Have you used SLexchange.com and should I or shouldn't I?

This is a question to the general people who use SLexchange.com. I was thinking about it but a girl I know, just recently got her account disabled and they kept her money for what they said was "Trademark infringement", but the same type of products with the same look and names as hers are still there.

I make all kinds of stuff and just wondering if I should or shouldn't.

Thanks

If it's something that you made 100% yourself, you should have no problems with SLX.

I have a lot of my stuff listed there.. okay, everything that is in my shop is on there too and never had an ounce of real trouble, except when I didn't read the fine print and posted my landmark by itself there.. after having moved the shop for the second time. All I got was a politely worded warning and that the item had been disabled.

I am not quite sure how to show the items I have made and been bit intimidated with the system. I had friend offer to help me sell things their through her account but not sure.
I wouldn't want my friend in trouble for selling my products for me.
I wish it was like Metamart sometimes.

I haven't yet placed my products there either--I quickly took a gander at the layout, and it did seem a little daunting even to a nerd such as myself. I take it when I truly want to delve in, there will be sufficient instruction...or at least I'm hoping there will be.

Those of you that have a pretty extensive catalog on SLX, are you making profit warrant to the time it takes to set it up?

I don't sell anything, so I haven't used SLX in that way.

Although I have some issues with some of the things they sell (too easily used for griefing), I have absolutely no problems with either their $L exchange or marketplace services. Their customer support has always been excellent.

It's often much easier to search for items, and to do comparison shopping, using the SLX marketplace, rather than run around from store to store in-world. So, if I were a merchant, I think I would put all my stuff on SLX, as well as sell it in-world.

To answer your question: Yes and I've been getting great customer service to boot. Actually, the setting up really isn't as hard as it looks, if you aren't wanting to go the complex route. Basically, I chose the catagory (pull down), object name (pull down), fill in the description, perms (pull down), prims (if say furniture/house), L$ price, tell it to notify me of sales and then upload the image and hit add item.

Onrez allows you to batch edit, so check them out too. I wish I could search for my items alone, like I can in SLEx. Metamart.. I'm not too enthusiastic about, because it almost requires that I be in world to set it up. And I reallllllyyyy don't need another hud cluttering up the view.

I've been using SLX since March. My catalogue is very small, less than 50 products, but I've never had a problem with them. Yes it's a bit of a chore to set up an item, but once it's done, it's done. I see that as part of the 'job' -- you make your ware, you package it, you take some pics, you make a texture or two for the in-world vendors, and get it set up in-world. Then you make some pics for the out-world sites, then you go and set it up in those places too.

SLX is free to have an account and free to list your stuff. They charge a small percentage commission on any sales you make, I think it's around 5%.

I definately do enough business with SLX to make it worthwhile. There is more to it though than just the L$ that you make directly off SLX. Almost every one of my listings includes a SLURL or reference to my inworld store, so prospective customers can come inworld and see and try out most of my products, before they buy. So SLX effectively acts as another advertising medium. I don't have any way to measure how many in-world sales result from people finding a product on SLX then coming to my store to try-before-they-buy but I suspect it is worthwhile.

The only caveat I can mention is, don't expect sudden big sales just because you've listed your goods. You may get a few right away as your new items are on the 'new items' list, but after a day or two your items fall off that list. It takes time to build up a steady business. They have some great tips and suggestions, if you read through the FAQs and Help areas.

FWIW I also use shop.onrez (formerly SLB). They are also free to set up an account and free to list, plus they don't even charge commission so it's completely free (I don't know how they actually make money or if it's cross subsidized by other work elsewhere...) However, onrez "seems" to be less popular. For every L$100 in sales I have on SLX, I might make L$10 on OnRez. At any rate though, my thinking is the more eyes on your products, the better. With SLURLs on your web-based ads, it amounts to free advertising, and people can choose whether to buy on the website or inworld.

-Atashi

Instructions are found at:

SL Exchange - Marketplace - How to list your items
http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=21

I have my builds on Slex and OnRez. For ease of use to find traffic and items and edit - Slex rawks.

For set up, and easy configuration, OnRez is the best.

(perchance... anyone able to tell me how to stop that annoying security lert popup everytime I click a new page or click anything in Slex? I've tried changing settings under Net Options and what I thought should work didnt. I think Im missing something...)

