Second Life Forums Archive - Personal Shopper??

VolatileWhimsy Bu

Registered User

Join date: 27 Jun 2006

Posts: 1,492

08-09-2006 11:44

actually i don't think it would be unethical. The people who hire us, either don't want to spend the time shopping for the perfect outfit or they have no fashion sense. These same people do not want to bother having someone tell them where to go and than try to figure out what to buy. They simply want someone to do it and they don't have to worry about it. but that is just my opnion..

And seriously I do believe we could come to an agreement with some designers about transfer items.. but that imo

Iris Ophelia

Blue-Stocking Suffragette

Join date: 15 Mar 2006

Posts: 138

08-09-2006 11:49

From: VolatileWhimsy Bu

actually i don't think it would be unethical. The people who hire us, either don't want to spend the time shopping for the perfect outfit or they have no fashion sense. These same people do not want to bother having someone tell them where to go and than try to figure out what to buy. They simply want someone to do it and they don't have to worry about it. but that is just my opnion..

And seriously I do believe we could come to an agreement with some designers about transfer items.. but that imo

I mean it's unethical because that should be shared freely. What about newbies who barely have the money for the clothes, never mind the services? Would there be pro bono work for them?

And I'm not saying designers won't transfer stuff. All stores with no transfer items welcome IMs to the owner for gifts etc. My point is that if you do that with a dozen designers for a couple dozen outfits, that's hard to keep track of and you could get ripped off/forget something etc, and your customer will likely have to wait between 1 hour and 1 week to recieve things, because not all store owners work SL like a 9-to-5. With this extended wait time they may panic and think they're getting scammed. You'll also have to keep track of which designers are on vacation or SL hiatus from their individual blogs, because that will affect delivery as well. ^^;

From: someone

would like to point out we actually do a thread aobut the new and undiscovered designers each week.. we need to post our findings tomorrow, we're not done yet..

If you seriously want to do this, you should also seriously consider either getting a proper blog to post on, or getting hired to post on PXP, in the Metaverse Messenger, or somewhere similar, for the sake of publicity, and also for the sake of sparing people who don't want to see the same threads up every week.

Ceera Murakami

Texture Artist / Builder

Join date: 9 Sep 2005

Posts: 7,750

08-09-2006 12:13

There is certainly a market for a shopping service. And there are ways around the no-transfer purchases, too.

When I do sim design jobs or major landscaping/home improvement projects for clients, I'll frequently do a lot of shopping on their behalf. I give them an estimate of costs for a phase of the project, or they tell me what the budget is. Then I go out and locate the items that others make, like pose ball sets, pools and waterslide rides, and animated fish for the lake, and fun stuff like that. If I can buy a transferrable copy, I get it and install it, and sell it with the build. If not, I note the locations and prices, and then pick up the client for a whirlwind buying spree, taking them to each shop, showing them which vendor and item to get, and having them acquire the no-transfer items. Sometimes I'll be designing something and will suggest another merchant's product as a good complement to what I am creating, and will help the cleint to obtain it.

On a smaller scale, I've helped friends shop for anything from erotic pose balls to bicycles. They have been quite pleased, and sometimes give me a generous tip for my help.

All it takes is a good memory for where you've seen good things, and some good taste.

_____________________

Sorry, LL won't let me tell you where I sell my textures and where I offer my services as a sim builder. Ask me in-world.

Tatiana Sims

Just Tat ;)

Join date: 27 Jul 2006

Posts: 429

08-09-2006 12:26

From: Iris Ophelia

Hmmm, well here's my two cents...
I write for a few SL fashion places, though I'm no Celebrity (small or big c as both cases applies XD) People have come to me to help them find stuff, referred friends, even run into me arbitrarily and ended up sim-sprinting for sylfies or what have you. You have to really know what you're doing, because you'll get a lot of tough questions ("Biker boots but feminine, and not Shiny Things' Flower Biker Boots"

