Does anyone offer free services for newbie designers

Is there anywhere for new designers in SL to advertise and display their designs free of charge.

I know they can use Slexchange and other external sites and just pay a commision type charge on the sale but is there anywhere in world that offers the space and place for new designers to showcase their products and to help them gain the experience and knowledge.

Designers may be very talented but not so fortunate to have the money to invest in land or rentals to have their own shop

Some may only have 1 or 2 products and see no return on their investment from renting or owning land.

Some may be deterred or lack the experience and knowledge of how to promote their products'.

I constantly read and here about residents asking questions on how to do this and how to do that, but to actually promote their end product what do they do?

I don't get out much to explore so I would be interested if anyone knows of such a place or places that allows would be designers their first step into the market place without taking on the usual commitments of rental or buying.

The Shelter offers free vendor space to New Residents under 90 days old that wish to sell their creations. The primary restrictions are 10 prims, and items for sale must be created by the seller, and PG in nature.

If you're interested, contact Reina Quine in-world, and she can get you setup. There's a limited amount of space, but spots constantly come open as folks reach 90 days old.

Fhelzgud has a FREE PUBLIC YARD SALE in Sammamish

You are allotted 20 prims. It doesn't get to stay very long...maybe 3 days, but you'll see when your items have been returned and can go put them back. It also helps to add them to your picks for some preferences not normally offered.

Travis

thanks for that, I am not personally interested as a) I am to old and b) I have more than enough land.
I am trying to get some feedback because I do think there are a lot of would be designers that just don't design because of the lack of help or personal circumstances.

You mention the Shelter helps but accounts must be younger than 90 days and the prim restrictions are low at around 10.
That would still limit new designers IMO, as it can take more than 90 days given real life commitments etc to even start putting together any kind of design or product portfolio.

Thanks again, I shall take a look later today.

Anyone else know of anywhere?

Without starting a new thread, I would also like to add if you are a designer what are your thoughts and experiences.

Edit: Reading my post back makes me sound like a researcher, my reason for starting this post was to see if there are ways in which I can use my own resources to offer help to new startups.

But that sounds like Free as in Free products or Free to place your products?
and do you know if the person placing the objects receives the Lindens if products are sold?

I am really looking to see if there is anywhere for designers regardless of age are able to promote their products, a bit like an artist in RL would promote his/her paintings in the local Town Hall for a month.

There are established designers who offer free display space to newer ones, although there's usually an application process and a time limit. The only one I can think of at the moment is ETD, but I know there are more.

Cheetah's mall will be opening an area soon for new designers who do not have shops anywhere. We will allow them to feature their products for a limited time to get their "feet wet" as it were...These spaces will be ONLY for new designers. We should have the program ready in a few weeks.

I'm a designer. I started out selling my things out of a hippo vend in my front yard of rented estate land. I know how hard it can be. Some people who believed in my clothes gave me a leg up. I'd like to help others get started.

I can't find a slurl to post right now, but it's Cheetah's mall in the halfclaw sim.

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"CX"

If you have a vendor, you can place it in my shops. Contact me in-world tonight.

Danielle

This is exactly my line of thinking, I have the land and certainly the prims and may be I can use part of this to help aspiring young designers.

After talking to some friends this morning they showed me some of their new products and I was amazed at the level and quality of design. But they said they only have external sources like SLex to sell them. Not great in my opinion as I would also like to be able to see first hand some things that I am buying.

Like your idea, this would only be for new designers that have no current place to sell or promote their stuff and the only stipulation is that everything must show that designer as the sole creator.

I shall take a look at your Mall you shamelessly plugged on my thread (LOL).

Is anyone aware of any groups set up for this to act as a kind of information portal for new designers on where to go etc?

I have made some searches but its dificult to define the criteria.

Thanks but my thoughts are on putting together not just one person one vendor but perhaps as many as 10 or maybe 15 people in an area, that I have not decided upon just yet.

have you ever thought of giving away some of your items to well known bloggers?

Alsos what about the fashioncon group?

Nope and would never consider it, as a designer and builder I would not want my stuff freely distributed, give away as a free gift for a promotion or something maybe but not to just give away to bloggers.

What I don't understand as a house builder, by giving a house away how this would help designers to promote their own products in order to offer them the space to set a small stand or something for people to view what they sell.

Did you reply to the wrong thread or did you misread the other posts?

I am looking to offer a large piece of land free to new designers/content creators so they can try their hand at starting a small business and learning how to design and sell their own goods in SL.

