Owned by "AuctionServicesLinden", but for rent

[animats]

I see parcels owned by "AuctionServicesLinden". That would seem to indicate that the parcel would not be in use. But the parcel is still available for rent, and has a rent box. If you rent it, the seller cancels the auction, says the instruction notecard. Or you can buy the parcel for the auction minimum price. This is kind of weird, but apparently permitted.

There seems to be a new thing for buying parcels, filling them with junky stuff, and then putting them up for auction.

The auction listings are uninformative. The resident auction summary listings don't show the minimum bid price, region name, or the price per square meter. You have to click on each entry for that. A more useful table would help. Looks like someone tried too hard to make the table "mobile-friendly".

[Alwin Alcott]

if it would be a Linden, it wouldn't be a resident account. This is more likely a wannabee landbaron
If you see it, report it and let the real Lab deal with it.

[Qie Niangao]

Could you share the location? The lead time for auctions seems to be getting longer, but I've never myself encountered a parcel owned by AuctionServicesLinden that had any resident content remaining, let alone a rental box...

... unless... maybe that rental box was actually rooted on another parcel? That might work, and would be utterly sleazy.

I agree the auctions webpage is pretty substandard. There are other changes, too, that would benefit resident-to-resident auctions, including a penalty for setting unmet minimum bids; I think the would-be seller should have to pay the auction commission on the minimum amount if it doesn't get a bid.

[Whirly Fizzle]

47 minutes ago, Qie Niangao said:

Could you share the location? The lead time for auctions seems to be getting longer, but I've never myself encountered a parcel owned by AuctionServicesLinden that had any resident content remaining, let alone a rental box...

... unless... maybe that rental box was actually rooted on another parcel? That might work, and would be utterly sleazy.

I agree the auctions webpage is pretty substandard. There are other changes, too, that would benefit resident-to-resident auctions, including a penalty for setting unmet minimum bids; I think the would-be seller should have to pay the auction commission on the minimum amount if it doesn't get a bid.

So I was being nosy - didn't take me long to find it.

https://places.secondlife.com/parcels/132170/loti-mountain-roadside

 

[Qie Niangao]

Huh. Sure enough. I guess it makes a kind of sense; if the auction doesn't get that minimum bid, the would-be seller keeps all his stuff intact. Sure feels weird though.

(Meanwhile, imagine owning this particular spot, with a great view of a TRUMP 2020 ad tower!)

[ETA: I reported the ad tower, not for content but because it violates the Lab's Mainland network advertising policy: it's more than 8m high (by a lot) and is not set phantom.]

Edited July 27, 2019 by Qie Niangao

[Love Zhaoying]

1 hour ago, Qie Niangao said:

Meanwhile, imagine owning this particular spot, with a great view of a TRUMP 2020 ad tower!

No wonder they are auctioning off their property!

[Maitimo]

9 hours ago, animats said:

I see parcels owned by "AuctionServicesLinden". That would seem to indicate that the parcel would not be in use. But the parcel is still available for rent, and has a rent box. If you rent it, the seller cancels the auction, says the instruction notecard. Or you can buy the parcel for the auction minimum price. This is kind of weird, but apparently permitted.

There seems to be a new thing for buying parcels, filling them with junky stuff, and then putting them up for auction.

The auction listings are uninformative. The resident auction summary listings don't show the minimum bid price, region name, or the price per square meter. You have to click on each entry for that. A more useful table would help. Looks like someone tried too hard to make the table "mobile-friendly".

Land for auction by Linden Lab is owned by Governor Linden, not "AuctionServicesLinden". "AuctionServicesLinden" is not a Linden Lab account. If it were legitimate, it would be "AuctionServices Linden" - note the space before Linden. Additionally, official Linden accounts have names which are coloured differently in profiles and in chat. (Blue by default in Firestorm, not sure about the official viewer).

Attempting to imitate an official Linden account is against the ToS and is AR-able.

 

[Qie Niangao]

43 minutes ago, Matty Luminos said:

[...]"AuctionServicesLinden" is not a Linden Lab account. If it were legitimate, it would be "AuctionServices Linden" - note the space before Linden.

It is, at least the case Whirly linked:

4 hours ago, Whirly Fizzle said:

https://places.secondlife.com/parcels/132170/loti-mountain-roadside

which is a real auction (at the moment -- that specific auction closes in a couple hours).

[ETA: It seems that the old abandoned land-style auctions are still owned by Governor Linden, and AuctionServices Linden gets the resident-to-resident auctions.]

Edited July 27, 2019 by Qie Niangao

[Alwin Alcott]

46 minutes ago, Matty Luminos said:

Land for auction by Linden Lab is owned by Governor Linden, not "AuctionServicesLinden

i made the same mistake in my post ( second in line) because OP didn't use the . (dot)  in his statement. The accountname is AuctionServices Linden
https://my.secondlife.com/Auctionservices.Linden?username=Auctionservices.Linden

[animats]

Linden with a space.

