Sales going down

This is actually my big concern with IDV. It makes sense to me that unverified types would be able to use gear in their own, reasonably private spaces ... but how are we going to buy it? Surely 'gear' stores will have to be restricted? One could always buy the stuff from SLX, but orchestrating a demo from there would be really elaborate. *puzzled*

At Blaze, there are private dressing rooms that have the whole gown product line available to browse and try. I guess something like that could work ... if LL would be willing to let it work.

For me, it seems sensible that anything that is behind solid walls with restricted access requires spying to see and thus is not a reason to mark a parcel restricted, tho you would want it to be mature. And I think that will hold for residential. But for businesses I'm not so sure.

It's not hard to figure out how to buy it. Easiest way, verify your age! (raises arms to fend off the pelting of stones)

But if you can't or won't do that, Then walk up to the edge of the restricted parcel, which no doubt will have an unrestricted space conveniently next to it, move your camera over, and go on a spending spree.

There was an apparent slump during the US summer, but things do appear to be picking up for several of my designer friends and mall renters. I have a few designer friends who are struggling now, too, and it seems to be the ones with limited product lines, or who don't produce many new things anymore.

But there's something that concerns me more than seasonal changes right now. I lost five vendors from my mall this summer, not because they weren't making sales, not because they had to scale back, but because they just stopped playing second life. In each case, their rent ran out, and they wouldn't respond to IMs, so I'd check my vendor group and, "Hey! She hasn't logged into SL for a month!"

I'm also seeing a lot of concierge users selling off their islands lately so they can either tier down or get out altogether. Is that stuff seasonal too?

Just adding my bit to the Slump thread.
My sales started going down in May and are still going down. Making cheap houses.
I was making 3,500L per day then, now about 3 to 400L and will have to back out of land soon.
The returning numbers have been going steadily down as has the inworld spend.
I wanna make stuff but I don't think I can be bothered much now...

Everyones sales have dried up. Its been going on now for months. In most cases if you ask this question you get the same old answer of "Its summer wait for winter and then your sales will explode..." bla bla bla. Myself, I do not see that happening. I think sales will continue to fall. I think SL's PR department has slacked a bit and Second Life is not getting the focus it once was. To be honest, I can't go much of anywhere on the internet right now without seeing a ad for that IMVU or whatever its called. They are doing mass advertising right now. For all I know, that could even be effecting things as well. Either case, your right no matter the cause, sales are down and they are not really showing a change anytime soon either.

IMVU? Christ if SL is losing people to that, on the Adult grid at least, then they might as well punch out. It's Over Johnny. What adult would want to go there?

I agree but I will give them props.... They been advertising like crazy! They are all over the place right now. And the fact is you can make money there too. Not sure on how it all works but I know there is money to be made.

So apparently all anybody wants in an online world is creepy children that all look the same and the ability to make money.

What kind of adults would go to IMVU? My answer wouldn't be appropriate.

They wouldn't be German, I bet....

Everytime this thread question arises, I wonder how much the folks answering actually average a month and by just how much their sales have actually dropped. (As well as how long it was 'steady' for)

Are they making L$1K a day and its dropped to a few hundred, are they making L$10k a day and notice a drop to around L$7K, are they making L$50K + a day and seeing a drop, etc

Well the "play for free" thing seems pretty rampant at the moment, people won't put $1 RL dollar into the game if they can camp for 18hours instead.
And our inrushing of bots seems to be the only population growth.

What is IMVU? My sales have dropped alot and I believe it is because of all the reasons that have been stated. Also seems to me either people dont have the L's or there is a lack of interest in shopping and LL playing hide and seek with the items they bought. No one likes to spend and then have the items disapeer. I hope things get better for everyone.

A related possibility is that they have in fact reached all of their potential consumer market and those who are interested have jumped on. This could explain their push into the commercial space which is where their marketing efforts do seem quite focused.

I agree with this assumption. People need to realize that the little world we play in will eventually become something more. Our little shops and land businesses will eventually go the way of the dinosaurs as LL tries to achieve its goal of becoming the next internet. The process won't happen over night of course but it will happen. We just need to make sure we adapt as the platform does.

I made some houses that used to sell but now they don't! For me sales went from reasonable / modest (about 1 item every 2 days) to almost zero around 4 months ago, and have stayed that way.

Why? No real idea, but could be to do with SL population polarising between 'serious' premiums who either hunt out freebie houses or make their own stuff, and unverifieds who are thrilled to earn their first L$2 and have no use for houses!

