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Please lower or waive Second Life® fees during the COVID-19 pandemic.


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Last Friday I started a petition where I'm asking Linden Research, Inc. and Tilia Inc. to consider lowering or waiving fees during the COVID-19 crisis:

https://www.change.org/LowerFeesForArtistsSL

As my petition isn't getting the momentum I had hoped for, I've decided to also open a topic here on the official forums.

To summarize, I'm asking that any or all of these fees could be lowered or waived during the corona crisis:

LindeX Exchange Fee
Tilia Process Credit Fee
Marketplace Seller Sales Commission
Land Use Fees for Private Full Regions

I am not asking that these fees are waived or lowered for everyone, nor that they are lowered or waived forever, as we all know that this isn't going to happen. I am asking specially for all of those who are within the 30-day economic limits tier "Resident 2", who usually make only a bit over 1,000 USD a month, and who are the most likely to be unable paying their sim rent, or worse end up unable to pay for their existential basics, such as rent, food and internet bill.

The situation with quarantines and shutdowns is devastating for artists, virtual sex workers, indy coders, graphic designers and students who have a hard time making a living. It is devastating to all of those who don't get business right now, who won't get a paycheck and only bills - except for maybe the small amount that they can generate with their SL stint. They will need that now more than ever.

Please consider signing my petition, and who knows, if it happens in some way I am sure that extending such a gesture will not only be positively remembered by an already quite critical and cynical community, but also give Linden Lab and Tilia Inc. an opportunity to be well reflected by the media, and creators have a greater incentive to stay on the platform and rely on it during these hard times.

I don't want to step on anyone's foot, I know that some merchants who are in the higher tiers will be angry with me, but what I'm asking is really for those who are off the worst, not for those who earn more than 1,999 USD every month through SL anyway. I also know that Linden Lab has to care about their own employees first and foremost, which I respect very much.

Still I think this is worth a shot.

Please stay healthy.

Sincerely,

Wendy Starfall

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30 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

 not for those who earn more than 1,999 USD every month through SL anyway.

 

30 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

I am not asking that these fees are waived or lowered for everyone, n

i'm mostly not the first to defend merchants, but you'r bloody egoistic.. for you hobby, for them RL income

30 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

who are the most likely to be unable paying their sim rent, or worse end up unable to pay for their existential basics, such as rent, food and internet bill.

 

get your priorities sorted.. there's something mixed up there....

 

 

 

 

Edited by Alwin Alcott
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1 minute ago, Yummy Fairlady said:

Yet The federal asked all the Utility Company introduce Bill forgiveness along with a Number of Cell phone companies, and Cable Companies also so I do not feel your logic pans out here Pamela.. :)

most companies that are asked to do so is for people in trouble with their payments and for needs for real life... NOT to be able to play Second Life.

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3 minutes ago, Yummy Fairlady said:

Yet The Trump Administration asked all the Utility Company introduce Bill forgiveness along with a Number of Cell phone companies, and Cable Companies

utilities like electricity and cell towers and cable are needed for a person to contact emergency services, hence the don't cut people off if they struggling to pay their utility bills. Being able to contact emergency services, is quite a bit different from logging in to Linden services

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Yeah... sure the people running a fking niche virtual world should let you off your luxury payments, because of COVID-19. Yeah... that totally makes sense.

27 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

I am not asking that these fees are waived or lowered for everyone

Of course not, all that counts is, that you are in that group, am I right?

28 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

as we all know that this isn't going to happen.

Yes, because somehow LL does need to keep the lights on. They too want to pay the bills, want to pay their employees etc. Or do you think they can magically evaporate their own sources of income _and_ keep their company running? Thats not working in normal conditions and the virus doesn't change that.

31 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

who usually make only a bit over 1,000 USD a month, and who are the most likely to be unable paying their sim rent, or worse end up unable to pay for their existential basics, such as rent, food and internet bill.

Let me be harsh here for a second: If you don't make more than 1,000 USD a month you should not get yourself into paying for an entire sim. You just should not. That is basic math. And before you come at me and say "But what if they are only making 1,000 now because the crisis?!" well...maybe its time to cut down your expenses then and focus on what is necessary? A full region is a LUXURY. An extreme luxury, to be precise. Also: Do you want to make a full income disclosure to LL? I certainly would not want to do that.

41 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

I also know that Linden Lab has to care about their own employees first and foremost, which I respect very much.

If you would respect that, you wouldn't ask LL to cut down the very things they use to keep their business running.

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13 minutes ago, Yummy Fairlady said:

Yet The Trump Administration asked all the Utility Company introduce Bill forgiveness along with a Number of Cell phone companies, and Cable Companies also so I do not feel your logic pans out here Pamela.. :)

The "stimulus bill" is basically the government giving out money so people and companies can continue to operate normally.