. It's not a job for someone who is just starting to explore SL and SL shops, because there's a lot you just haven't been exposed to, and a lot of older material to catch up on. People roll their eyes at me sometimes, I mean I only recently found Chip Midnight's store for heaven's sake. XD
Also, while their would be a market, I think it would be a little unethical to charge for this service, since generally if you IM fashion bloggers and ask for help, provided that they aren't busy, they give advice for free. I've shown people around stores catering to their styles quite a lot, and it's one of my favourite things to do. Dragging Natria Linden around like a ragdoll looking for the rather abstract items fitting in the "purple and black goth but not too....." category was the most fun I've had in ages.
A personal shopping business where you are given an allowance and sent out to buy things for someone is, no waffling around here, a bad idea. You have to be very careful of permissions on items incase something is no transfer. You can IM the creators and discuss paying them and them sending the item to your client, but there's bound to be a delay, and juggling that with multiple outfits could get really complicated really fast. Further more, quality and styles vary so greatly from shop to shop that the chances you would get in deep trouble if you pick out things a customer dislikes are 90%. Especially with things like skins that look different on everybody.
You may also have to help some clients adjust things, point out bald spots etc, one-on-one, to help them achieve the desired look.
I appreciate your idea and your goal, I really do, and you could probably still do it, but it's the kind of job where, unless you watch the SL fashion world like a hawk and really work hard at it, you won't really be doing your customers, the stores, or yourself justice. It's not just a matter of buying stuff then giving it to someone. You both need to make the time to go out and seriously look around, and you have a responsibility to know more than just the popular places, but also the designers and their styles of design, areas where smaller designers group together like Unlimited, areas where bigger designers cluster, like Chartreuse and Tableau, and you also need to be familiar and fast with tool like SLB, SLX, blogs, and the forum search. Having a few helpful people on friends-list speed dial helps too. I often randomly harass Willow when I hit a brick wall looking for something. XD
But again, honestly, I don't think this should be charged for. Tipping? Sure. XD I know a lot of people hate shopping but the fact is that people need to be at least THERE, so they know what they're getting before they pay, or you will inevitably get a few thumbs-down reviews, and may get stuck paying for a bad outfit out of your fees, if you did charge.

Oh geeze!!! I'll just become a dancer.....surely I could manage that!!

Blew the wind right outta my sails! lol Really, ty for your input....there are several points you brought that I had not even considered. That was my whole reason for posting this. Thanks!!

_____________________

Tat

VolatileWhimsy Bu

Registered User

Join date: 27 Jun 2006

Posts: 1,492

08-09-2006 12:37

Tat is the nice shopper, im the evil shopper

Iris Ophelia

Blue-Stocking Suffragette

Join date: 15 Mar 2006

Posts: 138

08-09-2006 12:38

I didn't really mean burst your bubble, sorry. ^^;;;..... but shopping for fun in sl is a LOT easier than shopping as a job. I wouldn't say be a dancer, since I gave up dancing for fashion myself, but... I dunno. XD It always looks a lot easier on the surface than it really is.

Lupus Delacroix

Wyrm Raider

Join date: 3 May 2006

Posts: 695

08-09-2006 12:41

From: VolatileWhimsy Bu

meh you so do to have talent

The same kind of tallent ex wives have AROUND the globe ^.~

Tatiana Sims

Just Tat ;)

Join date: 27 Jul 2006

Posts: 429

08-09-2006 12:44

From: VolatileWhimsy Bu

Tat is the nice shopper, im the evil shopper

That's so not true!! I can be mean too!!!

_____________________

Tat

VolatileWhimsy Bu

Registered User

Join date: 27 Jun 2006

Posts: 1,492

08-09-2006 12:46

From: Lupus Delacroix

The same kind of tallent ex wives have AROUND the globe ^.~

LOL

VolatileWhimsy Bu

Registered User

Join date: 27 Jun 2006

Posts: 1,492

08-09-2006 12:46

From: Tatiana Sims

That's so not true!! I can be mean too!!!

hold on let me think, nope i am the mean one darnit and your not taking that awya!!!
/stomps around like an idoit

Toni Bentham

M2 Fashion Editor

Join date: 26 Jan 2006

Posts: 560

08-09-2006 13:34

This is a service that I thought of once myself, before Katt offered me my current gig. Now the closest I get to personal shopping is when Iris tells me what to buy

I definitely think there's a market for it; the problem, as was noted above, would be getting around the no transfer items. Even IMming the designers to get a transfer version takes time, and there are those designers who would be unwilling to do so, for good reasons. If you could find a way around that, you could definitely get gigs shopping. What kind of ratio you'd have on income vs. time invested, I'm not sure.

