Adding laser maps to your offerings: how to sell laser cut maps
If you already sell laser work, maps are a natural line to add. You use the same wood, the same machine and the same finishing, and every order is about a place the buyer cares about. Here is how to sell laser cut maps: the channels, a product ladder to start with, what pieces sell for, and the questions to ask every customer.
7 days free, then $12 a month. Cancel anytime. Or 10 maps for $10.
- Entry piece
- Map ornament, $17-$32 seen
- Core piece
- 3D layered wall map, $89-$199+ seen
- Top of range
- Lake and golf maps
- Etsy fees
- About 9.95% on a $100 sale before ads
A starter product ladder
Start with one cheap piece that sells on impulse and one wall piece that carries the margin. Add the rest as orders show you what your buyers want.
| Step | Product | Prices seen | Why it is here |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Map ornament | $17-$32 | Low price, ships flat, sells in multiples |
| 2 | Map coaster set | No reliable benchmark found | Small, giftable, sold as a set |
| 3 | 3D layered wall map | $89, $159, from $199 | The core product: depth, real wood, one of a kind |
| 4 | Lake depth map | $60 (13x13 in) to $179.95 and up | Lake owners love their lake |
One map business grew from one laser and 14+ hour days to a warehouse with 8 lasers, starting from a single hometown map. The range that got it there: city maps, golf and hole-in-one maps, wedding maps, housewarming maps and park topo maps.
Where to sell laser cut maps
| Channel | Evidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Etsy | Proven | Lake, city and ornament maps all sell there. Fees below. |
| Your own site | Proven | Same buyers, no marketplace fee, you bring the traffic |
| Craft fairs | Proven for laser items | Local and personalized items sell. Impulse range $10-$25. |
| Realtors | One documented program | See realtor closing gifts |
| Golf clubs, pro shops | Sellers exist | Course maps sold to clubs; hole-in-one maps to players |
| Local retail | One example | One map maker opened a storefront next to production |
| Lake associations | Idea, untested | One lake, one design, many owners |
| Wedding planners | Idea, untested | Venue maps as a planner add-on |
| Tourism shops, corporate | Idea, untested | Pre-made local designs, bulk orders |
Etsy fees, in plain numbers
- $0.20 listing fee
- 6.5% transaction fee on the total, including shipping
- 3% + $0.25 payment processing (US)
- Offsite Ads: 15% under $10k a year in sales (you can opt out), 12% at $10k or more (mandatory), capped at $100 per order
A $100 sale costs about $9.95 in fees without an Offsite Ad, and about $21.95 with a 12% one. Our math for a $25 ornament with no shipping charge and no ad: about $2.83. Check Etsy’s own fee page before you price, since fees change.
How to price maps
Price on what the buyer sees, not on wood. Material is cheap. The inputs that move price on finished maps:
- Size. Listings step up through sizes like 11x14, 16x20 and 24x30.
- Layer count, and how many water layers are hand-stained.
- Frame. Framed vs unframed is a clear upsell and changes shipping.
- Personalization. Names, pins and a back message are a separate line.
- Rush. A fee for anything inside your normal lead time.
More in why laser maps sell at a premium.
Turnaround and what to ask every customer
Published lead times run from 7 to 9 business days for a small ornament to 3 to 5 weeks for a carved course map and 3 to 7 weeks for one shop’s general and custom orders. Pick yours, post it, and set a Q4 cutoff.
- WhereAddress or coordinates. Not a nickname for the place.
- How much groundA few blocks, a neighborhood, the whole town or the whole lake.
- TextNames, date, a line, exactly as they should read.
- Format and sizeOrnament, wall map, coaster set. Where it will hang or sit.
- DeadlineThe date it must arrive.
- ProofSend an image, wait for a written yes, then cut.
Upsells and bundles
- A matching ornament with every wall map
- A coaster set of the same town
- Framing, and extra stained water layers
- A message engraved on the back
- Pre-made local designs for fairs (no proof needed), custom orders online
Split your stock from your custom work. At a fair, nobody waits for a proof, so bring finished maps of your own town, the nearby lake and the local campus. Online, take custom orders with an intake form. The fair pieces double as your listing photos and your samples for realtors and clubs.
Ready to make the files? Start with map making for laser engravers, then the map gifts occasion guide.
Questions makers ask
How much does Etsy take from a laser map sale?
About 9.95% of a $100 sale without Offsite Ads, and about 21.95% with a 12% Offsite Ad. Fees: $0.20 listing, 6.5% transaction, 3% + $0.25 processing.
What should I charge for a laser cut map?
Finished layered wood maps on the market run from about $89 to $199 and up, rising with size, layers, stained water and framing. Price from those, not from material cost.
What map products sell at craft fairs?
Local and personalized items do well, and the impulse range is about $10 to $25. Bring pre-made maps of your own town and nearby lakes, plus ornaments.
How long should custom map orders take?
Published lead times run from 7 to 9 business days for ornaments to several weeks for large custom maps. Post yours and set a holiday cutoff.
Which map should I add first?
An ornament for volume and a 3D layered wall map for margin. Add lake, golf and love story maps once you see who is buying.
Sources (17)
- First home ornament listing, 1/8 in birch, about 4 in tall
- Long distance custom map heart ornament, 1 to 3 towns, $32
- Custom wood map, $89 with free US shipping
- Milwaukee wooden map, $159
- Layered wood map listing, from $199
- Lake depth map board, 13x13 in, $60
- Lake Vermilion 3D laser cut wood map, from $179.95
- Lake map shop on Etsy (lake map prices snapshot)
- Akron Life: profile of a laser map business
- Marmalead: Etsy fees explained (2025)
- Closo: Etsy fees calculator and guide (2025)
- The Craft Map: selling laser engraved items at craft fairs
- Silhouette School: craft show best sellers
- A map shop realtor program ($100 a year, 20% off, agent card on the back)
- Carved walnut golf course map, $750, 3 to 5 weeks
- Club and Resort Business: layered clubhouse course maps
- OSMF Attribution Guidelines
Keep going
Selling mapsMap making for laser engraversHow makers build map files by hand today, where it hurts, and the shorter route.
Pieces to makeMap ornamentsA 4 in layered hometown ornament with a name and a year. The map most customers buy first.
Selling mapsRealtor closing giftsA neighborhood map with the house marked and the agent’s name on the back. A B2B program for laser shops.
Places to mapLake depth mapsBathymetric lake maps: real depth surveys split into bands, cut down layer by layer in shades of blue.
GuideWhy Laser Maps Sell at a Premium (and How to Price Them)Layered wood maps sell for far more than the wood they are made of, and buyers pay it happily. This guide covers how to price laser cut maps: what the market charges by size, why buyers see the value, and a simple formula you can run on every quote.
Pieces to makeMap giftsWhich map to make for which occasion, who buys it, and when demand peaks.Make your first adding laser maps to your offerings file tonight.
Search the place, pick the piece, check it in 3D, download files that open in LightBurn, xTool Creative Space and Glowforge.
7 days free, then $12 a month. Cancel anytime. Or 10 maps for $10.
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