Whats Best In Shopping In SL? In-world or Marketplace? (Not making a series here) :P

[Charolotte Caxton]

As an add on to yours. Marianne, I despise the fixed teleport spots. I can not think of a reason for them and they hinder my ability to double click to teleport, a time saving movement function. I don't mind being teleported to a particular landing spot by a slurl, but from then on I don't understand why I shouldn't be allowed to teleport wherever I choose.

One thing I do like though, is that if I have been given a specific lm to a particular item, even if I am forced to tp to like a fixed landing spot, there will be a red circle on my mini map I can navigate to. I mention it just because it took me forever to realize what a helpful feature that was and before I did it use to annoy the hell out of me.

I would also like to say that I find a good many smaller shops, and even well know brands that I hadn't heard of, by doing hunts. There are many hunts to choose from so there should be something that fits almost anyone's tastes. 

[Celebee]

Personally, I used to shop exclusively at the Marketplace. I hated the rezzing time, and I found that the Marketplace was a much faster shopping experience. In addition, the Marketplace also allowed me to sort items by cost, something that I couldn't do inworld. I tend to shop on a limited budget, and inworld, the price range is hard to indicate, so I would end up wasting time teleporting into a store which was beyond my budget.

However, ever since I got my new computer, the rezzing time has been reduced, though I still get a bit antsy while waiting. I've also found groups that allow me to be introduced to stores that are within my budget, and items that are on sale, which has also allowed me to live within my budget.

However, my ultimate favourite skin was still bought on the Marketplace, and I have yet to find any skin as likable as that one I'm using. However, there are some skins on the Marketplace that have come close as well.

Hence, to answer the question, I'd say that personally, I enjoy shopping in-world more than the Marketplace, though I still won't look down on the Marketplace when it comes to great finds, because I have found some of my favourite items on the Marketplace.

[jwenting]

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braylasana wrote:

Use the MP as a search engine, then go visit the store inworld.  Many clothiers go to great lengths to provide an inworld shopping experience.   Also, inworld vendors are more sophisticated and reliable than the marketplace is.  

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I wouldn't say reliable, but there's often more choice, and you get to see different places (maybe even a competing store next door with products that appeal to you more).

Also, quite a few resellers will offer goods at slightly lower prices ig than through the mp. Might be that the MP charges a percentage, I don't know.

One disadvantage of especially the very large ig shops is that it can be hard to locate an item you know you want, rather than just browse. Hugo's for example you can literally spend hours browsing the collection. The MP is in those cases easier, as things are presented in a tabular way and you have a search function for item name (hint for the scenery designers, what about a sort of store directory where you can enter keywords and it gives you some pointer to that section of the store).

[jwenting]

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Knutz Scorpio wrote:

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braylasana wrote:

Use the MP as a search engine, then go visit the store inworld.  Many clothiers go to great lengths to provide an inworld shopping experience.   Also, inworld vendors are more sophisticated and reliable than the marketplace is.  

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Agreed, just want to add if they don't have an inworld store where you can go see the item close up before buying it be very cautious about buying it.  MP is a great place to get scammed, I've seen freebies listed in MP multiple times by different people at different prices.

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I've also seen freebies stripped of their "no copy, no transfer" offered specifically for retail as "store starter packs" in some freebie stores.

[jwenting]

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Charolotte Caxton wrote:

I would say that I love the inworld experience much more than the marketplace. However, MP does have its uses, such as if I need to specifically narrow down what I am searching for quickly. Unless I am already familiar with the store, finding a specific item inworld can take time.

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ig is like going to the mall to browse, mp like going to Amazon

I usually end up either checking the mp when I stumble upon a store or visiting a store when I see something in the mp. Both tend to have things (even from the same vendor) that the other lacks.

mp could be better though. E.g. I'd love to be able to search for much more fine grained categories, maybe some tagging system where the reseller can more closely describe that item as a gold jeweled nipple chain rather than "**bleep** and nipple jewelry" which tends to end up with a lot of things I don't want when shopping for something highly specific. But still better than having to visit a dozen stores several times while trying to remember what each item looked like before making a purchase decision