BTW, don't harp on the designers for checking No Transfer. They're just doing the best they can to protect their intellectual property given the rather limited permissions system in Second Life. Given that they also have to worry about texture theft and general copycats, and people misrepresenting themselves as working for them, amongst other difficulties, checking items No Transfer means they have one less thing to worry about. If you don't like the No Transfer option, press LL to expand the permissions system and go after thieves more, don't blame the designers.

_____________________

Register today at SLorums.net for great discussions, good features, and a friendly staff - all you'd expect from a good forums site!

VolatileWhimsy Bu

Registered User

Join date: 27 Jun 2006

Posts: 1,492

08-09-2006 13:36

oh I understand no transfer and feel it is their right..
but i figure if we offer additonal lindens and usage of their store for som many outfits they will do transfers i hope

Toni Bentham

M2 Fashion Editor

Join date: 26 Jan 2006

Posts: 560

08-09-2006 14:03

From: VolatileWhimsy Bu

oh I understand no transfer and feel it is their right..
but i figure if we offer additonal lindens and usage of their store for som many outfits they will do transfers i hope

I think probably they will, if you're very polite and explain the situation, as well. I'm just saying that even if they all do allow you to do that after IMming them, the entire process may well be so burdensome that it makes the personal shopping idea less reasonable.

I don't know for sure - I've never tried to do this. But I do know a lot of designers, and that they're often very busy. Often their IMs are capped, and you can only catch them when they're in-world, so there may be many situations when you have to wait a day or more before buying certain outfits.

_____________________

Register today at SLorums.net for great discussions, good features, and a friendly staff - all you'd expect from a good forums site!

