Im getting annoyed! need help

This is starting to get incredibly annoying.
First I am rather new to SL, and still have alot to learn.
I simply wanted to get some L$ to spend in SL. Ok seems simple enough right?
Lets see now...
Start a paypal account or use credit card.
Creditcard wasn't an option ::: sigh :::
ok then start a paypal account. [Check]
Wait the entire weekend for it to finally be approved ( understandable enough ) [Check]
cool, now add some credit to SL ( $25 min ) WHAT?! sheesh, ok guess I can afford that [ Check ]

ok now the major delema
I want to transfer some of this into $L (my main objective in the first place), but, Silly me! The minimum requirements to add U.S. dollars just so happens to also be my limitations for 30 days to do anything! I'm wondering now, what the hell kind of scam this seems to be. I can give secondlife my friggin paycheck as credit, but cannot actually use it? I must really be missing something somewhere....

All I wanted was to have a little L to have fun with, and it has taken me days of fustration and banging my head up against the wall.

Evening Stevie, in a year from now you will have learned to relax, you have your whole secondlife to buy and spend. There is much to do without having to spend a dime, but you know that already. There are others that will say, i know your pain. Still others may even give you a linden or two. Keep it in perspective and enjoy your night.

That will change in approximately 24 hours after your payment method has been approved and you make your first purchase. (You've already done this, so just give it a day or so)

Also, for getting L$ in SL, you don't want to add credit, you just buy the L$. Credit on your account is just for tier fees/premium fees, I believe.

Two methods of buying L$ are the buy page for Lindex:
https://secure-web14.secondlife.com/currency/buy.php

And inside SL, click your L$ balance to bring up a 'Buy L$' dialog.

I really really really wish LL would explain this better. For days 0-1 you are restricted to purchasing US$25 of credit OR buying L$10 inworld - not both. Once you do one, you have hit your limit.

So then on day 2 that limit goes up, and then again on day 8.

Oh, and day 1 is the day you do the first transaction, not the day you join SL



Yes, you only need 'credit' on your account if you want that to be used for fees - and it is not even needed cuz if there is no credit and you have fees, they simply go to your payment method.

Welcome to Second Life and the Forums.

As Kiera said, the initial spending limit should lift after 24 hours. But I'm curious about this:If you happen to remember where you got that information, it would be good to know where it came from so somebody could get it corrected. The initial buying limit is frustrating (and confusing) enough without misinformation adding to the situation.

FWIW, the information on L$ trading limits is at http://secondlife.com/currency/describe-limits.php -- which one hopes is correct.

Welcome, Stevie. While you wait have a look around at some of the great free things, especially those for newcomers. Until you've been inworld for a time it's probably not good to spend a lot, anyway.

LindeX Billing Limits Unclear to new Users:
http://jira.secondlife.com/browse/WEB-1000

Thanks for the quik responses and warm welcomes. First, im not totally new, have been on for at least a couple of weeks.

in responce to Qie:



I thought that the process of adding credit, was not just for business , but to have on hand. aka Lindin is added via this credit first * or so I thought *


small update- after I copy and pasted this, I noted that it is attempting to take it from paypal rather than from the credit I added, which sucks even more. Is there a way to have this self induced error fixed? Also to those stating to 'hang out a day' I have waited 24 + hours already.

Right... just hang out for 24 hours. The billing limits are really confusing to most new users. Trust me, you're definitely NOT alone in this. Just hang out and bag some freebies for a day. You should be able to buy L$ in 24 hours.

Only a company like LL could make it so difficult for people to give them money.

Now *I'm* confused. It certainly is supposed to use the funds for buying L$s from that US$ account credit, per https://secure-web21.secondlife.com/currency/describe-transaction-fees.php and it's always done that for me. I honestly can't understand why it would try to hit PayPal. (Does anyone else actually understand why it doesn't use that US$ account credit when it says it will??? God knows we see this question here often enough. Btw, Oryx, voted for WEB-1000.)

Also, yes, having some US$ credit to buy L$s is just necessary to be able to execute "Limit orders" on the LindeX. I hate to add complexity at this point, but a Limit order is a good thing to know about if you're buying or selling a lot of L$s--you'll get about a 3.5% break on the exchange rate. That's because a "Market buy" (either on the LindeX page or by clicking on the L$ balance in-world) will be filled by the best open sell order, but you can place a Limit buy at just better than the best open buy order, and it will fill the next time somebody does a Market sell.

If by some whackedness you're *still* unable to execute a Market buy, I'd go in and try to buy with a Limit order and see what happens. (You may need to go to https://secure-web21.secondlife.com/account/currency_settings.php?lang=en to enable "Advanced" LindeX market info.) There have been reports here of new accounts getting Limit orders through before Market orders will complete, but it may just be an accident of timing.

I believe that it DOES draw from your US$ credit first, and only goes to your payment method (PayPal or credit card) when that is exhausted. What's confusing is that it SAYS something like "payment method used: PayPal".

To the OP: Is that an accurate description of what you're seeing? Or do you mean you actually got a ping from your PayPal account?

By the way...I find that it's also useful to have an account on XStreet, http://www.xstreetsl.com. This site was an independent operation until very recently, when it was acquired by Linden Lab. It still *operates* like an independent site. It's easier to set up an account there, they do take PayPal, and they will accept PayPal Mass Payments if you have a PP Business account. Mass payments are great because the fees are very low...only $1.00 to transfer $100, for example.

You can transfer L$ that you buy on the XStreet currency exchange to your avatar in world.

When you buy Lindens directly, you buy them from whoever has been waiting to sell at market rate, and you get about L$260 per dollar. You get your L$ immediately, because they've been waiting there for a few days for you to offer to buy.

If you set up credit in SL, and then buy lindens, you can buy them at a better rate by putting out an offer to buy for the market rate... about L$270 per dollar, and waiting for the next person who wants to sell L$ quickly to take you up on that offer.

This is why LL has this credit system, because they're not selling L$ directly (generally), they're just acting as a broker between buyers and sellers.

If you just want to buy L$ quickly, you do it in-game, and you get L$260 per dollar.

If you want to, though, you can get a little better deal by doing things the complex way.

/me makes a note to self to log the alts in and vote also.

I think the JIRA issue needs fine-tuning though. What should the issue really suggest as an alternative? Qie had some good ideas re: notices on the web pages, but I'd like to see LL do away with the 24 hour waiting period altogether. It just doesn't make any sense.

I tried to use paypal, for SL, gave up though. Too many hoops.

Too bad they don't take VISA gift cards or something like that. Or cash/checks mailed to Linden Labs. *shrug*

I know when you're just out of college and all it's hard. (I'm hoping if someone is without CC it isn't cos they are in SL as a kid.)

(what's happened to my grammar lately. need to go back to skool i guess)

I again made an attempt to get $L today with success. Not only that, it took it out of the credit I originally established, which is a great sigh of relief. Even if it took 2 days rather than 1.

I do wish however that they take more account on behalf of the newbs as myself. Particularly in the messages when errors occur, rather than the message reserved for usual monthly charges of premium members. It just seems that there should be a more straightforward explaination, and more importantly about timelines. Although the main message did get across to me initially, the time waiting was both fustrating and the layout made me believe I made a major mistake.

Either way, Saturday will be a fun day for me

I agree that clear and up-to-date decumentation geared to user particulars like age would really be good. People have a very hard time getting clear answers for money and land in particular.

And I'd love to see a "How Customers Around the World Can Contact LL" page.