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Posted

Recently started a fashion blog and group in SL and was curious as to where most citizens shop. Personally, I have always thought the marketplace is more convinient and easy to navigate, but I also know that in-world shops provide discounts and demos that may not be offfered online. 

Thanks,

Kate Space  k8sl.blogspot.com

Posted

As both a consumer and a designer, I prefer to shop inworld in the store if possible, reason being that MP takes a percentage of the sellers listed price, I would rather have the seller get the full price for the item.  Having said that, I do use MP on occasion and I do list my merchandise on MP as well, because I know a lot of folks do prefer to shop there.  

I am also very aware that many sellers, are giving up their inworld stores in favour of MP alone, because it is expensive to keep the land needed for a main store, and the SL economy is not doing as well as it once did. So on the whole sales are down and for some that means the difference between being able to maintain a main store or not.

Posted

Both.

There are pros and cons for both and I would hate to give up either one!  If Ihad to pick just one I would want to keep in world shopping.  I tend to browse more at inworld stores and especially events. 

Posted

I have a split personality.  I rarely buy anything from Marketplace shops.  I use MP as a "catalog" and as a pointer to in-world shops.  I only buy items in Marketplace if the merchant has no in-world shop, and then only for items that are NOT clothing, skins, or animations.  I would never buy clothing, skins, or animations in Marketplace.

However .....  I gave up my in-world shop in 2012, so I now sell retail items only in Marketplace.  The decision wasn't a matter of economics -- I was making enough profit in world to handle the rent comfortably -- but a matter of time.  I could no longer afford the time to keep an in-world shop looking fresh and to manage all the promotional nonsense that is necessary to keep people coming back.  Besides, most of my items -- except for a few lovely nighties that have remained popular for years -- are scripted tools or small mesh items for the home and garden.  Those are things that most people do go to Marketplace for.

Posted

All things being equal, I prefer to shop inworld, but I tend to buy on the Marketplace if I have the option.  Buying on the Marketplace gives you the chance to review a product you've bought there, and to see other people's reviews. I like to go inworld when I can, because I like to support the merchants who are still here, although I understand that time and economics can make many merchants become "Marketplace only". Going inworld to shop also lets you get a better look at products.

Often I've found an inworld merchant who had a wider selection of merchandise inworld than in their Marketplace store, and I've found the reverse to be true as well: Merchants with a wide selection on the Marketplace but very little in the store.

Another reason for shopping inworld is the problem that merchants don't always use the same terms to describe things. Yesterday I went looking for a coffee maker, and on the Marketplace I got different results when I searched "coffee maker", "coffee dispenser", "espresso machine", and "coffeepot" - but I when I was inworld later on I found that I should have also searched for the term "coffee brewer". (I guess I shouldn't expect the Marketplace to be any better organized than my Inventory...)

Posted


Rufferta wrote:

[ .... ] Buying on the Marketplace gives you the chance to review a product you've bought there, and to see other people's reviews.  .... ]

That's a very good point.  I tend to forget it because I never leave reviews and always ignore them myself.  I learned years ago that most reviews are left either by a friend or alt of the merchant (if they are good reviews) or by disgruntled hotheads (if they are bad).  In my experience, very few people who genuinely like something or have anything constructive to say will bother to leave a review.  Still, I know that many people do pay attention, so that says more about me than the public in general. :smileywink:

Posted

Both.

I buy clothes solely at the MP after checked the demo version. I do visit the stores when its about furniture because i am not getting demo's and need to take a look at it. I tend then to buy it all on the MP. If i cannot take a look at furniture or other objects because there is no inworld store, i am very hesistant to buy at all.

Posted

I'm very busy in SL and on other grids so it depends on what I am looking to buy and how much time I have to find it. I don't particularly like shopping in SL or RL  I'm more of a get it and go shopper. Sometimes I make clothes for myself or clients too.

I must keep my avatar up to date and I need a very varied wardrobe.  My own business interests and my partners, which I sometimes am involved with, require that I have professional, formal, club and casual wear. 

There are a few designers I really like and will go there first when I need clothes, either in their shops or on MP.  However, when I have time I'll check out both places for new designers.

 

Posted

Depends if the shop is worth visiting, do I have time and what am I buying.

Usually I will search on the Marketplace, someone already mentioned using it like a catalogue, and when I find something interesting from the seller I never heard off, I will visit their in-world shop just to see whats there. This is what I meant with "worth visiting" - its worth if its new shop, or if they sell houses, trees, furniture or anything that I want to see how it looks in-world. If I am buying something from a creator I know, who's shop I know, and who offers demo on the MP, then there's no need to dress and teleport just to buy something in-world.