A parcel can now be for rent, developed, and on auction all at the same time.

These auctions seem to work much like eBay at its worst. High minimum bids, so that most auctions close unsold. Then the seller puts the parcel up for auction again, maybe tweaking the price a little. This fills up the resident auction list with overpriced parcels.

That's why we need a "minimum bid" and "price per square meter" in the listings. And the ability to sort.

Maybe if a seller puts a parcel up for auction with a minimum bid, and it doesn't sell, the seller should be charged the auction fee, based on the minimum bid. That would discourage high minimum bids.

[Qie Niangao]

1 minute ago, animats said:

Maybe if a seller puts a parcel up for auction with a minimum bid, and it doesn't sell, the seller should be charged the auction fee, based on the minimum bid. That would discourage high minimum bids.

"People are saying"

6 hours ago, Qie Niangao said:

There are other changes, too, that would benefit resident-to-resident auctions, including a penalty for setting unmet minimum bids; I think the would-be seller should have to pay the auction commission on the minimum amount if it doesn't get a bid.

 

[Alwin Alcott]

29 minutes ago, animats said:

Linden with a space.

we know (now ).. but that isn't in your openings post
 

12 hours ago, animats said:

 "AuctionServicesLinden"

thats where you got me and Matty confused

[BilliJo Aldrin]

5 hours ago, Qie Niangao said:

Huh. Sure enough. I guess it makes a kind of sense; if the auction doesn't get that minimum bid, the would-be seller keeps all his stuff intact. Sure feels weird though.

(Meanwhile, imagine owning this particular spot, with a great view of a TRUMP 2020 ad tower!)

[ETA: I reported the ad tower, not for content but because it violates the Lab's Mainland network advertising policy: it's more than 8m high (by a lot) and is not set phantom.]

Wow, who would have thought mainland actually had any rules, considering how blighted most of it it. But rest assured, the Vote Trump 2020 parcel is conforming now.

 

Edited July 27, 2019 by BilliJo Aldrin
removed unnecessary stuff, fixed stuff

[animats]

2 hours ago, BilliJo Aldrin said:

Wow, who would have thought mainland actually had any rules, considering how blighted most of it it. But rest assured, the Vote Trump 2020 parcel is conforming now.

Time to check back on those giant billboards based on 4x4m parcels on Corsica to see if Governance got to them yet.

Maybe LL should charge a minimum tier per parcel, to discourage that sort of thing. Anything below 512m gets rounded up to 512m for tier billing purposes.

[Maitimo]

13 hours ago, animats said:

A parcel can now be for rent, developed, and on auction all at the same time.

These auctions seem to work much like eBay at its worst. High minimum bids, so that most auctions close unsold. Then the seller puts the parcel up for auction again, maybe tweaking the price a little. This fills up the resident auction list with overpriced parcels.

 

Wow that really sucks.

What would fix it entirely, is if AuctionServices Linden had to turn Autoreturn on, which would prevent the previous occupant, or anyone else, from using the land. That would end the very dodgy practise of continuing to rent out land that's up for auction. 

If they couldn't carry on renting the land, they wouldn't be inspired to over-price it.

[animats]

55 minutes ago, Matty Luminos said:

Wow that really sucks.

What would fix it entirely, is if AuctionServices Linden had to turn Autoreturn on, which would prevent the previous occupant, or anyone else, from using the land. That would end the very dodgy practise of continuing to rent out land that's up for auction. 

If they couldn't carry on renting the land, they wouldn't be inspired to over-price it.

The seller can offer it for rent, but they can't really rent it out, because neither the owner nor tenant can rez anything there. If someone rents it, the owner has to take down the auction.

[Pixie Kobichenko]

On 7/27/2019 at 12:29 PM, animats said:

Linden with a space.

A parcel can now be for rent, developed, and on auction all at the same time.

These auctions seem to work much like eBay at its worst. High minimum bids, so that most auctions close unsold. Then the seller puts the parcel up for auction again, maybe tweaking the price a little. This fills up the resident auction list with overpriced parcels.

That's why we need a "minimum bid" and "price per square meter" in the listings. And the ability to sort.

Maybe if a seller puts a parcel up for auction with a minimum bid, and it doesn't sell, the seller should be charged the auction fee, based on the minimum bid. That would discourage high minimum bids.

The AuctionServices Linden account is what my land I put up for auction reverted to as owner this past week.  I took down from the auction block and it immediately reverted back to me as owner.  

And on the auction fee thought- there is a fee- you're required to list your land in search which for me was a $30L a week fee.  I

-and I set my minimum at what I paid for it, to try to recoop, but I decided to just wait until more homes are released in Bellisseria.  (I've already lived on Emerson Lake).

