This is written to be useful even if you buy from somebody else. The failure modes in this category are consistent, and you can spot most of them from the listing.

1. Are the photographs of the actual object?

Renders are the biggest tell. A render has perfect lighting, impossible edges and no layer texture. If every image looks like a product visualisation rather than a photograph on a real surface, the seller may never have printed one. Look for a shadow, a slightly uneven background, a reflection – evidence a camera was involved.

2. Are there real measurements?

“Approximately medium sized” is not a measurement. Printed objects photograph deceptively because there is rarely a familiar object in frame for scale, and a vase that reads as floor-standing is frequently 14cm tall. If the listing has no dimensions, assume it is smaller than you think.

3. What does the wall thickness look like?

Zoom in on the rim or an edge. A thin wall shows as translucency and means a light, flimsy object. Thicker walls cost more in material and machine time, which is why cheap listings are thin. This single detail explains most “it felt cheap” reviews.

4. Matte or glossy?

Glossy catches light along every layer and reads as plastic. Matte diffuses it and reads closer to stone or plaster. If you want the piece to look like an object rather than a print, matte is almost always right. More on finishes here.

5. Does it say what it is made of, and where it is going?

Material determines whether a piece survives a sunny windowsill or an outdoor balcony. A listing that will not name the material cannot tell you that. Our materials guide covers what each one is good for.

6. Who actually makes it, and what happens if it breaks?

On a marketplace the seller and the factory are often different companies in different countries, and a damaged item becomes a dispute form. Buying from the people who printed it means a reprint is a print job. It also means the design stays on file, so a replacement in two years is possible at all.

And the boring one: where does it ship from?

An item shipping into Canada can attract duty, tax at the border and a brokerage fee from the courier – the last one being the nasty surprise. We wrote about that here. Domestic shipping avoids all three and turns three weeks into three days.