In general,  I prefer in-world shops over marketplace because I like to "get the feel", see how they decorated the place, what colors they use, is the shop organized so that you can easily find your desired item, do they participate in events, hunts, do they promote some other brands, do they make you land outside the shop and then walk around to figure out which doors to click in order to get inside the shop just to find out that building is empty and the actual shop is on the opposite side of the parcel, do they have 5-6 alts parked 2000 meters above you, do they use lucky chairs, and all kinds of stuff. 

Many times it happend that I found an item on the marketplace and teleported in-world to check the item and then went back on the marketplace to buy it, just so I could leave the review. Last item I reviewed was some kind of slideshow script. I found several that seemed worth checking, one of them is classical example of merchants who abuse that option "see item in-world" because after teleporting and wandering around the shop for a while I managed to find a vendor board that has exactly same photo as one on the marketplace and allows you to right click and buy/pay the item - so you teleport in their in-world shop just to see the vendor board! I hate that. The one I bought had direct teleport so I landed exactly in-front of the item in-world, it showed a big screen that showed how the slideshow script works. It was perfect :) 

 

Posted

I shop on the mp but refuse to buy anything unless they have an in world shop. If they have an in world shop they are more likely to be an active player, so I know the product is likely supported and I can get support if there ends up being a problem.

The more shops in game the more places there is to explore, the more reason to be in game which results in meeting more people having interesting interactions....more the way sl used to be

Posted

I shop 1% in-world and 99% from the marketplace.

The reason I buy in-world is because I purchased a model displayed inworld, that I could click on and try out first. My last purchase in world was a spy-like suitcase radio unit and a glass terrarium - because they were on display and not just a box.

The singlemost reason I do so is because most stores are populated with boxes with images of products on them.

This means there is nothing to see, no models to view, nothing to click on, touch, experiment or do anything with. Most stores are devoid of any activities to engage a visitor.

So what's the point of looking at images on boxes on walls in-world when I can find what I need faster on the SLMP?

What does an inworld store have to offer other than wasting my time walking around looking at boxes? Boring.

Posted

There was a time I would use the MP to find things and then go in world to buy them. But I have been dropped off in to many peoples houses where the store no longer exists.
Also, on the MP I can enter maximum amount I am able to spend and get only items that I can afford. There is no reason for me to look at clothing that cost 300L when all I have to spend is 50L. I enter on the left side a low amount of 2 (keep out some of the demos) and a high amount of what I have to spend, could be 50L, could be 25L. That way all I see is the items I can actually purchase and not things that are over priced and out of my monetary range.

Posted


 
Teagan Tobias wrote:

There was a time I would use the MP to find things and then go in world to buy them. But I have been dropped off in to many peoples houses where the store no longer exists.

Also, on the MP I can enter maximum amount I am able to spend and get only items that I can afford. There is no reason for me to look at clothing that cost 300L when all I have to spend is 50L. I enter on the left side a low amount of 2 (keep out some of the demos) and a high amount of what I have to spend, could be 50L, could be 25L. That way all I see is the items I can actually purchase and not things that are over priced and out of my monetary range.

I agree with Teagan that it is annoying to find that the "See this item Inworld" or "Inworld Store" links are leading to a piece of abandoned property, or worse, lead to someone's private space. I hope that Marketplace merchants fix their listings (I will have to do that myself).

Good suggestion to set price limits in the Marketplace browser. I will try it.

 

Posted

Ever since the gacha invasion of the MP, I prefer to shop in-world. The MP is almost useless now unless you're looking for gacha items, at least in the Apparel section.

Posted


oliviatoms wrote:

Ever since the gacha invasion of the MP, I prefer to shop in-world. The MP is almost useless now unless you're looking for gacha items, at least in the Apparel section.

I have never seen Gacha items on the MP before so I had to go and look. Now I know why I have never seen them, I always check the Copy box on the left under Permissions. Gatcha items from what I have seen in world are all No Copy so I would never see them on the MP. Try clicking the Copy box on the left and you won't see them any more.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

This is what I ask myself everyday :o
I usually find myself shopping on the marketplace, it takes 1-10 minutes to find what I need and its extremly easy. 
Although I prefer in-world... it makes if feel better, you explore the sims, you explore different types of stores sometimes you even find there group gifts and its always a nice surprise! 

So... the answer on the question is that I *tend* to shop on MP. but prefer in-world :)

Posted

Marketplace to find what I am looking for then go in world to see it.

No in world store is usually a deal breaker. Things I'm buying are usually for a build so I really need to see them in world.

LInks that lead to a static sales display or a vendor prim P me off. That's a cheat. I've seen the picture, that's why I came to see the item. Searched a huge badly laid out store for almost an hour once to finally find a picture on a prim. grrrrr

For the record I use rezz vendors so I can have every item I sell available to play with in world Not a hypocrite =)

I do have a central landing point, though the pathways are clearly marked and touching a sign even lights the way. I move things around way to much for direct links. They'd be wrong every 2 months =) I will keep the earlier post in mind about that though. Good topic =)

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