the most expensive\ status symbols

What are the most expensive houses available in SL. The most expensive apartments, areas to live, cars and other items that may be deemed a status symbols of the elite (hand bags, shoes, clothes, jewelry). Also, what jobs pay the most in SL.

In terms of status symbols, the only common denominator that all the wealthy in Sl can agree on is a string of private islands.

For jobs, the best paid ones tend to be making original content cheap and selling lots, or selling to corporates, or renting land out. That original content could be either artwork, scripting, or something else entirely.

If your house takes up 4 or more whole sims, you might be wealthy....

No such thing.

HAVING it all in SL doesn't mean squat. It's what you do with it that matters. IBM owns what? 40-50 (more?) sims? So what? They aren't doing anything worthwhile to the SL community that I can see, so even owning all that land doesn't mean jack.

1) YadNi created his Junkyard on the Mainland. Built up something that will always be a part of SL even if he someday moves on.

2) Travis created the Shelter. One of the most helpful spots to begin in SL at.

3) NCI and The Ivory Tower of Primatives (sorry, I'm not sure who started those).

4) The Particle Labratory by Jopsey (sp?)

These builds and ideals were put in by hard work and a community minded spirit that transends the masses. All those I listed and more are ones I concider to have the "status symbol". Not for what they own, but for what they have given.

~Jessy

The best thing I "have" are my friends. Because the times I spend with them, from our first log-in greetings, to the slow but invariable slide into the muck of spontaneous idiocy are things that make me laugh (really hard) even days or weeks afterwards.

In my estimation, that's priceless, and it's also something not everyone has

Things can poof
Friends are always right there

I like your answer, Jessica! I agree, too. I don't see status as something that can be bought; it is earned by being an amazing builder, by contributing to the community (Lauk's Nest, Apollo, Rua, etc). I don't give a fig who has what bling; it's all just purchased "stuff." Anyone who can afford a computer to get into SL in the first place can afford "stuff." The true Elite in SL are the creators who've made a lasting and wonderful addition to our world.

Bling - its all about the bling, the more and brighter the better, i think it will someday replace the linden as money.......


Kidding aside, I measure an avatars "wealth" buy how creative and complex there build or creation is and there reputation which is priceless.

So there is no such thing as having the most expensive house(in USD or L$). Someone must have the biggest and most expensive yacht. There must be a car maker who sells vehicles(eventhough they are not needed) that are costly enough to make people want to purchase as a status symbol. Any designers boasts of having the most expensive bags,skins, etc. There must be a someone for each of these categories. If not that would go against human nature( to want the best, own the largest, own the most expensive) to feed the ego, and SL can not be any different from the real world. After all, there are people behind those avatars.

I think the OP Jamil was asking what is the most expensive items that come with a price tag AND are buyable by the general public. I would have to say these items would be the one-of-a-kind or limited-edition items like dresses... or cars... etc.

How about custom-made (sorry I'm going hyphen crazy) clothes? Or pretty much custom anything. Those can get outrageously expensive since you're basically paying the creator to spend their time on ONE product that they cannot resell.

Thank you Bree for clearing my nonsense up(that is what i meant) . I'm sorry for confusing everyone.

Not even the highest paying "jobs" will let you afford the highest priced status symbols, I'll say that much. You pretty much have to be self-employed to get those.

Status (in SL, RL, wherever) is all in the eye of the beholder.
If you're a brilliant origami folder, you can be famous among origami folders.

For SL it's the same, people look up to others who accomplished what they are trying to achieve. If you're a struggling hair maker, you'd maybe look up to people like Elika Terimisu. If you're in SL to make a big business in land, you look up to for example Anshe Chung.

In the case of 'expensive stuff'. Price <> Quality in SL. But getting a custom made, exclusive item from one of he most accomplished artists in their field can be seen as a 'status symbol'.
Especially as most accomplished designers don't do customs anymore. So it's usually a sign you're a good friend of them.

BTW. Being a good friend should have the emphasis, when dealing with status and richness.

Exactly right. As perfectly pleasant and practical as a product might be, it won't reach the uppermost strata, who only buy services to create custom content exclusively for them. As in RL, they never shop--they have people to do that.

so true! It seems to be more what you make/do, not what you buy/own.



