Personal vs. the market

Ok, another question for the wizards and expert capitalists here

Consider a market in which you can build stuff that you, personally, like and what to build and then count on getting at least some money for them - as opposed to a market where you have to build stuff that's placed to fit into the market, regardless of whether you like it or not, if you want to get any results.

Did a market of the first type, ever exist in SL?
Does it still exist?
Will it exist forever?
Would it be (or is it) a bad thing if it did not exist?

Heavens no, and thank goodness. The "market" you are describing, where you can produce on a whim and without any regard to demand - and then "count on getting at least some money for them" only exists with subsidies. Here, as in the real world, the money you make is directly proportional to the value you provide to other residents. That doesn't mean you cannot enjoy your craft, but it does mean that you had better consider whether anybody really wants your wares before you expect to make money.

I make stuff because I like it, and it seems enough other people also happen to like it that it's found a niche. I have little doubt I could at least double my profits if I took other's advice and branched into the hoochiewear, gothwear, bondagewear, and/or slavewear markets, but I have no intention of doing that, because it's not what I personally like.

I don't believe you have to 'sell out' to the masses or pander in order to be successful (business-wise) in SL. If I did, I wouldn't bother.

The market is a blend of these two concepts.

Yup, what Jonquille said. And additionally, as I say time and time again, when I sit down and try to make something explicitly with the intent to market and resell it, it usually fails and flops very badly. When I am making something for myself, making something I'm genuinely passionate about and interested in, that's when people see it, say I should sell it, I start to and it sells well. Or, to misquote Stephen King, if the story isn't alive in the mind of the author as they're writing it, it's as dead as horse shit.

I am no wizard, but for what I am, I must agree with Jonquille.

I make what I like, include (and actually solicit) advice from time to time, and stick with that.

Not everything I've made pleases, but strangely - those things I poured the most loving care into seem to sell rather well.

Who could do what they did not love in SL?

- Desmond Shang

i agree, there are those that make based on the need of the market and those that make based on what they enjoy doing.

This market is entirely demand-driven. It is wonderful when there is a nexus between what you like to do and real demand in the market place. It sounds like Jonquille has found that kind of place. And Logan is right, we are usually better at doing things we like to do. But don't confuse finding such a nexus with a market that guarantees you will.

Correct. But there are no guarantees either way.

You could try to guess market trends and pander to those, and still never come up with that something that catches the eye of the masses. You could look at something already done that's been successful and try to copy and compete, but then you're not only competing with the item, you're competing with the word-of-mouth and reputation it's already gained.

Since there are no guarantees either way, you might as well do what you enjoy doing. If you create for yourself first and marketability second, then at least 1 person will always be happy with your work.

Some things are gonna be YUGE here that just aren't yet. I'd encourage creators working on related things to keep chuggin' away, throwin' their minds into the ocean of a crystal future, so when that time does arrive, it'll be like seeing a long-lost, long-dead relative show up at your house, all healthy and alive and vibrant and free of illness—and welcoming them in for supper.

There's a demand for animesque things mushrooming and it's not being noticed closely enough. Esp. with the Japanese grid expansion forthcoming and all, plus friends of friends coming over to SL in groups with whims that they wish to be satiated. It isn't so obvious yet tho, because like a 2D sprite, you can't see it if you look straight-on.. gotta walk sideways, like an early Nintendo action platformer.

Some peeps's personal tastes are just fortunate that what they LIKE to do and have a passion for making just happens to go with what's being snapped up quickly. If you really enjoy doing it and get an even greater award selling it and revelling in the kudos, so be it.

I totally agree! If you like it, love it, need it - chances are others will want it, too.

coco

Exactly.

That dichotomy doesn't always exist.

I make money by building something that I, as a consumer of SL goods, would have loved to buy. Something high-quality in terms of aesthetics, reliability and usability. I consider the end user in choosing how I develop my product and what features I include. I do not, however, base my decision to embark on a specific product development cycle based on what someone else wants or what I perceive to be a successful fad in the market. (Example, I never cashed in on the tiny fad with tiny robots because it didn't interest me)

Why? Because if I'm not building the killer gizmo that I want, I get bored and it doesn't get done.

