Rumour - LL to buy SLExchange

A certain person wanted Austria,got it ,Poland,got it. got it ?

noticed they didn't buy http://www.apez.biz/ yet... but that one isnt quite as popular i dont think.

maybe it will be now

Dear OnRez Marketplace User:

On January 20, Linden Lab, creators of the Second Life virtual world, announced that we acquired both OnRez and Xstreet SL and revealed plans to merge the services together to create an official web-based marketplace for Second Life goods and services. A byproduct of this decision is that the OnRez marketplace will cease operations on February 11, 2009 and all current users will need to move their assets, balances and account information over to Xstreet SL by that time. We wanted to write to you today to explain how this migration will work, address any concerns and clearly explain how the long-term benefits will outweigh the immediate inconvenience.

Fairly early on, Linden Lab saw the inherent value that web marketplaces such as Xstreet SL and OnRez offer to buyers, sellers and content creators. After watching this industry grow, we recognized that the reach of these services would be greatly improved if they were integrated directly into the Second Life experience. Creating one centralized marketplace for all Second Life goods will greatly improve search, help drive traffic to inworld stores and enable merchants to market their products to a global audience.

In order to do this, we’re asking all OnRez customers to create accounts with Xstreet and move any balances you have through Second Life to your new Xstreet account. We are also asking all merchants to please take items you currently have for sale via OnRez and create listings for those items on Xstreet under your new Xstreet account. We’ll be driving a lot of new traffic to Xstreet in the coming weeks, so we’d recommend doing this soon. You can find some helpful information on creating listings on Xstreet in our Merchants and Shoppers FAQ.

As we move forward, we’d love to hear your thoughts on how we can incorporate OnRez-specific functions and features directly into the Xstreet platform. We have a forum set up for ecommerce, and we are interested in hearing about how your current experience could be improved or any features you could use that currently don’t exist. We do apologize for any hassle, but we promise that your effort now will be well worth the added benefits that having one centralized marketplace will provide.

Your commitment and ingenuity have enabled OnRez and the industry as a whole to grow to this point, we sincerely hope you’ll continue to play an integral role in this next stage.

Wow, that was fast. All the way from unsubstantiated rumour to corporate mailshot fact in less that a day. Not exactly what you call lead-time. Can you say GOM?

Now Xstreet will lag, and logins will be disabled.:<

They expect everyone to move all their stuff off Onrez so they can perform the migration by February, or kiss whatever you have on there, buh bye. LL becoming more of a monopoly than they already are?

Can you say *cough* Corporate greed?

Yeah!

That Bill Gates guy!


Sheeeesh!

They can change it back to SLExchange now!

I never could get used to XLStr.. XstreetXL.... thing

first I have heard of apez, so I went to look...

ugh, not very user friendly, at least to me,and way too black


as for SL taking over Slex and onrez, I figured it would happen eventually, this way they have more control, and history is showing they want control of as much as they can get

my only concern is cashing out L's to $

Damn it. I love Onrez. Much simpler to use, looks better and transferring money from in world was convenient. I don't like xstreetsl, never find anything there.

Presumably the owners of OnRez and XStreet have done OK out of this, as has LL probably. The idea of an official SL offgrid-online marketplace has to be a good idea in the long-run. Having said that, I sell stuff on OnRez and will have to make the changeover.

I guess the burning question is how much did LL pay for each site.

Enquiring minds want to know.

Both Xstreet AND Onrez. *shrugs in exasperation* You know, I get the feeling that if you have a successful business based off of SL for three or more years, they're gonna buy you out just to get rid of the competition.

At least they have the wisdom to not muck with anything for a day or two.

I am waiting for those more knowledgeable in this sort of thing to post and give me direction

It's hard enough having to be all facets of a business (creator, marketer, advertiser, etc)...

I personally LIKED the separation of SL and XStreet...don't ask me why, I don't know. I am the kind of person that lets my instincts guide me, and it has usually served me well.

I will be making an account at Apez today, because my instincts tell me to do that.

I created an apez.biz account awhile back, and sell one thing there. I think I will be adding my entire line of products there soon.

I wish Linden Lab would buy my Translator object, lol. I could use a USD$ buyout in RL, lol. Doubt that would ever happen though. I'm sure SL will incorporate dynamic chat translation into the client someday soon, and I'll just go out of business. Congrats to the onrez.com and slexchange.com teams, well deserved.

I don't like it because LL doesn't offer timely customer service and because LL's pay out via Paypal takes days longer than XStreet's. Plus, XStreet WORKED and it is stable, as well as reliable. LL isn't exactly known for these things.

And I think I'll probably be joining Apez myself.

I have one major question: What's gonna happen to Xstreet's forums?

I..I....I....it happened..it really happened.

...... That was brief. (O.o)

/me sighs and starts making arrangements to replace her inworld OnRez vendor. (T_T)

ooooh I wonder if this means we'll have to pay v.a.t for goodies bought through xlstreet (I bet that name doesnt stay for long) now ??

I never used any of those sites myself, but knowing how well thought of they are by a lot of people having them in LL's hands is definitely a cause for concern.

Presumably it will take staff to run all the facets of xlstreet...

this I assume will mean taking linden staff from other duties or employing new ones...

I wonder how Lindens are going to finance it ??

A new place - well new to me- just seen in-world: http://www.lindman-design.com

I went looking for info about Xstreet's Linden Dollar exchange, since that's where I currently buy my L$. This is a direct C&P from the new KB article about XStreet:

The cynic in me ponders what kind of modifications will be regarded as 'needed'.

*Perhaps overherad in the LL War Room*

Merging the grids, getting entire families to join, then we have a lot of new potential Premiums. Once they are in, and SL is a virtual Whitelandia, we bring in our Corporate Partners and charge them for the privilege of trying to sell their crap to all of them. Maybe even let them sell real life stuff on the XRezOnTheStreetExchange.

Well, on the bright side, maybe the people that they are also acquiring from xstreet-SL will finally be able to teach LL how to process PayPal transactions in a timely and efficient manner?