The very gracious Lumiere Noir



Jopsy Pendragon, who's also fab.

But them with Robin Sojourner, Cory Edo, and others who not only create great stuff, but also gladly, freely give everyone tips an tricks for doing it too. Worth way more than a flashy car or blingy jewels!

Mari

Pehaps, but look at it this way. In RL if you can afford a 1.5 million dollar castle-like home, people are impressed and envious. (well some are. I still wouldn't want it. Too much to sweep lol)

In SL if you pay 1.5 million for a home build, we just think you got ripped off. I've gone and looked at homes of "top designers". Some are very nice. The best ones aren't really that high priced. I ahve noticed that the higher priced ones tend to be more sloppy in their builds. Prim lines from placement. Texture flicker. Texture offsets wrong. As greed builds, the build slides.

Those that make the "best" products are the ones that care about their products and their customers.

Example: I personally feel the Shadow from DoMoCo is the "Best" vehicle in SL. There are others like it, but I feel the Shadow offers more detail as well as the love of the car that you can feel the creators have. The fact that it is continually updated shows the love for the car. Is it the msot expensive? Far from it. 2389L$ Same as the sticker price of the 1964 RL version of the Pony Car it resembles. For all it offers, the price is very low. Is it a status symbol? *shrugs* I never felt so. I love the car and love driving/flying it, but I don't show it off to impress people.

So, imo, if you pay the most just for the status of the pricetag, the only status you earn is "n00b".

~Jessy

There is no status, at least to me, because things can be acquired easily. If you can build in SL, you can build yourself the grandest mansion in all of Lindendom. It won't take you long, and yu will most likely get great enjoyment out of it. I don't build, but I can pay the same builder to make the same mansion for me, or one even greater. Anything I want in SL I buy. I just use my CC to buy the Lindens I need so there isn't even the conceppt of working for it that RL has. As for clothing and such I buy from the same designers because I like their products. Thaeir name to me only haolds a status of being a maker of quality merchandise. Maybe because I'm not terribly label conscious in RL I feel the same way here. I'm curious as to what the OP's interest in c;ass and status is . He has started a couple of threads on the subject. I'm not picking on you, are you maybe doing some sort of study?

There is a certain status point that some older residents do have: they were and/or still are friends with top level creators that won't do custom work anymore. A custom outfit by Nephilaine? Not gonna happen unless you are a long-time close friend. A custom Juro Kothari home? I don't even think he does those anymore - or at least the last cost I saw was around 12k. Starax sculptures? No longer available at any price. You used to be able to get custom skins from top designers as well, not so anymore.

I understand what you're saying, but in a world with no limits on personal creation and where having more money is as simple or as complex as buying it or selling for it- there really aren't a lot of products like you describe.

People tend to value certain creators higher than average- but generally speaking- there's no market for overpriced "luxury" goods when you can create it yourself.

In real life those goods are built out of better, more costly materials. Everyone starts with the perfectly free prim in SL. They're unlimited and have no impact on product cost. Lemmie repeat that- there is no production cost associated with materials. This tends to knock down the market.

The only barriers on production cost are upload fees (done once, forever copyable) and the creators time. You don't have to hire an engineer to safety test SL automobiles. There's no fuel efficiency. They don't even have to have a motor! All of the laws of physics are broken in game and movement, one of the more costly things to produce in real life, is absolutely free. You don't have to hire 50 guys to lay a concrete foundation and raise the walls of your new mansion.

So basically there are two things that separate quality from lesser quality- prim manipulation and textures. The difference between a quality item with excellent prim structure and textures tat bring it alive and an object without is large, but the rice difference is surprisingly small. Most creators in SL create for the love of it, rather than the profit and have no fees associated with selling 1 copy versus a million copies of an item. Even luxury items in SL are priced within the reach of most consumers- the luxury market isn't strong enough to make it more profitable than appealing to the broader market. Here, Target makes a hell of a lot more money than Porsche.

So highly desirable items tend to be limited editions which are very rare in SL. The only reason TO have a limited edition is to increase value- there are no costs associated with selling additional copies of an item. If you don't think you'll get more from the initial offering of a limited edition item than from lifetime sales if you left it unlimited- you're not doing yourself any favors.