And yes... they take a LOT of time to set up.

i have used slexchange for a long time and on a previous character
never had any issues that they did not fix right away

i have never known them to keep anyones $ the most ive known them to do is pull items that are against tos when reported or items that have a dmac dmca? whichever it is against them they do also pull items that are using rl copyrighted names if they are notified about them

something tells me you may not be getting the entire story

they are a great bunch of people

From the consumer's perspective: I find the search experience to be a little clearer than in-world. I always perfer to buy from a store, though, particularly something you can look at closely, or try out. So I can't even count the times I have used SLX to find an item, and then bought the item in-world. So, merchants, be sure to link your store!

yes I have used SLexchange

should you or shouldn't you is entirely up to you

Don't make a dime's worth of difference that she made the whole thing herself if she stole someone's trademark. There are these laws, you see...

Oh, and to answer your question,

Yes, I have found SLX a pleaure to deal with and since you don't pay L$0.001 it's free until you sell something. Nor did I find it all that difficult to set up. Is it worth the 5% commission to you? You decide.

What she made was a Spiderman a Superman and a Batman and they were pulled for Trademark infringement and she said she didn't get the warning and when she was listing other items she noticed they were back in her cart to be listed so she listed them again. There are tons of those things on there. Plus she sent me the emails and I saw her reply.

If your friend was making goods that had trademarked characters on them, like Mickey Mouse or Lara Croft or Sonic The Hedgehog, or if she was using real brand names like Levis or Dockers or Bill Blass, then they would be quite right for shutting her down for trademark infringement. SLX has frequently been called to task to enforce such issues, where people were blatantly ripping off other people's intelectual property rights.

If your friend was making dresses or other clothes that were entirely her own designs, and not copies of some real-world maker's work, then she should have no troubles.

I used to sell through SL Boutique (Now renamed as OnRez). I took down my store when the owners of that web service started using a Bot in-world to data-mine all SL residents, with an opt-out system that listed any prims that anyone owned that were marked 'for sale', even if they were in the back corner of your bedroom or workshop. (Search for "Grid Shepherd" or "Sheep Bot" for details.)

also if she has a yahoo email address she may not have gotten the warnings yahoo and a few other email services are known to having issues with mail from slexchange

and im sorry but what she was putting out was against trademark rules and yes there are others but until they get reported they dont always get noticed

Easiest way to sell your stuff. All you need inworld is a place to put the SLX "magic box" where you put your items for sale. No headaches maintaining a shop, and no traffic to your magic box so it can be in a private home.

SLX is very well executed.

I sell on SLX in addition to the shop; I find that I generally pull in less than a quarter of the profit in SLX than I do in the shop, but if it's easier for some customers, I'll maintain it. I recently had to pull my SLX box into my inventory because the island it was on got sold (argh) so now have to set up again, but I'd say yes, it's worth it.

Pretty much my take on it as a consumer. Searching for stuff is way better than in-world. And if i feel no need to take a closer look or can't find the store in-world, shopping is only a mouse-click away

As a consumer, I use SLX for searching, then go to the inworld store. Almost universally, the actual purchase is made at the store, not in SLX. And, from the consumer's point of view, I strongly recommend listing your goods there. My new skin is on Onrez right now... SLX coming soon.

I had my items listed on both sites, well, untill I deleted my SLX box by mistake, but I did find that OnRez much easier to configure, and I have to say that it's a thrill to see your balance go up even by a few lindens when someone takes the trouble to purchase something that you have created.

I also find shopping on sites such as these much much easier than in-world, but that's because I have a really low-end setup as far as computers are concerned, and I tend to freeze on a regular basis if I venture out below the clouds.

But I think that a new computer set-up is on the horizon for me, and I actually plan to write down the recommended requirements listed on the SL website and bring that to the store, then AT LAST maybe I'll actually be able to socialize...yahoooooooooooooooooo after all, all work and no play etc. etc.

My experience is only as a consumer. Often I use SLX to make a list of stores to look at, then go inworld to buy. For low-ticket items or gadgets, I will generally buy them directly on SLX. So I think listing on SLX can boost your inworld sales.

I use SLEXchange, and I have to say I've been pleased with the results. The setup didn't seem too difficult, and the on-site image hosting is a plus. Straight from my hard drive to you. the only thing I didn't like was the inability to "cross-post" listings. One category per item, unless you post the item again in another category.

I think I spent about 3 mins per item to list.