May/June 07 my store was making approximately L$6k a week. These days I'm lucky if I get L$900, which only just covers the rent. Big quandry whether I keep going...

My opinion for what it's worth is that sl has been so badly maintained recently.

The lag has been so bad even on my own land that it takes several miniutes to get the textures loaded. With this being the case i can't blame people for getting fed up waiting and TPing elsewhere to see if it's better.

I also think that previous points of age verification, new continents and the loss of gambling may have had their impact.

The instability of the grid may also be making people wary about putting money into SL. I've just walked away from it some days cos of crashes and lag. You just get fed up. It is hardly the way for the lindens to get people involved.

Just another voice:
Yeah sales have tailed off badly in the last few weeks. They were sporadic before that but the last week has been grim. Lets see if I can list my own reasoning:
- Jitters over ID verification : Must admit I've been shopping less till I see how it pans out.
- All the crashes recently
- What seems to me to have been a sudden increase in free items / lucky chairs floating around : Why buy stuff if you can flit from lucky chair to lucky chair collecting possibly ripped off items?
- A related increase in "Business in a Box" sellers. They seem to be diluting the rent able malls with the same old same old or reselling free items.
- An increase in people thinking they can build a scrappy mall, put some rent boxes in it and make money. (I think the rent boxes have also turned up on the free market which partly explains this one). Who on earth searches for "mall" when they want to go shopping?
- Dire word searching for places in world makes it lucky dip when looking for shops.
- The ever expanding land pool : Not enough people per m2 basically.
- The nonsensical camper based "traffic" system.

On traffic:
If you're looking for somewhere to camp? The current system is perfect.
If you're looking for a lag filled sim where the shops and products take an age to rez? It's also a perfect system!

I'm honestly surprised the amount of rent people are willing to pay for a store in the really high traffic sims. I don't think I've ever managed to browse let alone buy anything in one of them. In fact these days if I do a places search I tend to scroll down to places with traffic less than 10,000 and start exploring there...

I'm also starting to think market place owners are going to need to start being more competitive on rental prices / quality of the build. I pass over a LOT of places when looking for new sites to set up shop.

k ... think I'm done!

Same here. I avoid about the top 10-15 in search. I don't have much time inworld,don't want to waste it waiting for things to rez and to move 2 cm every ten minutes.

Part of it is if you made your living in world their is less and less places to do it.
People think their is abundant campers about who don't camp. The truth is its oppiste.
Those with limited ablity to bring cash from outside depended on camping and/or selling their creations now their is slump with that their less money to spent shopping.
Personally I have reduced what I bring in from outside of SL when they moved the billing department to UK which was a few months back ago. I noticed the amount of USD being spent dropped since then. Majority of US residents are spending less. I assume but you there have been 70k online versus the usually 30 to 40k a few times this last month.
Maybe people are more careful what they buy like myself.
Yet those who spend might just got fed up with SL with all the bugs and changes too.
It easy to get annoyed with being resident and decide to do other things.
I know I have had few bad weeks or periods in SL as consumer be it needing to reduce what I spend in LL including bad shopping experiences and now extremely careful where I shop and actually relunctant to buy certain products now and have been so for months. I don't own very commerical products and prefer to make them myself. But I figured I am rare resident.
There are residents who never make things and shop but I think those indivuals are rare few. It is also extremely hard to attract customers unless your product looks exceptional, even harder to have returning ones because their is so many others out there. I just make things for fun its too stressful to make things and also do a business.
As far camping and jobs within SL for L its really hard to find and annoying for those who don't have wealthy friend or exceptional skills.. Personally all my real money from outside of SL goes to membership and tier, I don't have anything left. For those in similar boat there is usually two choice either shop, or rent property or own property not usually both.

This is a good time for shop owners to review their overhead. Constantly buying land/islands that fill up the income you make is going to sting like crazy when the economy dips.

Where are you talking about?

IMVU. Where everyone is a whorish, materialistic Bratz doll.

Ouch!! That`s an insane drop. I too probably would have trouble creating and continuing if this happened to me, as long as youre making tier, i say wait it out, it may turn back around. Good luck




Oh ok, that looks like a bunch of child avatars, why would an adult want to go there over Second Life.

Never seen IMVU before but I just took a look.. O:

Any IMVU avatars that sneak across the border to my place are going to be asked to put "18+, RL and SL age" in their profiles or be asked to leave..