[Prokofy Neva]

This is merely a new form of the old racket of putting land for sale so it shows up on the map and in lists along with also offering it for rent -- done all the time, habitually by some, and even I do it occasionally.

Advertising is a serious problem in SL. It is very hard to get noticed, there is really no advertising realm as I've mentioned many times, and so people use these techniques, and I'm not surprised that particular aggressive land dealer has latched on to this auction/rent technique. Of course, it runs the risk of having someone buy it after someone has rented it and the landlord hasn't come on in time to change the status.

[MazTaDiZazTa]

Just to put it out there the concerns of people worried and stressed if anyone pays the rent and the land gets sold, either it will be taken off or will be refunded at full. Usually people approach me if they interested to rent the land and never had any  issue as mentioned in this thread. 

So please approach me directly if you have any issues with any of my properties listed or unlisted. I never try or break the TOS if there is anything happening out of the law please do let me know and it will be taken care of.

Many Thanks,

Mazta

 

[Prokofy Neva]

I see more and more of AuctionServicesLinden land and I'm a bit puzzled. It's neither for sale nor rent, as if it is going up on the Lindens' Auction. But some of it is so weird, lots of jagged parcels stitched together that must be hard to auction off. I'm going to try filing a ticket about it and see what I get back

[Lindal Kidd]

On 7/28/2019 at 3:07 AM, Matty Luminos said:

Wow that really sucks.

What would fix it entirely, is if AuctionServices Linden had to turn Autoreturn on, which would prevent the previous occupant, or anyone else, from using the land. That would end the very dodgy practise of continuing to rent out land that's up for auction. 

If they couldn't carry on renting the land, they wouldn't be inspired to over-price it.

I disagree.

I see nothing wrong with offering a parcel at auction and continuing to rent it out while the auction's in progress.  This is no different from many parcels that are rented out, and are also advertised for sale.

True, there is a downside to these practices, but it's all on the renter.  As long as the renter knows there is a chance that the parcel she's renting may be sold out from under her and accepts that risk, I say there's no harm, no foul.

When LL began allowing residents to list their parcels in the Land Auctions, it simply meant that there was now another way for people to offer their parcels for sale.  In my personal opinion, it's not the BEST way, because LL takes a 15% cut of the sales price.  Unless you're pretty sure you can get at least 15% more for your land through an auction, you're better off listing it for sale in the usual way.  On the other hand, if you are unsure what to ask for your land, an auction provides an impartial way to let the marketplace set the price for you.

[Ingrid Ingersoll]

On a related note, I don't know how this works at all. I'd like to by this plot but it's not for sale, do i have to buy it through the website or something?  Why is SL so complicated?

 

 

[Qie Niangao]

1 hour ago, Ingrid Ingersoll said:

On a related note, I don't know how this works at all. I'd like to by this plot but it's not for sale, do i have to buy it through the website or something?  Why is SL so complicated?

You'd start here: https://places.secondlife.com/auctions#open and hunt for the auction listing. My hunch, based on the parcel name, is that it's this one: https://places.secondlife.com/parcels/136301/protected-waterfront-for-sale which already has an opening bid, and that auction closes a little after noon Friday (September 20th).

The parcel name is misleading because it can't actually be sold while it's at auction. Because it's a resident-to-resident auction, you could theoretically contact the Seller (listed in the Bidding Stats) and make them an offer, but it would be hard to convince them not to just leave it at auction in hopes of getting more.

Being an auction, the bidding is apt to heat up in the final few minutes before the auction closes, so the winning bid now means nothing to what the final price may be. My usual practice is to submit a "Maximum Bid" that's as much as I'd be willing to pay for the parcel, then let the auction run its course. Sometimes my bid wins (often for much less than the "maximum" I set), sometimes not.

[ETA: Sorry, ignore all that about theoretically contacting the seller to buy it outside of the auction; once an auction has received a bid, as this one has, the auction can no longer be cancelled.]

Edited September 15, 2019 by Qie Niangao

[Ingrid Ingersoll]

5 hours ago, Qie Niangao said:

My hunch, based on the parcel name, is that it's this one: https://places.secondlife.com/parcels/136301/protected-waterfront-for-sale 

yep that's it how did you find it?

Edited September 15, 2019 by Ingrid Ingersoll

[Qie Niangao]

1 hour ago, Ingrid Ingersoll said:

yep that's it how did you find it?

I clicked on the column heading to sort the auction list by parcel name. The page is a super clumsy interface but it's way better than we had before, and a lot better than it was when it was first being tested.

For example, it would be nice if the individual auctions included more automatically-generated data as columns in the table. Usually the parcel name is only even meaningful for Linden auctions; in contrast, residents use the dumbest names for parcels they're trying to auction -- and that definitely includes some big flippers.

Edited September 15, 2019 by Qie Niangao