Should I be nervous

I have recently noticed another designer buying quite a few of items in my store.. I look at her profile and she say's shes a designer and her shop is currently closed and there is indication of her coming out with a "Neko" line of products.. Would this make anyone else put up a red flag? Suggestions on how to handle it?

That would certainly give me pause for thought.I would keep a weather eye on the situation.

It could be as simple as she sees a market there but is studying how others adapt for that market.

or it could be more sinister

I would for now simple wait and watch carefully. First sign of a direct ripoff of my work POUNCE.

You could take it as a compliment!

Not if I'm getting ripped off.. Then I have to pull out the claws and I have been so well behaved lately.. "Don't make me Angry, You wouldn't like me when I'm angry"

But remember: Examining a market before entering it is only the sane thing to do, and that certainly includes studying the competition's wares.
It's not exactly like you can claim any ownership of the concept of "neko products".

It is a red flag *business-wise*, since it's a clear warning that you'll soon have one more competitor. -In fact, I'd assume that if the intention was to legally infringe on your products, she would at least have had the subterfuge to buy them with alts, so I'd say this is playing fair with really open cards.

My suggestion would be: Start creating. Be ready to launch a line of new interesting products the moment she launches hers. If she's plagiarizing (but not legally infringing), that'll leave her with outdated products, and if she has further developed the ideas, you need to keep up!

I put out new products DAILY.. Trust me Keeping up won't be an issue.. lol

My red flag would be up and flapping!

I get very paranoid when people buy large qty's of stuff. Sometimes I start investigating them, check out all their forum posts, try and find out where they work and build in world through their profile, search listing etc so I can spy on them, ive been been known to befriend their friends and "family" covertly as identified through their picks to find out what they are up to and also Joined the same groups as them using alts to see if that would lead to any info I could use.

Not only can it be fun being a spy but I have caught a few people in the process of settng up business and managed to nip it in the bud.

Give it a go, and get your friends to help you. It can be quite a good laugh stalking people. (in a non predatorial sense)

CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!
Thats the key.

hehe Porky, be my friend. lol

I never really had a stalker... *searches for Porky's store inworld*

Then I'd say you have little to fear. Ideas and concepts percolate and become common baseline over time. That's the way things go, and it just enriches the community as a whole.
You get a little better with every thing you do, so if you already have a headstart, you'll keep ahead.
And even if it *is* a direct competitor, also remember the saying that all boats float on a rising tide. (Not that the neko-tide needs all that more water...)

As for "counter-spying", well, that would be investigating the market, too, and a perfectly valid thing to do. How much time you care to use on that versus on just doing your thing and believing in it is a matter of taste.
Just assume innocence until otherwise proven, and keep out of harassment and actual stalking. If you start accusing people and claim shaky ownership of *ideas*, you'll quickly see a backlash.

Good advice that is. Personally I never engage the theives directly and that should not be a part of your stalking mandate. If you manage to get enough evidence of direct copying then file a DMCA.

Question, your comment re "nipped in the bud" refers to someone setting up a business that stole from u, i.e., ideas, styles, etc. or just a business that would have been fair competition?

Stalker!

Believe it or not some people seem to be unaware of copybot. Some people will pay money for content, take it home, and reproduce it prim for prim then try selling it. I have now had 5 people banned for this style of theft in past years. Nowadays the Majority will just copybot it.

Regarding people who steal my ideas and style there is nothing I can really do about that. Direct copies are all im interested in plus any use of copybot.

No, it wouldn't make me nervous at all, but perhaps send her an IM thanking her for appreciating your products so much and graciously spending her money on them?

If she only replies "yw =^.^=", perhaps ask her, "So are you outfitting yourself for a new lifestyle?"

Maybe she met someone new and needs a new wardrobe?

Anyways, an ensuing chat might lead to all sorts of wonderful possibilities, like a new customer for life, a new friend, a new business partner, another outlet for your products, inspiration for new products of your own, etc.!

Either way you might learn what we can only guess at, whether it would be worth spending your time worrying about her business plans later.

(Are your objects transferable? She might be saving time by shopping once and sending some to an alt? I'll have that happen with my AO poses, someone buys it in world or on XSt., then half an hour later or next day they buy another copy or two on XSt. sent to another name when they realize how much they love it. )

Yes, in all honesty that would bother me. All you can do though is wait and watch.
Be sure that your permissions are rock solid. Say like if you make a neko tail, make it to where only the entire sum of the prims is modifiable for attaching purposes instead of each prim individually modifiable. That way the prims aren't easily copied.

Yeah, I would be a little jumpy too, but I will say that when I decided to open a shop, I did hop around and look at other stores that did what I was aspiring to do. Not so much for ideas on the product, but more for ideas of presentation. Hopefully this is as harmless to you as I would consider myself to be to others that I stalked.

Wow.

I've gone into stores and spent thousands of L$ just because I totally dug the stuff. I'd really hate for the creator to get all freaked out and paranoid on me.

Likewise, I've had people come in and drop a couple of thousand at my own shop. A few of my customers have bought nearly everything in the store, just because they liked it. I'm hardly going to accuse them of potential theft. Admittedly, I've also had one or two people come in, buy stuff, then set up shop using the same theme, but I see that as a challenge.

The vast, vast majority of people, though, just buy because they like. As do I.

Exactly why this is a question... Not an accusation! I just found it odd as she isn't Neko and never wears Neko..

So yea Wow!

i could at any one time spend 20 to 60k on a shopping spree in one store or mall and have many times over..it kind of has me wanting to back away from that now since reading all these red flags are going up or that it may set someone spying on me or worse because i love a designers product and want to buy as much of it as i can..
here i thought people would enjoy someone coming in spending big amounts in their stores and now i find it sets off alarms..
this is good to know..thank you all.

Yep, I have bought stuff and then after finding out how much I like it, have gone back and purchased half or more of the store.

It very well could just be someone discovered your stuff and decided they wanted lots and lots of it.

Maybe she plans on becoming Neko....or maybe you just don't know about her "secret" life

Doesn't bother me! Come on over and visit

I remember when a friend decided to "become Neko". She went to a couple of stores that forum folks had recommended and dropped thousands. She is not the type to go half way on anything so when she decided to try the Neko thing, she went all out. That is definitely a possibility.

I guess that at this point it really just boils down to a wait and see type thing.

That's what I am trying to find out... If this has been like a theme of someone not using copy bot etc.. It's not an accusation of any sort... It's just me wondering..

I too buy quite a bit of other designers items.. and have some that I adore and wear on a regular basis.. I use them as a good bit of inspiration..

In this case there are odd circumstances which throw up a red flag.. Not that someone is shopping which I don't mind at all trust me. But content in her profile, Not being a Neko etc red flags me...

I mean really I don't buy slave related items cause it's not me.. Does that clear it up a bit?