Is this really Linden Lab?

I just found something weird on EBay. There is one auction to "buy" an island and accounts in Second Life. The seller uses the name "lindenlab". There is no link whatsover to the terms of so-called "land ownership" in Second Life, nor any mention of the recuring fees for subscription or "land ownership".

Well, I think this can clearly not be Linden Lab, since it looks like misleading advertisement, hiding very vital information. We all know it is impossible to really own an island in Second Life in real life legal terms. It really is just renting and you pay monthly.

Has anybody been able find out who is violating Linden Lab's identity here? I think this clearly looks like one case for legal action, somebody impersonate Linden Lab and then do this kinda shady auction in their name. It also seems the auction was started on the weekend, possibly to prevent Linden Lab to act swiftly to take down what appears to be some scam.

I did some bidding, just to find out what go on. I have not met the reserve price that seem set pretty high. I got some weird message about mining rights in Alaska and some email addresses to contact that had nothing to do with Linden Lab. I hope somebody at Linden Lab quickly manage to contact EBay. It already made it to the media and people could believe Linden Lab would really run this kinda auctions.

Weird auction on EBay

The mining rights thing makes me wonder if this isn't some refugee from Project Entropia trying to scam other PE'ers into thinking SL is the same sort of thing. It's bizarre.

I have to say, I wondered if it was you for a split second

did you email [email]islandauction@secondlife.com[/email]?

The mining rights stuff is US legalese. It's automatically displayed as the item is listed in eBay's "real estate" section.

I don't buy it. The "20 premium and 20 basic accounts" may very well be connected to that accounts-in-bulk thing not too long ago.


One thing does creep me out, though.


Either that's an eBay hack, or we have ourselves a psychic/lucky seller on our hands. I seriously don't "buy" LL going through eBay when they have their own distribution channels.


Seriously though, I believe this is against at least six of eBay's selling guidelines, one of them being fraud. You'd be well within your rights to see it delisted.

Ah, that would make sense.

Yeah. It's kinda scary to see LL doing something like this.
Don't worry Anshe, they're not trying to undermine you... I think.

oh... have you found another virtual world service that doesn't blow chunks or cost monthly fees that allows SL's level of freedom? I'm not poking you or anything, I'm just looking around myself.

What strike me is that there is no link to the Second Life TOS or mention of monthly fees. This is EBay, not inside Second Life.

I don't think Linden Lab would post this kinda auction. That would be even much more scary than somebody trying to impersonate them.

My gut feeling is we'll see a Linden comment about this before the day is out. There is something very, very fishy here.

Agreed, 100%.. Good observation btw..

I have it from a reliable source that it's real.

As in, I pinged theabove mentioned email addy, and got a response.
That's all I'm saying.

According to what I've been able to gather, 'tis real.

Weird, but real.

I guess it's just another way for them to get a revenue stream going, although I'm wondering who's going to be providing the "120 hours of development for your island".

If it is real, I think I'm going to be sick. Simply because I can poke a hundred holes in it as very close, if not, a fraudulent claim.


Going right down the line:

With all due respect, I don't think even Bedazzle was paid $50 an hour for their time. Historically, I don't buy this quote in the face of bids like SL TV and "build our X"


$195 times twelve is, indeed, $2340. Which says nothing for the base account fees of 20 (21?) premium memberships. Which at the base rate would be $200 a month, or at the lowest, $130 a month.


Um. Why? Get them a free account.


But... it does already.


See point two, above.

Edit: Actually, this quote overvalues the price of membership for a premium account at $15.038... per month (divide by twenty and twelve) or $14.25 per month less $200 for basic fees.

Unless this is claiming the real value of L$, which is again only a half-truth in accounting.



At best, this is narrowly short of lying to the customer. At worst, it's first-class fraud, business purchase or otherwise.

I wouldn't mind being paid $50 an hour for my time. Until I see that happen on the part of Linden bids, however...

From the island wiki

"Any additional changes, including custom terraforming, will be billed to the buyer at the rate of $53 an hour"

If I recall, that assumed the Lindens were doing it. Most of my island-holding friends typically recount having Ryan swoop down and help them with their problems. If he is billing at that rate, great!


But I honestly doubt a 120-hour bid would go to a Linden contractor. They simply are too strapped for time on a regular basis.

Far more likely, that's a bid for resident time. And I know for a concrete fact bids rarely, if ever, hit the $50 an hour mark for our work.


In fact, that's one of my major gripes about them. Many are below the poverty line and phrased "contest." If this were to signal a change, great! But because it does not seem to, it has me up in arms.

$50 is market value when working with outside organizations. People inside SL want things on the cheap, external organizations interested in virtual world projects want professionals.

Like I said - if I see that happen, signaling a change, great!


But my gut feeling and historical evidence says it's just a pretty number that is way above what would actually be paid, if paid at all.

If SL work is now valued at $50 an hour then I think somebody owes me about $12,000 for my work in wells fargo
With the crazy amount of time I put into it, the pitiful $1,000 they paid me must match a rate of about $2 or $3 an hour?

The auction does say that 1 year of service is included for the island and all 20 premium accounts.

Well i've emailed the [email]islandauction@secondlife.com[/email] email address asking if they do that auction, and so far it hasnt bounced after 5 mins, then again if they were holding an auction i would doubt they would do it on a weekend, when there is nobody in office to answer emails

That is wack!

if that really is linden labs they just drops a whole lot of points as a reputable company in my books