You weren't exactly clear on that

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"CX"

Giving items to bloggers is a marketing promotion, since if they like it and post about it, you're getting influential free advertising. You're quite right, though, that marketing won't help if you haven't got a shop for people to come to after they see the blog posts.

I found a very pretty little mall last month, Kaizen, that offered rent-free shops to newbie businesses; I didn't notice the prim limits, but I do remember there wasn't a time limit on it.

Well thats very generous, I wonder how they promoted themselves and if they actually filled their places. I will have to take a look.





CX, Just to note I think it very unprofessional of you to plug your own place on this thread.
No where in this thread did I promote or mention my own business, you have offered no constructive comments or added anything of any value other than to promote yourself and your business on a perfectly good posting that was created by me to try and help less fortunate people. In case you are not aware and feel the need to advertise your place then use the appropriatte forums not other peoples posts.

I then stand properly CHASTISED and all previous offers are now withdrawn. I was offering my place for FREE - GRATIS - NO CHARGE - No one that has any items at my mall were requested or required ever to pay anything.

"CX"

Wow. Just wow.

I'm not sure what role you intend to play in this "thing" you're putting together, but you've been rude to at least 3 people in this short thread. Maybe you need to rethink your approach to people before starting this venture.

CX, I'm sorry you were spoken to that way. Your offers in the past and present have been quite generous. I hope you'll continue to support the design community in the manner you always have.

Edited because I am obviously in a bad mood,so never mind.

SLEX is actually a _brilliant_ venue for new designers, not just because it allows you to sell without having land, but because it helps a lot with marketing - new products automatically get highlighted in one of their sections, and you can buy banner ads there relatively cheaply. As a guideline, when I made my first product that had any popularity, it initially made far more sales on SLEx than it did in world - in-world sales were greater over a period of time, but people had to find me in Search for that, whereas SLEx helpfully made the items much more visible. So, do sell on SLEx, and put a landmark into your product box if at all possible (of course if you don't have a shop yet you can't do that).

I do know of several free places, but unfortunately you're right - they tend to support new SL accounts, not older SL accounts who have only just gotten started as content creators. You could create an alt, but I applaud your honesty in deciding not to do that.

Rioko, the problem is not with paying the tier for a small shop, but with the costs associated in getting people to come to the shop. Advertising is difficult and not cheap, especially with the mangled interpretation of classifieds used by New Search. Also, actually building a shop can be a lot of work, and it isn't something that you want to dash off quickly because it can affect perceptions of your business. The best venues to start with are rentals - not in malls, but in existing large shops. Only a few such shops do this, but if you ask some shop owners verry nicely, you might get some interest. Many of the big name content creators have at least some products which are actually made by other people but resold under the big brand name in order to increase popularity!

I looked into doing this at the Forum Hangout (aka the Place Which Shall Not Be Named), and I probably will set this up, perhaps I'll work on it next week. Here's what I found out:

-- As this thread mentions, most of the freebie vendor spots are restricted to Newbies. The most visible (NCI's mall is excellent, and there is also the Shelter's that Travis mentioned), are both newbie-focused. By the way, if you are looking for some great policy guidelines, NCI's are in their application kit, which is in a freestanding vendor in their mall.

-- The most valuable thing for new creators is feedback. A weekly show-n-tell or a suggestion box which goes along with the vendor would be very helpful for them.

-- These areas really need to be paired with a zone that already generates traffic.

-- The default vendors you provide should really provide a demo copy, no matter what the item, as well as notifying the creator when the demo is "sold". For furniture and prefabs, that implies a temp-rez or holo vendor. That way, even if the shopper doesn't buy, the creator can perhaps get feedback on why.

Good luck!

Just to clarify on Travis' post... (We changed it without telling him **grin**)

the Shelter offers new residents 120 days or younger a 90 day lease to a vendor stall.

The limit is actually 14 prims, which is plenty to put up a sign with your store name and 10 'vendor boxes'.

Some even get high tech and will use an OnRez vendor or similar to display even more products.

Hi Larie,

No, these are items of your own that you place and reap full profit on. Not free items. Although it is stipulated I think that the items cannot be resell which I see is not your purpose anyway. I placed some items once and although I didn't get any sales, I do have the option of putting them back there. The only drawback is that they don't stay in place for more than 3 days. I did buy a couple of things from vendors there however. )

Good luck! There are some excellent options here in this thread for you!

hi all,
regarding Fhelzgud'Free Public Yard Sale in Sammamish;

It's free.
no splitting of profit or sales.
no club(s) to join.
rules are in the pads just left click the pad.