Do you prefer shopping inworld or online on SL Marketplace?

[WADE1 Jya]

Hmm... I wish there was a poll option on this forum :matte-motes-impatient: anyways....

Just curious what people's shopping preferences are these days. To me it seems that most people still prefer shopping inworld, but that could just be the demographic I see for my inworld businesses.

Do you prefer an experience shopping inworld or do you prefer shopping online on SL Marketplace?

Do you shop inworld most often or do you shop most often online on SL Marketplace? What's your little routine?

Myself I will usually will shop on SL Marketplace because I am in a hurry to find stuff, but I definitely prefer to shop inworld when I have the time because it is much more fun....

Thanks for your opinions! :matte-motes-delicious:

[Wildcat Furse]

nice thread idea Wade!! I prefer to shop and to purchase on the SL marketplace, it is easier and faster than teleporting everywhere, sometimes I might check out the store in-world first to see the products, but then I buy in the store of course. 75% of all my purchases are done on the marketplace *meows*

[LoveAngeL Lyre]

Hello Wade. Usually i prefer shopping at Marketplace because i have in shorter time many products too choose or to compare each other. Of course when i need to buy something specific and i can't find it at Marketplace, i visit the stores of my favorite brands in world. Another reason i prefer Marketplace is that never till now i had problems with delivery, although i use it daily.

[Persephone Emerald]

I like to window-shop in world, but when I think I know what I want, it's much faster & usually cheaper to shop on SL Marketplace. If I want to see the item in world or don't find enough choices on  Marketplace, then I go back in world & slog through the in world Search function.

[Bree Giffen]

It depends. If I know what I need, then I like to search in Marketplace and get it there. If I really like the product, and if they included a landmark, I will usually visit the store in-world and browse about. Sometimes when I just want to shop, with no particular item in mind, I will search for stores in the Marketplace and then just go to them in-world. I rarely use the in-world search for shopping.

[Lyra Blackthorne]

I use the Marketplace to search for items but will only buy online if I know the seller or it is VERY inexpensive.  Otherwise I will tp to the inworld store.  I find the online pictures do not always reflect the true quality of the product. If someone does not have a inworld store I will not buy at all unless, as above, it is super cheap so if I end up deleting it because of quality then I am not out much.

[Void Singer]

generally inworld only.... because most of what I buy is by discovery anyways. occasionally I'll search Market place to find something rare, but I almost never buy that way

I find it safer to purchase inworld, relying on the sellers distribution network, instead of adding another layer that can break with the Marketplace network. also there is often more information, displays, etc for the inworld versions than the Market page, and the information is more accurate (as regards to permissions)

 

this is in contrast to buying software and tech items in RL, where I always comparison shop online, and usually only visit an actual store if it's local and has a better price than the non-local competitior after shipping.

it's more in line with clothing/household goods that I buy IRL, which I might check all local sources online, but always buy in person to ensure it has the right properties (size/color/fit/etc)

[Claireschen Hesten]

normally i like to shop on the marketplace it's just easier to find stuff i'm not much of an inworld shopper unless something i've seen on the marketplace isn't there anymore and there's an off chance it might be in the inworld store. since my laptops been out of action if i need anything the marketplace has been really handy on the machine i'm borrowing i can usually snag just enough time inworld to pay my rents if i need anything having it delivered where i am saves me time

[Qie Niangao]

I never buy from Marketplace, with the sole exception of free content only available on that site (some open source items are distributed that way).

I absolutely hate searching for items on Marketplace.  No matter what I'm looking for, it seems I invariably end up with the first fifty items being every possible color permutation of some n00b-quality slutwear.  On the plus side, it's fairly quick to page past all that crap, so sometimes I'll resort to using Marketplace as a search engine for an in-world buy, because:

I also absolutely hate searching for items in-world, specifically because of the dreadful Search window in viewer 2. 

Almost always, I end up using search.secondlife.com directly, so I can at least get the direct TP location of the item.

[Qwalyphi Korpov]

The resident who provided the previous content, if any, has replaced it with this generic statement.

[kattatonia Wickentower]

I prefer inworld shopping.  Once in a while I will hear about a deal that is only available online.  But I enjoy going to the stores more.

[Nuuna Nitely]

I'd say 50/50. Marketplace is much better place to find more interetsing/alternative/fanatsy stuff and to find not well known creators. Inworld shopping I usually do when i see something on fashion blogs. 

[Peewee Musytari]

I window shop on the Marketplace and if I see something I like I go find it inworld and see what else the creator has to offer & buy there. One reason is because I can`t be bothered to scroll through their other items on the MP and prefer to wander round a shop & also because I prefer the creator get 100% of the money for their creations.

Freebies I do buy on the MP.

