Nice Avatars & No Payment Info on File

[Jennifer Boyle]

I frequently see nice avatars with expensive components, e.g., Maitreya or Slink bodies, Catwa or Lelutka heads, Truth hair, Aadams clothing, etc., that have no payment information on file. How do they do it? Are they alts? Sugarbabies? Something else?

[Solar Legion]

Some might be alts or Sugar Babies. Some could have had help from friends. Some might even have done what they could as they went and eventually managed to afford the parts.

[Dragon Mommy]

Pretty sure my alt is like that. No payment info because I gift everything from my main, as I try not to have payment info on more than one avatar. 

[Rowan Amore]

Any alts I have do have payment info on file.

[Gage Wirefly]

15 minutes ago, Jennifer Boyle said:

I frequently see nice avatars with expensive components, e.g., Maitreya or Slink bodies, Catwa or Lelutka heads, Truth hair, Aadams clothing, etc., that have no payment information on file. How do they do it? Are they alts? Sugarbabies? Something else?

Why is it any of your business in the first place? Honest question.

[Stephanie Misfit]

13 minutes ago, Gage Wirefly said:

Why is it any of your business in the first place? Honest question.

Well it's not like she is going up to them to ask them in person. It's a general question here, asked out of curiosity. I have wondered it myself, especially when you see people who are one day old with full mesh avatars from the best brands. I usually think alt in those cases.

[Chic Aeon]

They are not necessarily alts.  LL does (or did) connect accounts with "supposed alts" years ago. I don't know if they are still doing that. So my alts all have Payment info used and only one  ever used any.  Now LL "could" be wrong sometimes linking up avatars -- especially if it is a family with more than one person on a computer. But "no payment info" doesn't mean it is an alt AND you CAN earn enough money for all of that within the game.  That isn't as easy as it used to be, but still doable. 

 

And I agree it is no ones business other than the avatar and typist.

 

EDIT: Yes, one day decked out avatars with no payment info would be alts  -- unless they are using free bodies and heads and things. So if it is a Maitreya body they would be an alt. Pretty hard to earn enough for that in a day unless you are a "working girl" and most places won't hire avatars for that unless they already look good LOL.   I don't like to deal with absolute statements so "likely" should be in there somewhere. It could be a RL friend giving money to someone they are introducing into SL.  

 

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by Chic Aeon
adding info

[Janet Voxel]

They're alts. Put L$ on your account, pay alt 20000 L$, log into alt account buy Legacy body, lelutka head and clothes.

[Jennifer Boyle]

23 minutes ago, Gage Wirefly said:

Why is it any of your business in the first place? Honest question.

 

7 minutes ago, Stephanie Misfit said:

Well it's not like she is going up to them to ask them in person. It's a general question here, asked out of curiosity. I have wondered it myself, especially when you see people who are one day old with full mesh avatars from the best brands. I usually think alt in those cases.

It's not my "business," and I have no right to demand an explanation from anyone, so I haven't and wouldn't. That said, I am curious, as I have every right to be, and I wondered what other forumites thought, so I asked, as I have every right to.

During my first year in SL, it was an impartant goal to "support myself" by earning enough to pay all my expenses. I did "loan" my avatar $20 to get her started so that she could have a decent appearance soon. At the end of the year, I cashed out $23, having achieved my goal of having a self-supporting avatar. Back then, earning money was easier for avatars without specialized skills, and first-rate avatar components and accessories were a lot less expensive. Now, it's harder for all but people with real skills to earn money inworld, and it takes a lot more to fit out an avatar well.

