Sales going down

Well, right, but that`s personal. You get better skilled and yes, want your items to reflect that.

But I`m speaking more from a consumer standpoint.... Point in case, when i startated tattooing in SL there was barely no tat shops at all. Not only that, but 99% of the shops had "bad seams" on the tattoos.

Today, people still have bad seams, some worse than others. And because at the time it didnt matter if you did or not (because you were the only tat shop, they had nowhere else to get it from), mine have bad seams too. Today, there are ALOT of tattoo shops in sl, and to stand out, I feel you need to release top quality tattoos. (Not just tats, but anything you make). Look at other peoples items and say "Ok they did this, and it`s good, what can I do to make it better?"

Same with what Sae is saying about clothing. Theres so much out there, you need to do something to stand out. You also need to make sure your seams are lined up perfect. No one wants crap anymore. Sure, noobies don`t know any better, as sae also pointed out, but once they do........theyre going to want quality from that point on.

Sl is becoming so flooded with 'designers' it seems everyone is doing it. I remember when i started my clothing shop I only had like 50 graphic tees, I was one of the only shops who had mens graphic tees. Today? it seems everyone has some in stock. Its no longer (using my store name as an example) "Oh ill go to aitui and pick up a tee because theyre the only ones who make them" it has to shift to: "im going to go to aitui to pick up a tee because they release quality", thats the new aim in a world with many competitors and choices.

I certainly agree with you, and that was the main point of my post....quality is a must when you're dealing with hundreds of other designers in the market. You better be good, or you'll fade into the back ground. You just said it better than I could have

But again, that's part of smart business thinking....you can bring in customers, but will they want your product if someone else has something better?

That said, I truly believe it's more then just quality. There is customer service (which I work very hard to maintain high standards in this as well). And a shopping experience that is pleasant and not beating your visitors over the head with overpowering/confusing displays, disorganized store layouts, and is it just an overall nice atmosphere free from 50 campers and other lag monsters?

I think there are so many variables when running any business that quality, while extremely important, is just one of the things that people need to look at when they are seeing a consistent loss of sales.

Now I've been to your sim Jesse and purchased your items for my male model/alt, and you are certainly on top of the game

I guess the bottom line is: why will visitors come to my store? Why will they purchase something? And will they return? How am I different than those who sell items in the same style/niche/type as I do?

Now I rarely go to other stores, and I'm terrible when it comes to keeping up with what everyone else is doing. I get into my little zone and stay there until I'm dragged out. However, I sent a friend one of my new outfits and she said, "Oh...So 'n so just came out with a dress like that today!" Hmmm....I spent a week on this outfit...and it's too similar to another person's design that I have to ask myself if it's worth it to sell this particular item. No, probably not since I know the designer and she is an awesome creator and her store and customer service are impeccable. She has the complete package as a business, which is what it takes to keep sales up.

Of course this is just one woman's opinion...and since I'm delirious from lack of sleep...I could be completely mistaken and this entire post should be stricken from the forums for the betterment of humans everywhere.


~Ari

I appreciate your position and comments, I think you feel passionate about your beliefs and I am not going to be considered regardless. I hope you will accept my apologies for my beliefs and in future I will not comment or try to offer advice. I do however assure you that Incanus and myself are not one and the same allthough i believe we are both English... maybe that is something you have picked up on.

I hope that who ever IS loosing money in SL finds a way to resolve

Marty

Which is where I was coming from as well...



I don't know about me sometimes either..... I'm British so guilty as charged etc etc... actually I took the alt comment as a bit of a (unintended) compliment

And personally I think Marty and I have very different writing styles, so I was a little amused to see that connection being (incorrectly) made

Hey main.... I've let an hour go between posts...is that enough to confound and confuse?.... Yours etc

Alt
(Inc - really.. no, really really.....)

What can I say Incanus.. .I believe we do too ... if we dont I best tell my misses *lol* she might be married to two different people.

I have given up giving advice or even trying to have a laugh .. people have different beliefs and maybe hurt at others... I cant speak for others ... i can only speak for what I would do ... when I try im slated. (in a rather personal way i must say) so I give up...

Im an adult.... the best way to solve an argument it for one to back down... and I have taken the higher ground ... apologised and left it at that. no sarcasm ... no underhanded comments. If people dont agree with my offerings they are intitled to make thier opinion and i have tried not to react to accusations etc. There is a very clear division between different countries views and reasons WHY maybe thats why you know my point and why Seola doesnt. on this ONE occasions I will back down and leave the door open that if Seola wants to sit down and discuss our differences I would love to..... but if this carries on then I will have to see it differently.

Martin

well I don't want to derail the thread any more than already, so perhaps we can pick this up at the hangout...I'll be online a lot more next week during the UK daytime. When I'm not attending to my burgeoning island rental/leasing business that is, lol

Inc

I'm coming back to my earlier comment in this thread, where I said that my sales still were stable as usual.