Personal Shopper??
VolatileWhimsy Bu Registered User Join date: 27 Jun 2006 Posts: 1,492	08-09-2006 11:44 actually i don't think it would be unethical. The people who hire us, either don't want to spend the time shopping for the perfect outfit or they have no fashion sense. These same people do not want to bother having someone tell them where to go and than try to figure out what to buy. They simply want someone to do it and they don't have to worry about it. but that is just my opnion.. And seriously I do believe we could come to an agreement with some designers about transfer items.. but that imo
Iris Ophelia Blue-Stocking Suffragette Join date: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 138	08-09-2006 11:49 From: VolatileWhimsy Bu actually i don't think it would be unethical. The people who hire us, either don't want to spend the time shopping for the perfect outfit or they have no fashion sense. These same people do not want to bother having someone tell them where to go and than try to figure out what to buy. They simply want someone to do it and they don't have to worry about it. but that is just my opnion.. And seriously I do believe we could come to an agreement with some designers about transfer items.. but that imo I mean it's unethical because that should be shared freely. What about newbies who barely have the money for the clothes, never mind the services? Would there be pro bono work for them? And I'm not saying designers won't transfer stuff. All stores with no transfer items welcome IMs to the owner for gifts etc. My point is that if you do that with a dozen designers for a couple dozen outfits, that's hard to keep track of and you could get ripped off/forget something etc, and your customer will likely have to wait between 1 hour and 1 week to recieve things, because not all store owners work SL like a 9-to-5. With this extended wait time they may panic and think they're getting scammed. You'll also have to keep track of which designers are on vacation or SL hiatus from their individual blogs, because that will affect delivery as well. ^^; From: someone would like to point out we actually do a thread aobut the new and undiscovered designers each week.. we need to post our findings tomorrow, we're not done yet.. If you seriously want to do this, you should also seriously consider either getting a proper blog to post on, or getting hired to post on PXP, in the Metaverse Messenger, or somewhere similar, for the sake of publicity, and also for the sake of sparing people who don't want to see the same threads up every week.
Ceera Murakami Texture Artist / Builder Join date: 9 Sep 2005 Posts: 7,750	08-09-2006 12:13 There is certainly a market for a shopping service. And there are ways around the no-transfer purchases, too. When I do sim design jobs or major landscaping/home improvement projects for clients, I'll frequently do a lot of shopping on their behalf. I give them an estimate of costs for a phase of the project, or they tell me what the budget is. Then I go out and locate the items that others make, like pose ball sets, pools and waterslide rides, and animated fish for the lake, and fun stuff like that. If I can buy a transferrable copy, I get it and install it, and sell it with the build. If not, I note the locations and prices, and then pick up the client for a whirlwind buying spree, taking them to each shop, showing them which vendor and item to get, and having them acquire the no-transfer items. Sometimes I'll be designing something and will suggest another merchant's product as a good complement to what I am creating, and will help the cleint to obtain it. On a smaller scale, I've helped friends shop for anything from erotic pose balls to bicycles. They have been quite pleased, and sometimes give me a generous tip for my help. All it takes is a good memory for where you've seen good things, and some good taste. _____________________ Sorry, LL won't let me tell you where I sell my textures and where I offer my services as a sim builder. Ask me in-world.
Tatiana Sims Just Tat ;) Join date: 27 Jul 2006 Posts: 429	08-09-2006 12:26 From: Iris Ophelia Hmmm, well here's my two cents... I write for a few SL fashion places, though I'm no Celebrity (small or big c as both cases applies XD) People have come to me to help them find stuff, referred friends, even run into me arbitrarily and ended up sim-sprinting for sylfies or what have you. You have to really know what you're doing, because you'll get a lot of tough questions ("Biker boots but feminine, and not Shiny Things' Flower Biker Boots". It's not a job for someone who is just starting to explore SL and SL shops, because there's a lot you just haven't been exposed to, and a lot of older material to catch up on. People roll their eyes at me sometimes, I mean I only recently found Chip Midnight's store for heaven's sake. XD Also, while their would be a market, I think it would be a little unethical to charge for this service, since generally if you IM fashion bloggers and ask for help, provided that they aren't busy, they give advice for free. I've shown people around stores catering to their styles quite a lot, and it's one of my favourite things to do. Dragging Natria Linden around like a ragdoll looking for the rather abstract items fitting in the "purple and black goth but not too....." category was the most fun I've had in ages. A personal shopping business where you are given an allowance and sent out to buy things for someone is, no waffling around here, a bad idea. You have to be very careful of permissions on items incase something is no transfer. You can IM the creators and discuss paying them and them sending the item to your client, but there's bound to be a delay, and juggling that with multiple outfits could get really complicated really fast. Further more, quality and styles vary so greatly from shop to shop that the chances