I am successful in the marketplace because I demand quality. I couldn't sell what I sell as a sloppy product. A lot of great care goes into what I produce and that's the only reason it sells consistently.

I also don't have a very diverse product line. At last count, I have two (wow! ) products for sale with two more at some stage of development. Why so little? Because it takes me a good two to three months to finish one robot and I like it to be as perfect as I can make it when it goes on sale.

This is the most fun I have ever had online. It's amazing that I can make so much money doing something that I find so much fun anyway. The moment this stopped being the case, I'd sell my assets and other resources to someone else and quite the business.

In any case, though, it's amazing what quality will get you. I sell (on its face) a pretty damned weird product. But I make it sexy and I make it work consistently, so I get away with it (I also under-price, depending upon who you ask, by 30% to 60%). The market may not always support this.

But maybe it will.

(As a sidenote, the reason I underpriced initially was to erode the Seburo's marketshare. I doubt I succeeded by any significant margin, but I got the cash I needed in any case. )

<3 Francis

Dear Mr. Templar,

Please quit taking thoughts out of my head and words out of my mouth, damnit.

(Logan, who is about to just quit posting to the forums entirely and set up a subroutine to go into each thread and autopost for him, "What Enabran Templar, or Travis Lambert, or Ulrika, or Torley, or Kendra said"

I just make the things I want or need....

I put some of them up for sale, but don't bother to put up everything (I could use a good vendor, if someone has one they can give me).

As far as I'm concerned, SL is about MY enjoyment.

Yes, it's all about me.

If I make a little dough on the side, that's great, but the fact is that I've sold less than L$500 worth of items since I came back to SL, and I'm fine with that. My stipend supplies what little bit of money I need for uploading textures, and when I do find somethig worth buying once in a while, I buy it.

So far, the only significant purchases I've actually made in-world were Cubey's parachutes and a jump pod (fun stuff!), a fishing pole, and a couple of skins that I liked.

I didn't come to SL to be a store owner. If I wanted to do that, I would have stayed at my retail management job in the real world.

Something tells me I may have over-interpreted Yumi's question.

Taken on face value, I would still assert that that there was never a "market" here where you could build anything you want, and then "count on getting at least some money" from it. But Yumi was really just asking whether it makes sense to build primarily for personal enjoyment with the additional benefit that you might be able to make a little money from it as well.

And to that I say, of course! That is really what we are all doing here anyway. No matter how many doodads I sell, I am unlikely to ever truly compensate myself for the time I spent making them. So if I am not enjoying my craft, then I am really just torturing myself. If I really want L$5000, I will just pop over to Lindex and spend US$20 (which takes me a tiny fraction of the time to earn).

So, sorry for being a butthead. I think we all agree on this one

I have always built things that I, personally, would like to play with. If you have sincere enthusiasm (and a touch of obsession) for what you make, it will reflect in the quality of the end product. If you have a good quality item that you love, the market will probably make itself for you.

Absolutely right.

Thanks for your replies.

My basic problem is that I'm finding myself a bit between a rock and a hard place. There's some things I want to do, but they all need graphics, primming and particle-type skills, which I don't seem to be too cut out for (can't say it for sure yet, of course, but I've had big alarm bells at missing obvious "tricks" that other beginners were able to work out right away, which could well be an early sign of lack of talent.. but on the other hand, Chip's (I think) posting has gotten me to order a copy of Drawing On The Right Brain, which will be the first time I've read anything about doing art for about 10 years).

So I can do it all myself (except I can't, or it'll be lame if I do, and since I don't want lame, I won't really be doing what I want), or I can do the bit I *can* do (scripting) for money and try and buy custom work with that money, or try to get contacts who want to help on the project. The problem with that is that - as I mentioned under work/life balance - I underestimated demand, and now the majority of my SL time has to be spent scripting just to meet demand, even on things that perhaps I don't enjoy so much (although my current projects are pretty cool! ) I don't mind, it's fun enough, but it's not "living the dream" like SL is sold as.

So, am I doing something wrong by doing it for the money? I don't think so. It beats still being stuck in Morris building cubes.