If you're in the US, making less than $75K/year or up to $99K, take the money and support yourself.

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4 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

The petition asks for lowering or waiving these fees for those artists, and content creators in general, who earn the least and who struggle the most.

this has nothing to do with utilities

is not the same either as a RL shopkeeper who has had to shut down their shop and wants their landlord to give them rent relief because no shop = no customers = no income

in the SL shopkeeper case the shop is still open. The customers are still buying. The SL shopkeeper is still earning

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50 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

Last Friday I started a petition where I'm asking Linden Research, Inc. and Tilia Inc. to consider lowering or waiving fees during the COVID-19 crisis:

So let me get this right - you specifically want Linden Lab to go bankrupt and Second Life to close altogether? Because that is what will happen, if they do this.

Edited by Matty Luminos
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9 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

The SL shopkeeper can't keep their SL shop when they have to let their sim go to get by this month, and then having lost all in-world business in the next month.

if the SL shop is not paying its own way, then is not a shop. The inworld rent/tier paid on this inworld space is a luxury expense

a poor person making stuff to supplement their RL income doesn't need a inworld shop. They can sell their stuff for zero upfront fixed fees (like tier) on the Marketplace

Edited by Mollymews
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8 minutes ago, Matty Luminos said:

So let me get this right - you specifically want Linden Lab to go bankrupt and Second Life to close altogether? Because that is what will happen, if they do this.

I'm sure this wouldn't result in bankruptcy because many artists falling away due to financial issue during and after COVID-19 is a much greater loss.

Please keep in mind that it is those people making the platform appealing, lending them a hand with lowered or waived fees during a crisis is a good thing, not a bad thing.

3 minutes ago, Mollymews said:

if the SL shop is not paying its own way, then is not a shop. The inworld rent/tier paid on this inworld space is a luxury expense

a poor person making stuff to supplement their RL income doesn't need a inworld shop. They can sell their stuff for zero upfront fixed fees (like tier) on the Marketplace

The in-world shop is a very important mechanic for them to advertise and showcase their items. It's not a luxury expense at all.

The Marketplace takes 10% commission per sale. It would be nice if that could be lowered or waived during the corona crisis.

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10 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

The SL shopkeeper can't keep their SL shop when they have to let their sim go to get by this month, and then having lost all in-world business in the next month.

isnt this the normal behaviour? .. when you can't keep a region up with sl sales/sl income .. and RL needs priorities... the SL changes first?
My priority is to have a meal at regular times, a roof over my head, instead of a virtual region that eats between 200 and 300 usd  from my budget.

Don't get me wrong every "artist" (however that term has to be defined to be of any meaning in SL) that has to close a store, or looses income is a loss, but so is also every account, premium, basic.. because those last two máke your income.

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1 minute ago, Wendy Starfall said:

The Marketplace takes 10% commission per sale. It would be nice if that could be lowered or waived during the corona crisis.

if concurrency (customer numbers) had dropped then I could see your point

as it is at the moment, concurrency is significantly up since the crisis started

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3 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

many artists falling away due to financial issue during and after COVID-19 is a much greater loss.

What evidence do you have that this is happening? SL is busier than ever and more people means more people are buying. I know that I am spending more money in SL than usual because I am spending next to nothing in RL right now. 

Linden Lab has all the data; they will already be ensuring that their income is as low as it can be without threatening their employees and their business. They are not a charity.

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4 minutes ago, Alwin Alcott said:

isnt this the normal behaviour? .. when you can't keep a region up with sl sales/sl income .. and RL needs priorities... the SL changes first?

Please read the original post and/or petition again:

This is specifically about people who need the small income they made on SL now as their main income, as they cannot do any business in RL as artists due to the corona crisis.

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6 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

This is specifically about people who need the small income they made on SL now as their main income, as they cannot do any business in RL as artists due to the corona crisis.

might be able to better provide help for these people by offering them free space in your inworld shop. Could get other people to do the same: Adopt A Struggling RL Artist programme

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Just now, Alwin Alcott said:

What you want is a profit from it at cost of others.

Believe me as someone who has been contributing to open source on SL for over 10 years - personal gain and profit is the least I have in mind. 😊

I'm a content creator who supplies artists, and I know how small their shops are and how little they make.

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2 minutes ago, Mollymews said:

might be able to better provide help for these people by offering them free space in your inworld shop. Could get other people to do the same: Adopt A Struggling RL Artist programme

I do that for several artists already, and did that for as long as our sim has been active.

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2 minutes ago, Wendy Starfall said:

I do that for several artists already, and did that for as long as our sim has been active.

good on you.  I read on Inara Pey's blog that others are doing the same. Has been a few exhibitions inworld now for this exact reason. So good on them people also

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