[Mollymews]

2 hours ago, Jennifer Boyle said:

During my first year in SL, it was an impartant goal to "support myself" by earning enough to pay all my expenses. I did "loan" my avatar $20 to get her started so that she could have a decent appearance soon. At the end of the year, I cashed out $23, having achieved my goal of having a self-supporting avatar. Back then, earning money was easier for avatars without specialized skills, and first-rate avatar components and accessories were a lot less expensive. Now, it's harder for all but people with real skills to earn money inworld, and it takes a lot more to fit out an avatar well.

i did the same back in about 2012. See if I could sustain myself inworld from only inworld activity. Is a pretty interesting challenge

challenging when we make it harder by not allowing ourselves to make stuff for sale and to not be somebody's regular sugar. And when the goal includes having a home of our own, as well as getting all the pieces, outfits and accessories

working the clubs for tips, greeting in shops for product and sometimes min.pay, helping people to terraform and mount stuff on their parcels, standing round for ages waiting for lucky chairs, chasing every shop gift, MM, raffle board, and venue event competition there ever was, grinding inworld games for L$, etc

the hard part was getting the L$ to pay for my 512m home parcel i rented from Anshe. If not for Linden Realms when my earnings from all else came up short some weeks,  then I probably not have met the goal

 

[Talligurl]

I have payment info on file, but it was a prepaid debit card that you couldn't use today and none of the lindens bought with it were used to buy my current avatar. I earned enough in world, mostly pole dancing back then, to buy everything. Had I not spent that 20 dollars back when I started, I am sure I still would have been able to go full mesh.

[FairreLilette]

We can pay anyone in SL and we can also pay our alts.  At least I know I can.  You pay someone through their profile where it says PAY (near the bottom of the profile area).  Mine are working alts for my building business as testers though and have never really had a SL so they are not full mesh avatars.  I would never spend that kind of money on my alts that are just for testing 1, 2, 3...etc.  One of my alts is just in the default free upon starting avatar.  The other I gave her some 1 linden Classic clothes from Sea Hole.  

Edited February 4, 2021 by FairreLilette

[Rowan Amore]

While I applaud people who are able to and enjoy working or creating in SL, it was never anything that interested me.  I've always thought of SL as a place for me to just relax and socialize.  I've been lucky enough over the years to be fortunate enough to buy Lindens whenever I needed them.

I think, as was already mentioned, the ones a day old rocking the totally put together avatar with no payment info are more than likely alts.

[Jordyn McGregor]

Mine are alts.  Although one does have payment info on file so she looks "less" like an alt.

[Eddy Vortex]

I'm not sure if my other sibling alt, Boneheaded, would be considered nice-looking.  Any mesh things he collected came from freebies, Midnight Mania, and lucky chair prizes.  He didn't need payment info on file for that.

 

[Arduenn Schwartzman]

8 hours ago, Jennifer Boyle said:

How do they do it? Are they alts? Sugarbabies? Something else?

I think the answer is yes.

Now here's my follow-up question: What are you going to do with this newly gained insight? Write it down? Shrug it off as something trivial? Something else?

Edited February 4, 2021 by Arduenn Schwartzman

[Luna Bliss]

I have a confession to make.  I am an alt.

[Silent Mistwalker]

37 minutes ago, Arduenn Schwartzman said:

I think the answer is yes.

Now here's my follow-up question: What are you going to do with this newly gained insight? Write it down? Shrug it off as something trivial? Something else?

[Jennifer Boyle]

18 hours ago, Arduenn Schwartzman said:

Now here's my follow-up question: What are you going to do with this newly gained insight? Write it down? Shrug it off as something trivial? Something else?

Nothing. As I already said, I was curious.

[Evah Baxton]

I once gifted a Maitreya body to a random someone outside the store asking for it. I bet myself that they just wanted the money, and would give up when I insisted on the gift. I guess they really wanted that Maitreya body. Probably sold the account, I have no idea.

Edited February 4, 2021 by Evah Baxton

[Gopi Passiflora]

I always gift money and items to my alts.

[Marianne Little]

I have payment info on all my alts, for this reason.

[Ceka Cianci]

17 hours ago, Evah Baxton said:

I once gifted a Maitreya body to a random someone outside the store asking for it. I bet myself that they just wanted the money, and would give up when I insisted on the gift. I guess they really wanted that Maitreya body. Probably sold the account, I have no idea.

I get hit up at events by the same guy asking for the same amount so he can get , I forget what body it was..

I keep telling him, He needs to really just get a job, because it's been three weeks now and he hasn't made a dime..

hehehe

[Bree Giffen]

It's possible this 'no payment' person is a criminal who has robbed people. I'd stay away from them. 

[Kimmi Zehetbauer]

Lindens should drop the payment status thing.