[Rhonda Huntress]

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Peewee Musytari wrote:

I window shop on the Marketplace and if I see something I like I go find it inworld and see what else the creator has to offer & buy there. One reason is because I can`t be bothered to scroll through their other items on the MP and prefer to wander round a shop & also because I prefer the creator get 100% of the money for their creations.

Freebies I do buy on the MP.

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ditto

[Cali Souther]

I prefer to shop inworld,  and appreciate demos VERY much.

I find the marketplace troublesome, tempermental, and impersonal.

I do use the marketplace to search,  but if the creator has a store in SL,  I go in to buy!

 

[Raudf Fox]

I'll occasionally shop the Marketplace, but usually if I'm looking for something very specific or know what seller I'm looking for.

More often than not, I'm mostly just browsing and for that, the in world experience is the best.

[Kascha Matova]

 

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Lyra Blackthorne wrote:

I use the Marketplace to search for items but will only buy online if I know the seller or it is VERY inexpensive.  Otherwise I will tp to the inworld store.  I find the online pictures do not always reflect the true quality of the product. If someone does not have a inworld store I will not buy at all unless, as above, it is super cheap so if I end up deleting it because of quality then I am not out much.

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This. I wish it was some other way but, and especially for anything major like expensive hair, landscaping stuff, houses, boats, etc. I like to see it rezzed first.

I do however, usually go looking for important non-clothing items on the marketplace rather than in-world. It's just too much of a pain in the butt to filter through all the crapola in In-World search, weather the failed tps and stores which no longer exist although they're still advertising, and whatnot when I can simply get a very targeted list of possibles online as well as reviews from previous customers. That last part is a big one too. Going store to store in-world you're just taking your chances that what's in the box is anything like what's "on" the box.

[Sigmund Leominster]

I like to browse the stores inworld because there's always the chance of a wonderful serendiptitious purchase. If I need something NOW then the search facilities of the Marketplace work well for me. But all in all, I enjoy the TPing and wandering through the metaverse, chatting with folks when I can. :matte-motes-sunglasses-3:

[Quinn Morani]

I shop both inworld and on the marketplace. If I'm looking for something fairly specific with no idea where to start, I'll always try the marketplace first. It's much faster and more convenient. But when I'm just browsing or I want to see what my favorite creators have new or I'm checking out a store that's been recommended, I shop inworld. I get the best of both worlds that way.

[Patnad Babii]

I prefer to shop inworld but it seem to be less and less what people does, too bad really that LL invested in Web marketplace.. Ok it have its plusses, but i see alot more minus to it. Alot of mall inworld have been closed, alot of places now look like phantom cities.. 

 

Whats fun about inworld shopping is you discover new things, new places, new ideas, all of that is pretty more hard to find on a web 2.0 marketplace. 

 

LL should really had invested that money they used to buy Xstreet, in a Web 3.0 marketplace... 

Just my 2 cents...

[WinTrain]

I prefer the marketplace. Especially if there is a demo, then there is no need to go in world and lag to death. It might be fun to go out with friends in world to shopping, but that's about it, and I'm aware that some products are in world only. I'm ok with that.

[Lindal Kidd]

The Marketplace has some advantages for merchants, especially new ones just starting out.  The main one is that you don't have to pay any money to maintain an in-world store.

It's also convenient, if you don't already have an idea which store(s) might carry whatever you're looking for, and it can save time in comparison shopping.

But there is a huge major drawback.  Because the MP is a much cheaper way to advertise and sell their goods, a lot of merchants are closing their in world stores and selling ONLY on the Marketplace.  This has the effect of reducing the demand for land in SL.  In turn, that results in private estates losing land area, vacant Mainland, and LL losing revenue from tier.  It's the same thing we see in Real Life, with online shopping displacing brick and mortar stores.

The MP is cheap, and convenient, sure.  But it is also a threat to SL's long term existence.  To combat this, I always shop in world whenever possible, even if I originally found the item on the MP.

[brodiak90]

I like to shop on Marketplace for most things and will add items to my favourites to view / consider later. I always try demos first though before buying. 

If I really like a store I'll visit it in world to see if they have any items not listed on Marketplace or if they offer any nice freebies / gifts. 

Honestly, the only time I really go to in world stores for specific items though is if I'm purchasing something big like a house or a vehicle that I actually want to see in world first. 

 

 

 

[Jules Catlyn]

I prefer shopping inworld. I also prefer shopping at creators with an inworld presence. They keep sl alive.

[Claireschen Hesten]

On 5/12/2011 at 12:32 PM, Claireschen Hesten said:

normally i like to shop on the marketplace it's just easier to find stuff i'm not much of an inworld shopper unless something i've seen on the marketplace isn't there anymore and there's an off chance it might be in the inworld store.

These days with the abundance of events that are around it's inworld shopping that'll prise L$ out of me, Mainly browse the marketplace if i'm after something specific