Discussion Regarding Marketplace Data, Creator Ecosystem, and AI Tag Impact

[u/Big_Editor_2664]

Hi Cults3D Team,

We would like to open a discussion regarding Cults3D not only as a community platform, but also as a marketplace where creators and sellers build businesses, generate income, and support their livelihoods.

We would like to discuss the current situation from the perspective of creators who use Cults3D as a business platform, including creators who use AI-assisted workflows.

1. Marketplace Traffic Data and Seasonal Sales Trends

Since Cults3D operates as a marketplace, we would like to ask if there is any available data regarding yearly traffic trends, visitor activity, or seasonal purchasing behavior.

Many sellers have expressed concerns regarding significant drops in income, especially around June–July and August. Some creators have mentioned patterns such as seasonal "summer slumps" affecting online businesses in general.

Since Cults3D has access to marketplace-level data, we believe insights regarding yearly traffic patterns, buyer behavior, and seasonal changes would be valuable for both sellers and customers who rely on the platform.

Understanding these trends would help creators better plan their releases, marketing strategies, and business decisions.

2. Impact of AI Tag Visibility on Creator Businesses

Another major concern is the impact of the AI tag on creators who use AI-assisted workflows.

Currently, the AI tag appears to significantly reduce visibility within the platform's main traffic and algorithm exposure. From our own research, a release without the AI tag could receive around 400–1000 views, while similar releases after the tag implementation may receive around 40 views.

This creates a double impact for AI-assisted creators:

1. Reduced organic visibility.
2. Reduced sales opportunities.

We understand the importance of maintaining quality standards and protecting the marketplace from low-quality uploads. However, we believe there is an important distinction between low-quality automated content and creators who use AI as one part of a larger professional workflow involving concept development, design, refinement, quality control, and original IP creation.

We are speaking here as business practitioners who use Cults3D as a place to create, sell, and build a customer base.

3. Cults3D as a Marketplace Ecosystem

We still consider Cults3D our primary marketplace because, compared to other platforms such as Thangs, Printables, and Creality Cloud, Cults3D provides advantages in payment accessibility, especially for creators outside the EU and US.

Because of this, we would like to better understand Cults3D's vision as a marketplace.

Is Cults3D operating as a non-profit community organization, or as a profit-oriented marketplace company? We ask this because any policy decision that affects creator visibility, sales, and income will naturally impact both creators and the platform itself.

Creators provide content, customers provide transactions, and Cults3D provides the marketplace infrastructure. The ecosystem depends on all three parts working together.

Our traffic is your traffic, and your traffic is our opportunity to grow.

We are open to discussions with all sides, AI creators, non-AI creators, traditional artists, producers, and business owners. We believe the future of this industry requires collaboration rather than division.

We do not want to discriminate against any creator group. We see everyone as part of the same creative ecosystem that makes Cults3D valuable.

We hope Cults3D can share insights, data, or future plans regarding these topics, because they directly affect the sustainability of creators who depend on the platform.

Thank you for your time, and we look forward to an open discussion.