Originality tends to be valued more than brand name. Brand names usually indicate quality but not expense. I can say "PixelDolls" and most shoppers will know the style and quality of those goods, which are usually no more expensive than "Rainy Day" which is a virtually unknown brand.

Agree. Status = reputation in SL.

For the most flamboyant toys and stuff, which do little for status because they are only a question of how much you are willing to put on your CC, you can possibly find things that are considered "The Mostest."

For really fancy rentals, consider Hoini, a very exclusive private island. For prefabs, you might consider the "Fallingwater" build, which reproduces the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, as your benchmark. For sexbeds, of course, the platinum Sexgen appears to be the - er- gold standard. Beyond that, I couldn't say, because this is really not my sort of thing, either.

But in general, if you buy these toys, it needs to be for your own wish-fulfillment. They are not very useful at all for impressing others. Show off a L$30,000 item to someone, and their reaction is likely to be: You put US$100+ on your CC - for this?! (Shrug.)

Now, if you made the thing yourself, THAT makes an impression.

I have a degree in social sciences(undergrad), so this social dynamic naturally interests me (especially when we are dealing with a new platform with international appeal). That said thanks for the response.

To purchase something for 200USD in SL that virtually no one would buy because of the price, is saying that you are a part of a class that can afford this. It may or may not be good quality work, but it is the most expensive of its kind. Some have said that anyone in SL can afford anything made. I will disagree. Your real world position in life may dictate your ability to keep up with the Jones in SL. This is'nt a socialist 3-D model, so everyone is'nt created equal.

I read the SL book featured on the site, and i saw a young lady who makes a vehicle that costs 50-100USD, This is what initially got me thinking about the topic. I thought for sure that there would be more virtual material items that would fall under status symbol purchases. Example: if i sold Bentleys for 300USD on SL, the people who purchase them are clearly doing so for the status. It does'nt matter if it is a quality purchase. What will matter to the puchaser is that you know what it is and how much it costs when you see it. Now if everyone says that this does not exist, i have no choice but to believe. Thanks.

If you buy a seriously overpriced article in SL. especially if comparable or even better articles are sold for a much lower price, you'll probably be met with ridicule instead of admiration.
There have been several examples of extremely high (often limited) articles in SL, made by creators of different levels of accomplishment. Generally the trend is that they are considered 'money grabbers' and the actual buyers as 'gullible'. So watch out, buying a highly priced item will usually have the opposite effect of what you're trying to achieve.

Go on SLexchange. After featured items, the offerings in each category are listed by price from the highest to the lowest.

This thread reminds me of how much I appreciate Ace Albion and Jack Feaver. Their homes are of the highest quality, and their prices are incredibly reasonable. Owning own of their homes is true status.

I've been trying to think of the most expensive item I remember in SL. I think it was a L$10,000 pirate ship, which ends up being like USD 38 or something. Then I thought of something far more expensive, which DOES sort of carry a status symbol: land. I think people who own entire sims, or multitudes of sims, or even just big chunks of a sim, might be admired by the average user, as not only does the landowner pay for a)premium membership b)the initial price of the land, but also c) monthly maintenance fees (tier to LL.) If someone, especially, has one or more private islands of their own, everyone knows that the monthly cost is indicative of mega spare change and a desire, a commitment to stay in SL. I don't know a whole lot of people who can afford $295 or whatever it is these days a month just for a hobby, especially if they are just using the sim for their own private enjoyment. Just a thought.

I agree that land is the most valuable 'property' in sl - especially the...

...location, location, location!

My opinion: RL qualifications of status symbols do not equate to SL qualifications



This statement may apply to RL - think trust-fund kiddies in Newport Beach / Beverly Hills...they buy to "prove" their personal worth, status and power (but that's a different psychology study altogether)

But SL - anyone can upload some textures for pennies, and with some creative prim use (use a sandbox if one doesn't own land), they can create anything - the limit is talent and ability.

So, my thought would have to be that what one can DO is the status...not how easily one will throw away perfectly good money in a virtual world.