Below you find a VERY long rant/conclusion in regards how model hosting and with that creators struggle.
Plus a few other things…
No need to read it unless you are very bored but in case you are a creator and think what is available for you to host your creation could be better then you might want to skip to the last bits of the long text…
It is time users and especially creators get active…
It is us that makes the hosters so filthy rich - do you think that is fair and do you think you as the creator gets a fair share?
Read at your own risk - I warned you
When I started with 3D printing all those years ago things were simpler and often better.
Only a very few website offered 3D models you could actually print.
Our slicers were… Lets say basic…
And even in computer magazines we kept hearing how 3D printing is nothing more than a short lived novelty for home use.
Fast forward 2 decades and 3D printing is vital in many industries, including dentistry.
It seems every second home has some sort of 3D printer these days and that there is nothing you can’t find to download in terms of models.
Then I stumbled upon someone who seems to upload a few figurines for printing every single day…
The models even looked half decent, well good actually but really not my type so to say.
Price per model seemed reasonable as well.
Until I realised a mistake he had in some pics.
The camera angle used seemed very familiar and sure enough I figured out he does it all with AI.
Create detailed 3D rendering and do it as a sequence to show several different camera angles.
Since you can define those in all detail it is rather easy to use the generated images in a stitching software to make it 3D model in STL or other formats.
Define a good ComfyUI workflow and you get very consistent results…
Sadly, once you found one person doing it you start spotting this and similar AI approaches a lot more than before.
On top of that the need for money 
I have no problem paying a creator for actual creativity but not so much for on the fly AI generated creations.
But more and more hosting services now offer incentives for their creators and members.
Even a simple vase anyone can create these days needs a payment before the download.
How did we get into this dark rabbit hole and money trap for unsuspecting users ?
I guess you could say it all started with our pharma giants and companies like Apple…
Need creates a demand, demand creates a need…
In the past, the distant past, this translated to producing thing in large volumes to provide a price attractive enough for both ends.
Turned out though that limiting the availability is a great way to keep a high price or to increase the price.
Same story for creating a hype - no one today cares how many trends and new things only become so popular thanks to the company using ‘smart’ promotion tactics.
Now we see how all this turned into binding methods.
Like so many companies did in the past - it works the same for printed models or 3D models to download…
Ensure the user likes your page enough to register and pay for downloads.
After that a few specials here and a few ‘exclusive’ offers there make sure the user keeps spending money.
Unlike in other areas though the 3D printing world IMHO got ruined by this approach.
Binding creators to your site is probably a good thing but it needs active measures to prevent fraud and those cost real money.
Of course they all went the cheapest possible route and even today we struggle to keep the licenses and rights to the models we upload and want to sell.
Frustrating for the creator and a gold mine for the criminals only paying you once to then upload your model elsewhere and for money you won’t ever see.
As so often when it becomes hard or near impossible to get detailed info and numbers I contacted a good friend of mine for help.
You could call him an ‘ethical hacker’ - one of those guys exposing security flaws and such for companies paying him to do just that.
Must be one of the best jobs in the world if you ask me…
Anyway, he did not get as much info as I hoped for but what he found still concerned me…
It is estimated that creators lost over 20 million US Dollars over the past 3 years alone, thanks to criminals offering their work or in some cases by the entire model database of a hoster being hacked and copied.
We don’t get to hear any of this of course as then creators would be concerned and question their hosters too much.
The far more concerning part though is the money hosting companies make these days with 3D models or simply by offering a selling platform from printed models.
Some charge their creators up to 30% of the listed model price and in return the creator gets a higher status and more editing/presentation options.
Some now even offer like a subscription model - the more models you upload the lower the fees…
And yes the war already started LOL
Be it Makerworld, Etsy and what not - they all work very hard on getting the most of it - the most money from us.
What happened to those little hosting sites that often provided models you could find anywhere else ?
Gulped up by the bigger sharks in the pool…
The trend seems clear > If you want quality models or if you want something that not everyone already has you probably already have to pay for the model.
If not then soon you will.
If we include the advertising revenue as well as those incentives provided by business partners playing sponsors we have to face the fact that hosting models is a lucrative business that will provide more and more money in the future.
Play a fun Easter Egg hunt by checking who runs your favourite model hosting service and from there to find those financial reports and reports for their share holders.
You will be quite surprised when you see the investment numbers VS the earnings…
A bit like printing your own money…
Where does all this leave us?
Well, I would have said just a decade ago that it leaves us with the need for action.
Today though I have to say it leaves us in the dust…
Userpower once was a force to reckon with.
If you made changes the users did not agree with you knew all about it right away and if you did not act you lost a lot of those users that make your product or company work.
Today though there are so many users who are really just that…
Good at pressing buttons but otherwise with no care or understanding how things work.
Also means that while they might not like some things they would never care enough to speak up or to demand change.
Even the remaining higher level users would probably never consider turning their back on a provider unless they really found working alternatives.
The company always wins 
Now is the time, soon there is no time left to go against the giants in the game.
If you are a creator, a maker, a real designer - then how many more do you know?
With how many of them do you keep a more or less regular contact?
From how many others do you download models from time to time?
If you know a few they might know a few as well and this continues…
It is not rocket science to create website these days and hosting one comes quite cheap as well.
You can even include shop models and payment platforms with a few clicks on many hosting services.
Imagine not just hoping that things go well but being involved with it …
A hosting service run by creators, controlled by creators and with rules made by the creators…
Within just 6 months a website where just a dozen of creators came together to provide their work and support could turn into a thriving forum with a fast growing user and creator base.
Sponsors can be found quite easy once there is enough traffic and users, adding to the value and allowing for expansion onto more capable hosting services.
And all the time it is trusted creators in charge, people who know the pains we face - people who can act when required to take down offenders on other sites AND to retrieve the money lost this way, which currently no hoster does for you.
I know what many creators will say now…
Too much work, no time for it, too many hassles…
But IS THAT REALLY SO ???
How many of you have kids who would love to create a nice website or forum they can use once school is over and real life begins, when they want to apply for related jobs?
How many of you already have their own little website, even if it for other things?
Why not cheat a bit where required and abuse the non existing parts of the T’s & C’s ?
Include a Zip with your model that has a PDF for detailed instructions, some additional pics AND a link and invite for YOUR new model hosting service where the creators are running the show…
I know, gone way too far with crazy ideas already but here the last one>
How about starting with just a basic forum that has a dedicated download option?
The usual meet and greet sections followed with a few categories like technical models, artistic models, Blender work, …
And for every section users would find a list/pinned post that highlights the top creators in that section with a link to their profile.
Every creator has their work listed in the profile and can sort them into collections and such.
Showing the users what matters in one place and in the forum sections.
From there let need and creativity define what sections and categories might be beneficial to have added.
You will see that in no time at all and with just a bit of sneaky self promoting in other places such a forum could turn into something quite huge…