Well, they aren't anymore as of about a week and a half. My sales have always been incredibly stable and predictable. Always at say 100% for at least half a year. Now they have suddenly dropped to a level of 50% or even lower. I don't understand why this is so suddenly. Nothing changed in my shop (except new products of course) and my search listings are still as good as usual. I really have no explanation for it, especially because the drop happened so suddenly.

Are the reasons technical problems from the last weeks? I really don't know. I especially search for an explanation why this happened so SUDDENLY. Anyone?

The website being so poorly performing is going to further hurt people's ability to buy Lindens ..


And the VAT is gonna hurt sales bad.

for once i can say i won`t be buying stuff for along time to come after i had to sell off my home and residents

faith in sl is gone down to 0 and won`t bring in another cent into sl and live from the street

What promises? I don't recall ever seeing any promises made by LL ever. You are right it is a place that you CAN make money. There is no promise you will.

**Edit**
Also on topic, I have scaled back my inworld spending alot because of all the inventory issues. I simply do not have the time to track down the creators of lost items and hope they are nice enough to replace them. Buying anything in SL and being able to keep it seems like a crap shoot anymore.

im keeping out of it *lol* .....

A lot of people have some great points. As much as people may hate to admit it, the gambling ban has had an effect on the economy, not just for the casino owners, but for, say, the newbies who managed to get a little extra pocket money from a club sploder (like I did back in the day.) There's also an increasing abundance of freebies out there, which means if you want to make something that people are willing to pay money for, it had better be a damn sight better than what you can get for nothing.

I also agree that the instability of the grid and the uncertainty of the future are putting a damper on people's shopping habits.

But so far nobody seems to have pointed directly at the elephant in the living room.

The fact that the RL economy is starting to falter.

The subprime mortgage implosion is starting to create ripples in the rest of the US economy . . . and, in turn, in other countries' economies as well. Prices are starting to rise, jobs are less certain and people are looking for ways to cut expenses.

And, let's face it, when you're drawing up the household budget, entertainment expenses (which is what money spent on SL is for the vast majority of its Residents) wind up at the bottom of the list.

So that may be another factor that people might want to think about.

Thanks <3



lol Same here, I have not been off of my skybox in ages. I do what I do, and log out. I couldn`t care less what other people are making. Some might dub that as a bad move and say I need to be aware of competition, but I`m not here to compete honestly. It`s fun. I love to create, I love to make things.

I will say though, I`m a bit more 'aware' of other tattoo people, just because its such a small market, I do slightly try to stay on top of the game with that since I have so many many repeat customers who have got me where I am today, I feel like because of them, I should be on top of the game with the tats. The other markets are so crowded I don`t eve pay attention.




Hm, I`m on the fence with this one......... I don`t know where to begin on commenting lol. I can see out of respect for your friend(?) you would not release it.. I have a friend (Another question mark....) who releases almost exactly what I do. If i release a certain style top - next thing you know, he does. Tattoo - next thing you know, he does. I made some really nice slacks, next thing you know he has releases VERY similar pair. That`s just rude and disrespectful...and I can understand not wanting to seem like you`re stepping on toes. But, its not like you saw her release, it was an innocent move.

Since you know her I guess....respectful move not to release. But if you didnt know this person, I say- release away.

And perhaps you should still release the dress, maybe just wait awhile. Or add something unique to it

Dang...that friend(?) coming out with stuff like yours...not cool.

As for my dress it's a tough decision as I'm really proud of this dress and it's truly a different look for me. I may release it as part of the fall collection...I just don't know.

Part of it is out of respect. I'm not really close to this other designer, but I do admire her work and I wonder how many of these dresses does SL need? LOL

I don't like to step on toes if it can be avoided. There is room for every one who wants to create and I do respect all of the other content creators out there.

*shrug* maybe I will take your advice and change it up a bit...and knowing what Sae and others have gone through with the whole "you stole my design", I really don't want to deal with that kind of BS. I don't have the time, and I certainly don't have the patience for that type of drama.

Like you I'd much rather just stay in my sky box and create...and let others do their thing.

Um...back on topic...how have sales been?

~Ari

Right, right. It`s gotten extremely old. I can understand where and how it was birthed though... You figure with less designers, that makes for more unique and original things. But when the market begins to fill with more creators- you will begin seeing duplicates.

The ironic thing is, many people are taking things from the web or copying RL designs, so kind of funny to see them spewing fire at people for "copying"

I`m interested in seeing your dress and the other dress in question...

lol Good

I may upload it again after some tweaking and show ya.

I can understand the whole "copying" issue and I hate that it happens to people. It's a lot of work to make a design just to have someone else make the same thing. I'm sure it's frustrating.

How are sales?

Glad to hear it!

