell it on etsy your breaking license. if you put the dickie bow tie on a doll then sell the doll on etsy you haven't broke it as you have incorporated the tie into a doll. If you downloaded a chess piece, printed it and sold on etsy your breaking the license. if you sell a chess set with the board etc. and included the piece you haven't broke the license as its incorporated into a model. problem is that sellers of stl just see the cant sell part of the terms and don't read or understand the rest of what it says . Anyone who doubts this can ring customer services and clarify for themselves like i did and many others have. I will put an extract from the terms below with link.

The Buyer’s license to Product in this paragraph is strictly limited to ******* Incorporated Product*******. Any use or republication, including sale or distribution of Product that is not Incorporated Product is strictly prohibited. For illustration, approved distribution or ********use of Product as Incorporated Product****** includes, but is not limited to - as part of a physical object such as a toy, doll, or model.

https://help.cgtrader.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015124437-Royalty-Free-License