How to Stock a Store?

this is probably a really dumb question, but im new, so bare with me. Ok so i want to rent a shop to make money. How and Where do i get stuff to put into my shop? i couldnt find anything on the SL site that explained where to get items from or how to price them. i would love love LOVE information on how to get a store up and running starting from scratch. thanks so much. hope i get some feedback soon@!

Hi Nessa- Welcome to SL. While there are so called "Biz in a Box", generally they are not highly recommended. For one thing- it is more of the same. Stores are generally filled with Creators' own content. Check out this page: http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dfz3dk33_0d2dvsbgx Then go look at the advice on Sales thread on this forum, /327/ac/274749/1.html

Good luck and enjoy your SecondLife -

Some places do offer affiliate vendors where you can earn 20-30% of sales, so a few of those might be good, although you really are best to create your own product to sell and then rent a few stalls rather than pay heaps of rent for a large shop in one place with only 2 or 3 products.

Most people make the stuff that they sell in their shop.


Don't bother buying a BIAB (business in a box). It's basically full of old product that can be gotten for free.


You can try finding stores that allow you to sell their products as an affiliate. I've only kind of heard of it but I don't recall seeing any kind of store like this.

Hire someone to make stuff for you. Probably very expensive to start this way.

One of the beauty of SL is being able to create your own content, that is what most people do. As mentioned, there are also creators who have affiliate programs.

While there may be some legit business in a box, I would stay away from them. The ones I have seen are stocked with stolen content. So, be aware of people trying to sell you full perm items claiming they made it, I have read several horror stories of unsuspecting people ending up paying big money for content they legally have no right to be in posession of.

Another route you may want to look into is someone who is seeking a business partner and link hands with them.

Well, good luck!

Here's the thing, there are probably 20,000 others like yourself who want to open a store and make money. That means you have lots and lots of competition -- supply far outstrips demand. Why should someone buy your "Business in a Box" stuff, or buy your commissioned vendor, when there are thousands offering the same thing (and probably better advertised)?

If making money was as easy as 1) rent a store, and 2) sell some stuff you get for free and/or "Business in a Box" (and almost every "BIB" can be found free if you look), 3) count your profits, then everyone in SL would be rich.

Ok I know I'm sounding mean, and that is not my intent. I'm trying to explain why its just not that simple. Like most things, Second Life pays for the effort you put into it, there is no getting rich quick in Second Life, just as in Real Life.

The way to succeed is to learn how SL works, and then provide either a desirable service, or make items that are unique that people want. You can't sign up to Second Life today, open your store tomorrow based on stuff you find, and be rich (or in fact make any money at all) the week after.

The great thing is that if you do put the effort into it, you will reap the rewards -- it may not be in $L, it may be in new skills you discover, finding new ways to use talents you have, making new friends -- and perhaps a few $L.

Making money is what a lot of people want to do when they enter Second Life, but it's one of the hardest thing to do there. If you only want the L$ to spend inworld, then it's better to register a credit card or Paypal account with Linden Lab and buy currency.

If, though, you want the experience of running a store, then I echo what everyone else has said: don't buy Business in a Box (BiaB) items. Instead, learn to create your own items. Believe me, it's far more rewarding when that little blue dropdown box tells you someone loves something *you* created enough to want to buy it and wear it or put it in their home.

What are your interests in First Life? Do you like fashion? hair? architecture? jewellery? Learn how to create something you're interested in, otherwise it could end up becoming 'just another job' for you, and the majority of us are here for enjoyment, not to get the same feeling as we do in RL when the alarm clock drags us out of bed to go to work!

Start by doing a search for "Ivory Tower of Primitives", then head over there and take the self-paced building tutorials so you get an idea of how building works in Second Life. The classes won't cost you anything. You can also search for "New Citizens Inc" and head to any of their areas to look at the big tutorial board there; they hold classes in a lot of things, building included.

Lastly, good luck!

Yup...I agree with everyone here, absolutely.

Your best bet if you really want to try and open a store....is work on creating your own stuff.....anything.....It will probably take a bit of time for you to learn and find out what you're really good at. But....that's pretty much how it works in the real world too....ya can't just pull things out of your and put em up for sale. (well maybe on ebay)

Anyway...I went thru this when I started SL too.....I got fed up with how betty-boop'ish all the shapes were that I saw in other shops....and worked on my own shapes until I was confident enough to open a shop. Then I bought a small 1024 parcel of mainland and rezzed a cool little building and made my signs and decorated the shop... and it did pretty good for, oh, about a month. LOL (not recommended doing shapes, as most people would rather make their own since it's such a personal thing) Incidentally...I discovered as a new shop owner that it was way more cost effective to own my own parcel and one main shop....then try to rent vender spaces.... I never ever made as much as I paid in rental spaces. The best thing I found was to make my shop searchable, have a clasified and also just rent add space in popular sims.

But...you get the idea. Business in a box....no....at this point thats a scam because all that stuff is either gleened from freebies or already being sold by 5000 other people who had the same idea and thought they would make money. The key here is be original...offer something that noone else offers.....creat create create (but mostly just have fun in SL!)

*strips*














(Hey, why isn't anyone else naked?!)

Pictures, please! *smiles*

If you build it, they will come.

While you are learning how to build, script, etc. to create your own products, you could fill part of your shop with commission vendors. The Apez vendor system allows you to obtain free vendors and sell other peoples products, earning a commission on each sale. Most of my products are available this way as are products made by many other creators. There is a sign in my store that will give you a notecard explaining how to do this.

What? they will squat and sell their stuff from your shop?

Very well wrote.
Agrees.