~Ari

Yes, the VAT thing is going to hurt everybody very badly. Not only the EU sim owner.

Myself (well, one of my alt), own most of the KCD stuff. I bought it from money earned in SL.
If i earn less, i buy less.

In the good ol'day i really earned tons of L$. and always bought the top of the top. Which is, without any possible doubt, Kyrah's KDC gears.

Now with VAT, i'm loosing money (i'm in EU, owning 24 sims. 19.6% increase in fee. 200% profit loss (as my profit was around 10%). No more shiny highest quality stuff for now. (and i have a lot more KDC stuff than i really need anyway )

And we seen together the new problem you're facing. Your latest prototype is so high in quality and detail that it's impossible to adjust unless you're a skilled builder

You're also facing with SL limitation itself in quality.
http://kdc.ethernia.net/wp-content/uploads/harness-front.jpg

As you say : you're into mad detailling SL can't even display :/

I have to tier down now to 4000. This means I lose prims to build with and will have to use a sandbox..grrrr
Traffic down to under 70. Was over a thousand a while back.
Sales down to one unit per three days. Not the 4-6 per day. 100L/day as before 3,500 or so.
I´ve done a heap of hours to get improvement but all my efforts seem to be doing the opposite.
I tried adding different languages too.

I don´t know whether it´s the system, the customers or me.
Oh well, I have no real income or job so I put in a year of 100 hour weeks, I didn´t want fame and fortune as I enjoyed making stuff, just enough to survive and make it a little worthwhile but the time has come to make the big decision. I have this month and that´s it.
I will certainly never, ever try to run a real life business now..

¨So..some must suffer for the better good of few¨ .

That´s right folks, I GIVE UP! I AM A LOSER. I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER. AM A LOSER. I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER. AM A LOSER. I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER. AM A LOSER. I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.I AM A LOSER.

Sorry to hear you're doing so bad. Out of curiosity, what do you sell?

Gee, thanks for asking Sae. I have made and sold a lot of things but domestic type builds have been the mainstay.
My latest house, by far my best yet, is getting almost zero interest. At 1450L, I thought it was a good/fair price but I´ll go knock the 1 off that right now..

I dont know about "very badly" but that`s just my opinion.

It`s definitely going to affect everyone, directly or indirectly for sure. That`s why I was appaled at this statement made by Robin Linden:

"We individually contacted residents who would be affected by the tax and so did not initally do a blog post believing a general announcement could be confusing for those Second Life Residents not impacted."

Is she really that ignorant, or does she think we`re a bunch of morons?

Not only should we all be made aware of VAT because of its grid-wide affect, but we should all be aware of what`s going on and knowledged to the fact not everyone is paying a flat 295$ tier fee.

Really sorry to hear about the plunge.

Are you meaning you were living in RL off of a L$3,500/day profit?

I'm so sorry Kornscope that is really sad news!

Wish I knew enough about selling domestic type builds to offer some helpful suggestions.

And you're not a loser!!! Don't ever say that about yourself. Your passion for building is a great thing and please don't let the lack of sales discourage you. I know it's disheartening....I went through that too in the beginning of the year...but don't give up what you love to do SL needs all of the brilliant creative types we can get.

There are far too many variables in any type of business to pinpoint exactly why sales drop unless you analyze it from all different angles. Maybe give it a day or two..or a week and reevaluate why you do this.

*hugs* dude!



Communication. What a novel idea.

~Ari

Jess, lol no. My wife supports me. I got an injury...nuff said.
I don´t want any sympathy folks, I´ll continue as long as possible but my downturn started at the start of May and has steadily gone down since so I assume I cannot carry on as my forecast graph goes negative real soon. It will cost me to stay. Hopefully I will make enough to keep premium but I will see.

"my downturn started at the start of May and has steadily gone down since"

Kornscope, I noticed the land sales stagnation and downturn about the same time so it is NOT you, it's economics - SL and RL, everyone will be affected one way or the other. Just keep your calm and try to adjust to the market.

Good Luck!

Hey Korn, I didn't have a chance to visit your location but I did see your profile, and from what I can tell you have some very nice builds..

A few suggestions:

- Travel around the world (SL World) and compare your prices and quality with other prefabs similar to yours, you may need to adjust to the market as it changes often and your competition

- You may also want to look into relocating, even though you have classifieds you would be surprised how many new customers you will get just from passer bys

- Advertise! And I don't mean in world classifieds... every time you make something new, post it on the forums, any SL related forum that will allow you to, get your name out there!

- Post your items on SLE, it isn't that hard to set up, not to mention it's free to use and you only have to pay if you sell something! You will reach a whole lot of new potential customers, put your favorite prefab on the featured homepage

Alright, that is all I have for now since it's 4AM and the vicodin is kicking in lol but I hope some of these help =) Good luck and don't give up!