Hey, I opened a support ticket a few days ago but haven’t gotten a response so figured I would try the forum.
One of my most popular models was removed from the Exclusive model program and I now have a deeply negative point balance (-5000). I had entered the model when the program opened and it appears the rules have changed up, making my model ineligible. It was removed without any warning and I see very similar models still in the program.
I wouldn’t bother making this post if my model weren’t as popular, but this has pretty much corrupted my point balance due to the amount of downloads my model had gotten.
I can understand why it was removed given the new rules, but I would really like to alleviate my negative balance if possible. Please let me know if anyone has had a similar issue.
Model removed:
Support ticket (4/11/2025):
MU250411776001
Similar models still in the program (Not saying they are right or wrong, I did not know the new rules myself):
Sometimes I have the feeling that the decision-making process is arbitrary. I would definitely try to get in touch with Bambu, I think the arguments you have are valid.
Something similar happened to me with a fridge magnet. The model was online for 4-5 months and from one day to the next it was removed from the exclusive programme and of course the points earned were also removed.
I didn’t lodge an protest because it was somehow too silly for me.
Good luck!
They only remove models after they are reported, so it is more like the “luck” of the draw. I know that some people have had a part of the points reinstated after an appeal, because this is just silly. It happens a lot and I plan on taking most of my exclusive models out of the program after 3 months to ‘lock in’ the earnings (not sure if this even works, I have to wait 2 days to remove the first one) even though I’m pretty convinced I don’t break any rules.
They really need to change this system. I’d say remove the points from the past month and not earlier than that. Because that is just on MW not acting sooner. I have one exclusive model with over 1000 boosts, it would be insane if that became a point debt just because they change the rules or make an arbitrary decision on complexity
If you look through other posts about this, Bambu will frequently reinstate points that had been removed as long as users were innocently breaking the rules vs gaming the system.
Cannot speak for Bambu in any way but if people are on the up and up, they seem to make things tolerable.
It’s hit or miss if you get the points back.
I lost 3000 a couple of weeks ago for ‘wall art’
This was a featured model before those rules cam
I’m currently still -300, I was +1000 or so when it happened. It’s kinda disheartening when you see droves of actual bad files, stolen designs & point farming accounts.
I’ve ended up just removing all my exclusive prints & I’ll post them on various platforms instead.
“Dear user,
Thank you for your support of our Exclusive Model Program. We’ve received several reports regarding the quality of this model. After careful review, we have decided to remove it from the program.
According to our MakerWorld Exclusive Model Guideline (MakerWorld Exclusive Model Guideline | Bambu Lab Wiki), AI - generated content, Hueforges, simple planar/2D models such as signs, coasters, badges, and coins, or models that lack structural sophistication are ineligible to enter the program. Please review the guidelines carefully before submitting your models to the program. Repeated violations may lead to your account being banned from the program.
Thanks for your cooperation.”
So, I guess they think my model is too “planar”. Even so, I was not aware of these new classifications and to take away over 5000 points is ridiculous punishment… I am not going to let this slide without a fight.
If you look around the forum, many people have experienced this. I’m specifically not talking about rule-breakers, but about cases that suddenly no longer achieved the required quality after months.
That’s why many people, including myself, have taken their models out of the exclusive programme. It’s just not worth the trouble. Even well-known designers have been affected. Understandably, Bambu is setting the bar higher and higher for its exclusive programme, but the communication about it is more than bad.
First and foremost, as I said, this has nothing to do with the rules, as many people stuck to the rules, it was just that after a few months the minimum threshold was no longer sufficient. In addition, the threat of being banned ultimately prompted many people to stop using it and publish the models on other sites again.
I was hit with a similar case involving five of my models, which were allegedly hosted on other sites — even though they weren’t. The total penalty was around 15,000 points. After submitting a straightforward counter-explanation, the models and points were reinstated without further issues.
So, I wouldn’t say it’s not worth fighting. Be polite, explain your perspective clearly, and state why you believe the penalty is unjustified — you might get lucky. That said, given the current rules, I have my doubts. It’s probably considered too 2D-ish and lacking originality.
Hi cartyski,
Thanks for your inquiry, and sorry for the troubles caused.
Your book holder, although a practical and well-designed model, is quite simple in its structural designs, and does not align with our updated (On 12/23/2024) requirements for our Exclusive Model Program. Therefore, upon numerous user reports, we decided to remove it from the program.
However, since you entered this model into the program prior to our requirement updates, we are willing to return the amount of regular points you model would have obtained if it didn’t join the Exclusive Program in the first place.
You could always open a ticket for our official assistance for this matter in the future. As you are clearly a designer of prime capabilities and outstanding reputation, our support team will most likely respond to your reasonable requests.
Thank you very much for your understanding on this matter, and we apologize for all the troubles.
I’m sorry, but this still seems wrong to me. This model has been up almost complete 2024, possibly within the subjective interpretable rules, and after the rule change you still take away all the “extra” points, even earned in the legit time.
You also can’t expect creators to go through their portfolio when the rules change to actively take out models from the program. I know the rules haven’t changed much, it was more a clarification, but still
My suggestion would be to only take away the points for the last month for any non-malicious models. If you take down a model after 6 months I’d say that is at least 5 months too late to take action, especially in edge case scenarios like this, so it would be more reasonable to not punish the creator for the late enforcement.
If somebody had a very nice popular model they might even have bought a 3D printer from it, be over the moon with it and suddenly they are in debt. I understand the complexity and grandness requirements but they should either be enforced sooner or fairer in my opinion
This is especially true after going through (likely) multiple point redemption review phases. Once an account has passed several of these checks, it should be clear to the creator that the models marked as exclusive are accepted by Bambu Lab.
Thank you for the response and explanation. I do have a support ticket open, but I am fine with your resolution, so if you are able to proceed with it I will close the ticket.
I understand it is a difficult system to manage and appreciate you taking the time to help my case.
It’s amazing to see that Bambu still doesn’t get how the world works.
You (Bambu) can’t just change rules and expect it to work retroactively, especially without making 100% sure people are properly informed.
This is not the first, nor the last time we’ll see this, and I have no clue how we make Bambu understand this is a serious problem.
What makes me curious here is that I’d classify you as one of the big fish on the platform, with the amount of downloads, followers, and so on on your profile, and normally, big fish get special treatment on MakerWorld. So I’m very surprised that you just got the knife.
It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out a few ways to build a system that informs users of a feature, sends a notification to make sure their models and print profiles are up to date, and if there’s no response within X time (a month or two at minimum), models would be hidden, and eventually removed and points deducted.
Sadly, Bambu Lab expects you, the creators, to keep up with unannounced changes and make sure all models and print profiles retroactively follow the rules without even providing a tool to help with it.
Don’t get me wrong — I completely agree that this behavior is terrible. But let’s be honest: they can, and they will change the rules retroactively. And aside from a few frustrated personal statements, there’s really nothing anyone can do about it.
Some creators have already left the platform in protest of Bambu Lab’s unpopular business decisions, but let’s face it — it hasn’t made a dent. The platform continues on unaffected, and most of it is already forgotten. The drop in boost tokens will just become another data point, buried in the timeline a few weeks from now.
I am in the same position
thay replies literaly in one ticket…“the word should” means if it is not so we remove the model. they do not know the meaning of the word should. and they interpret many rules as they like. we are just at the beginning you will see what happens in the next few months
Personal opinions aside, they absolutely can, and it’s something you agreed to when you created your account. You’d be hard pressed to find any company in the world that doesn’t have such clauses in their terms allowing them to do something without notice.
