Selling Items In SL - Question -

I'm fairly new to SL and have a question about selling items - (this may not be the proper place to ask this and if not apologize)

Do I need to be a paying member in order to sell items? and what is the best way to go about setting up to sell?

Thanks in advance for any help!

No you do not need to be a paying member.

You also don't have to have anything of quality to sell - though it is appreciated if you do.

Some people will set up some alts to do selling, others creating, and others to play and socialize. Chances are the one that is a paid account is not the one doing the selling in such an arraignment. But you don't even have to have -ANY- paid accounts to sell, or even to buy.

Hi, Sunny. Anyone can sell things, you do not have to be a paying member. The best way to get started is to make some things! It is generally frowned upon to try to sell freebies that you get from others - in fact, you may be reported to the original maker of the the freebie and get in some trouble.

So, the most common path to sell things would be:
> Make a bunch of things
> Rent a store or just a "vendor" in a mall
> Set your things for sale. Avatar accessories - clothing, hair, etc. are usually sold from a picture that you click to buy. Houses, furniture etc. need to be tried out to sell, so they need to be rezzed and then (usually) you buy the item from a box or vendor.

You can also sell items out-of-world from SL's commerce website, XStreet (https://www.xstreetsl.com/).

You can sell anything -- objects you make, land that you have bought, your time, your talent at cybersex, things you write.
.

What I'm thinking of selling is art - for ppl to hang in their houses - made out of my own rl photography - I learned how upload them to sl and then convert them into 'hangable' peices of art! Not sure how good they will sell, but I figure worth the chance, just wasn't sure how to go about it.

If you've made them into "hangable" pieces you're most of the way there. The simplest thing you can do is to edit the object and mark it as being for sale, using the settings at the bottom of the "General" tab in the edit box.

It is most important that you set the correct permissions for your work: whether can it be copied, modified or resold or given away.

Do also remember to distinguish between selling a copy of the object and selling the original object itself.

The tricky bit is finding somewhere to display and sell them from that actually attracts your potential customers.

Art galleries in world are a great way to display and sell your pieces...but you don't even need that.

You can list your items for sale on XStreetSL. The only thing you need in world is a friend who will let you put the one prim XStreet "magic box" on their land. This is the thing that holds your inventory and dispenses it when someone buys one on XStreet.

IMHO, the best frame is a one-prim beveled frame, which is easy to make.

Rez a new box. Texture the whole box using a texture for the frame. For an easy starter, try "rosewood", which is a built-in texture (in your Library).

Drag your picture onto the TOP of the box.

Flatten the box (mostly) and resize it to match the aspect ratio of your picture.

In the Edit panel, go to Object, and increase the values for X and Y taper. (I think the term is "taper", but if I'm misremembering, try the boxes until it works.)

Bingo. Not what you asked, but there you go. Of course, there are lots of variations. I strongly recommend you sell the box with "mod" permission, so the owner can resize it or change the frame texture.

Of course, you'll need a place to sell. That means you'll probably need to rent a stall at a mall or marketplace, so you'll need some capital to start. The biggest problem is that it's a challenge to sell enough (especially at first) to cover the rental on the stall. Every now and then you can find places that are offering space for free, either to get a new mall started, or as a public service. Keep a sharp eye out for these, and for groups that help find them.

Of course, there's also XStreetSL, as mentioned above: that's free (you pay a commission on each sale) and it's a good way to build up capital for a shop and test-market new product.

Good luck

This thread has been in existence for quite awhile and is a long read...but LOTS and LOTS of great advice for those just getting started in becoming a merchant:

/327/ac/274749/1.html

Have you been to Riverwalk in the Metis sim? It's a very well-known gallery exhibiting several artists:

http://world.secondlife.com/place/851de062-70e4-b280-bc0b-4858bcbc9aeb

It has also attracted some satellite galleries down the river a ways. You might join the group and network a bit with other artists there to find out the best way to market your work.

If you had mentioned the word "Art" in your thread title (e.g. "Tips for newbie selling art in SL?", you might have attracted the attention of Ghosty Kips and/or Jig Chippewa, two very different people who are both involved in the visual arts scene in SL.

Certainly take a look for the freebie Frame Wizard from Crystal Gadgets. Make your prim with your art on it, drop this freebie script into the prim and then touch the prim. It makes your frame, and lets you choose the size as well as several different frame styles. Once you have it the way you like, confirm the selection and it deletes the script. *BAM* framed 1-prim art.

Then, if you want all your art to match, change the texture on the one side with your art, take a copy, rename. *BAM* ... done. Shampoo, rinse, repeat.

Look me up in-world if I can assist you in any way. I'm a RL photographer, and naturally a SL photog as well. I'll be happy to share any of my tips and tricks with you.

Lita

/adds Lita's name to her mental cheat sheet of artists in SL