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Wanting advice and information for getting into SL marketplace

Nexenva

By Nexenva,
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Nexenva

Nexenva

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Hello peeps!

I'm a part time masters student with some spare time, due to my current situation that I wont disclose on here, i'm forced to be at home often and cannot work a part time job on the side just yet. I study and work in 3d art and i'm quite skilled in my programs such as 3DS max, Zbrush, Photoshop etc. I'm looking at the chance to create things to sell on the SL marketplace. My question is; is it worth it? I'm not hoping to earn a lot of money (although that would be a bonus). I just don't want to spend time making something to earn so little. I understand that the marketplace is hit or miss situation along with the quality of the item. 

I'm looking for informational from people who sell items and what your view is on it. And if so, any advice on the best areas to look into and get started. I can do my research on uploading meshes and getting them working in SL and listing them just fine so no worries there.

Thank you anyone for any information you can share

-Nex

 

Note: I am new to the forums so if i posted this in the wrong section i'm sorry
Edit: I'm not new to second life. I have been playing on and off for 3 or so years. I just never took interest in the marketplace until now.

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Nexenva

Nexenva

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22 minutes ago, Darrius Gothly said:

I went to Google and entered this query: "getting started on the second life marketplace"

I stated that I knew how to get started and researching into that wouldn't be an issue. I just didn't know if it was worth it and was seeking info on that. Clearly you didn't read all my post.

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Darrius Gothly

Darrius Gothly

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Dig through the Google results. You'll find your answers. But yeah, I will add my own 2-cents now.

It depends. If you are looking to make a living from being an SL Seller then you need to approach it as a full-on business. You will need to create compelling ad graphics and copy, package your products with everything people will need, and be ready to present a calm, placid, helpful customer service face no matter how insanely stupid the customer request. In short, you will need to amp up your game to a very high level .. because you will be competing against people that are true STARS in their field.

But if you're just looking for some spare pocket change and don't really feel like exerting that much effort, what you put into the product line will most likely not be fully rewarded. There is a sharp drop-off from top sellers to the next level down hobby seller.

Oh .. one last tip: Have a LARGE product line. I don't mean that you should make 100's of nearly identical things that only vary a tiny bit. I do mean you should have a grand imagination, flesh out the product line fully, and keep everything you post up to date.

ching ching .. two cents worth ..

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Nexenva

Nexenva

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Ah I see, i'm not looking to tackle this as a full on business but I do want to have a presence of sorts . I guess my first step would be building a small brand of sorts to go by and seeing what people want to get started and try and keep consistent then on afterwards. 

Thank you for the help ^.^

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Chic Aeon

Chic Aeon

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On 8/27/2017 at 7:07 AM, Rhonda Huntress said:

There is zero monetary cost so the only investment is time.  The only person that can say it is worth your time is you.

If it's time you are going to spend working with 3D objects anyway, sure.  May as well pick up a few bucks here and there while you are at it.

There are definitely costs to making the items, so I suspect you meant that it doesn't cost to list your products on the Marketplace. 

 

And to the OP to keep it all in one post:

Here are a few personal thoughts from someone who has had stores and been on the Marketplace for nine years. I guess I am somewhere between "top seller" and "hobbyist" and I imagine that there is a fairly large group there as I hang out with those guys. So I do not agree that there are super sharp dividing lines between types of creators. 

Getting started on the Marketplace is a good plan, but eventually you will likely need some sort of shop inworld. It's not like folks actually do much shopping inworld -- not like they used to, but many like to know that you are "invested" and are a real creator.  Lately though I have noted an increase in inworld sales (I make Home and Garden original mesh), but I am not sure if that is just me or a trend.  You can either rent a small place or the best deal would be to buy premium YEARLY memberships where you get most all your money back over the year. In effect it costs you a little of $1 a month on yearly and you get free tier (like property tax). You can buy a 512 lot for $512 and sometimes less so that another $2 out. 

 

Being able to make your own mesh and graphics is a very good start.  You can definitely SAVE MONEY by uploading and testing on the Beta grid (Aditi). Getting over there and getting that working can be a chore but worth it. If you get stuck with uploading or the beta grid, then post in the MESH forum about hints as the wiki is often not kept up. On the beta grid you can upload for free. Then when you are happy with whatever you made, you can upload on the main grid.

 

It typically takes awhile to get your brand viable. Those newcomers who jump into the spotlight on the popular venues are most likely alts with a new brand and already have plenty of connections :D. So don't be discouraged if you don't have tons of sales right off. On the Marketplace READ the post about how to set up your listing.  Some of the Lindens came on the forums a few months ago and spelled it out very clearly. THAT will help on the Marketplace. 

 

I am sure I have other things I could say but that's enough for now. Good luck. Have fun. 

 

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Nexenva

Nexenva

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25 minutes ago, Chic Aeon said:

Getting started on the Marketplace is a good plan, but eventually you will likely need some sort of shop inworld. It's not like folks actually do much shopping inworld -- not like they used to, but many like to know that you are "invested" and are a real creator.  Lately though I have noted an increase in inworld sales (I make Home and Garden original mesh), but I am not sure if that is just me or a trend.  You can either rent a small place or the best deal would be to buy premium YEARLY memberships where you get most all your money back over the year. In effect it costs you a little of $1 a month on yearly and you get free tier (like property tax). You can buy a 512 lot for $512 and sometimes less so that another $2 out. 

I don't really know how to do any of this so it will be something I will have to look into. Although I would need a library of items to sell first to start renting inworld store slots. So I have time to prepare for this. I have already moved ahead and created a brand of sorts to work with, so I wouldn't imagine it would be too difficult to do that once I know how to.

27 minutes ago, Chic Aeon said:

Being able to make your own mesh and graphics is a very good start.  You can definitely SAVE MONEY by uploading and testing on the Beta grid (Aditi). Getting over there and getting that working can be a chore but worth it. If you get stuck with uploading or the beta grid, then post in the MESH forum about hints as the wiki is often not kept up. On the beta grid you can upload for free. Then when you are happy with whatever you made, you can upload on the main grid.

I had heard of this from some people inworld before. I'll have to give that a try! I had no idea uploading and testing there would be free there.

Thank you very much for the information you have given me! Much appreciated ^.^

 

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