you would get in deep trouble if you pick out things a customer dislikes are 90%. Especially with things like skins that look different on everybody. You may also have to help some clients adjust things, point out bald spots etc, one-on-one, to help them achieve the desired look. I appreciate your idea and your goal, I really do, and you could probably still do it, but it's the kind of job where, unless you watch the SL fashion world like a hawk and really work hard at it, you won't really be doing your customers, the stores, or yourself justice. It's not just a matter of buying stuff then giving it to someone. You both need to make the time to go out and seriously look around, and you have a responsibility to know more than just the popular places, but also the designers and their styles of design, areas where smaller designers group together like Unlimited, areas where bigger designers cluster, like Chartreuse and Tableau, and you also need to be familiar and fast with tool like SLB, SLX, blogs, and the forum search. Having a few helpful people on friends-list speed dial helps too. I often randomly harass Willow when I hit a brick wall looking for something. XD But again, honestly, I don't think this should be charged for. Tipping? Sure. XD I know a lot of people hate shopping but the fact is that people need to be at least THERE, so they know what they're getting before they pay, or you will inevitably get a few thumbs-down reviews, and may get stuck paying for a bad outfit out of your fees, if you did charge. Oh geeze!!! I'll just become a dancer.....surely I could manage that!! Blew the wind right outta my sails! lol Really, ty for your input....there are several points you brought that I had not even considered. That was my whole reason for posting this. Thanks!! _____________________ Tat
VolatileWhimsy Bu Registered User Join date: 27 Jun 2006 Posts: 1,492	08-09-2006 12:37 Tat is the nice shopper, im the evil shopper
Iris Ophelia Blue-Stocking Suffragette Join date: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 138	08-09-2006 12:38 I didn't really mean burst your bubble, sorry. ^^;;;..... but shopping for fun in sl is a LOT easier than shopping as a job. I wouldn't say be a dancer, since I gave up dancing for fashion myself, but... I dunno. XD It always looks a lot easier on the surface than it really is.
Lupus Delacroix Wyrm Raider Join date: 3 May 2006 Posts: 695	08-09-2006 12:41 From: VolatileWhimsy Bu meh you so do to have talent The same kind of tallent ex wives have AROUND the globe ^.~
Tatiana Sims Just Tat ;) Join date: 27 Jul 2006 Posts: 429	08-09-2006 12:44 From: VolatileWhimsy Bu Tat is the nice shopper, im the evil shopper That's so not true!! I can be mean too!!! _____________________ Tat
VolatileWhimsy Bu Registered User Join date: 27 Jun 2006 Posts: 1,492	08-09-2006 12:46 From: Lupus Delacroix The same kind of tallent ex wives have AROUND the globe ^.~ LOL
VolatileWhimsy Bu Registered User Join date: 27 Jun 2006 Posts: 1,492	08-09-2006 12:46 From: Tatiana Sims That's so not true!! I can be mean too!!! hold on let me think, nope i am the mean one darnit and your not taking that awya!!! /stomps around like an idoit
Toni Bentham M2 Fashion Editor Join date: 26 Jan 2006 Posts: 560	08-09-2006 13:34 This is a service that I thought of once myself, before Katt offered me my current gig. Now the closest I get to personal shopping is when Iris tells me what to buy I definitely think there's a market for it; the problem, as was noted above, would be getting around the no transfer items. Even IMming the designers to get a transfer version takes time, and there are those designers who would be unwilling to do so, for good reasons. If you could find a way around that, you could definitely get gigs shopping. What kind of ratio you'd have on income vs. time invested, I'm not sure. BTW, don't harp on the designers for checking No Transfer. They're just doing the best they can to protect their intellectual property given the rather limited permissions system in Second Life. Given that they also have to worry about texture theft and general copycats, and people misrepresenting themselves as working for them, amongst other difficulties, checking items No Transfer means they have one less thing to worry about. If you don't like the No Transfer option, press LL to expand the permissions system and go after thieves more, don't blame the designers. _____________________ Register today at SLorums.net for great discussions, good features, and a friendly staff - all you'd expect from a good forums site!
VolatileWhimsy Bu Registered User Join date: 27 Jun 2006 Posts: 1,492	08-09-2006 13:36 oh I understand no transfer and feel it is their right.. but i figure if we offer additonal lindens and usage of their store for som many outfits they will do transfers i hope
Toni Bentham M2 Fashion Editor Join date: 26 Jan 2006 Posts: 560	08-09-2006 14:03 From: VolatileWhimsy Bu oh I understand no transfer and feel it is their right.. but i figure if we offer additonal lindens and usage of their store for som many outfits they will do transfers i hope I think probably they will, if you're very polite and explain the situation, as well. I'm just saying that even if they all do allow you to do that after IMming them, the entire process may well be so burdensome that it makes the personal shopping idea less reasonable. I don't know for sure - I've never tried to do this. But I do know a lot of designers, and that they're often very busy. Often their IMs are capped, and you can only catch them when they're in-world, so there may be many situations when you have to wait a day or more before buying certain outfits. _____________________ Register today at SLorums.net for great discussions, good features, and a friendly staff - all you'd expect from a good forums site!

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Personal Shopper??