Taking the fun out of shopping

Lots of self run and startup businesses fail. Virtual ones even more so. McDonalds is always hiring, same with Walmart.

The amusing part is that the vast majority of the content here, especially the GOOD content, wouldn't exist if the creators didn't feel they were getting compensated for the time they spend on it. Some people like to 'create for the sake of creation', in fact probably everyone does to some degree, but producing good solid polished content and supporting it on an ongoing basis is not something you do 'for the sake of it.' That's very very time and resource consuming.

No it won't. I won't change my shopping habits.if I see too much of a price increase, I'll go elsewhere. That designer just lost income.

No it's not. Prices are going to go up and down in-world because of the exchange rate. Doesn't matter if you sell Lindens or not, ignore the exchange if you want, but getting upset about it is just irrational. People have bills to pay and expenses to recompense from making those products you enjoy so much. If you don't like it, maybe SL isn't the place for you.

So let me get this straight:

- You have the right to a constantly falling cost, however
- Those who make the items you buy DO NOT have a right to a stable price.



... Why?

He isn't getting upset, but simply refuses to buy something he finds too expensive, due to perceived increase of price. Since as far as he's personally concerned, it is price increase.

Normal business decision, just like decision of content creator to raise their price due to change of L$/$ ratio was, in the first place. I don't see where you're getting this 'upset' part from...

100 lindens is still 100 lindens. It can stay 100 lindens. thats not a constantly falling cost.

100 lindens is a stable price..and I retain the RIGHT to not buy their products if they raise from that.

I'm not getting upset, I just won't pay increased prices. Businesses fail. Mom and pop stores fail. Virtual businesses fail more often.

I don't really care if they fail and have to close up shop - they shouldn't invest in second life more than they can afford.

well i think it may shake down to that we consumers don't NEED the things for sale. they are nice -- but lets face it -- no one NEEDS your stuff.

Stuff in the real world -- we need that. We need to eat. We need to pay rent or mortgage. We need clothing.

But all that stuff can be had for free in SL. And even if it couldn't -- you don't need it. You can get along just fine w/o spending any money whatsoever.

Now... those of you who have made a real life business out of selling stuff in SL.. you need us consumers. Thems the facts jack. Without us, you'll have to go out and get a real job... err I mean a job that won't let you play in SL all day. I would LOVE to have a job that let me play in SL all day. But I digress....

For a long time, it seems to me the consumer has met the demands of the merchants. As a consumer, I'm not unhappy to see this begin to change. Sorry bout the bad luck but it happens.

i think this is just an example of real world ecconamy in SL...
when the lastist consol comes out they jack the prices up then they come down... same with flexi stuff.. give it a week or two and they will be cheeper... may be not as cheep as counterparts, yet here new... people are like OMG COOOL I WANT... so those who know how to make them or spend manic time getting stuff out in a short time they get the customers... beacuse it's new.. but then everyone else learns it again so it gose back to the ability to make something and price.

it's a constant force of people wanting cheep stuff and people wanting to make more money it's all greed from eveyones part, but with out it nothing would improve.

though prices may or might be going up soon due to dwell removal.. but who knows since sl has been gradualy weened off it. mall rentals may go up due to the mall owners not getting money from dwell so having to rely purly on rentals for income. mall rentals going up might push prices up a bit due to increased mall costs.

i think this is just an example of real world ecconamy in SL...
when the lastist consol comes out they jack the prices up then they come down... same with flexi stuff.. give it a week or two and they will be cheeper... may be not as cheep as counterparts, yet here new... people are like OMG COOOL I WANT... so those who know how to make them or spend manic time getting stuff out in a short time they get the customers... beacuse it's new.. but then everyone else learns it again so it gose back to the ability to make something and price.

it's a constant force of people wanting cheep stuff and people wanting to make more money it's all greed from eveyones part, but with out it nothing would improve.

though prices may or might be going up soon due to dwell removal.. but who knows since sl has been gradualy weened off it. mall rentals may go up due to the mall owners not getting money from dwell so having to rely purly on rentals for income. mall rentals going up might push prices up a bit due to increased mall costs.

As soon as Linden Lab ties tier to the exchange rate, then you may have a case.

In order for SL to exist at all, someone has to pay for something. LL isn't doing this for altruistic reasons.

Those costs, are not changing.

So basically you can be entirely self-centered and solipsist and say "if it doesn't effect me, it isn't real", but...

When it comes down to it, you're just being greedy yourself.

I signed up for 500 lindens a week. changing that before my agreement is up is grounds for starting a civil action lawsuit.

Its not being greedy to say I only judge prices based on in world numbers, whats greedy is whining when people don't want to pay rising in world prices. if you cant afford to make it as a business, you fail. Simple enough.

Vivianne, do you really think that everything in SL can be free?

You do realize that LL doesn't spend hundreds of thousands of dollars per month to keep SL running just to make it fun and free for -you-, right?

Someone has to pay. I think there's a vital connection here that you aren't understanding. There can be free trinkets, yes. Those do exist. But for the entire world of SL to be free, well, if that were the case, SL really, -- i meant it here -- wouldn't exist.

Would say he already has one as long as the stipend amounts aren't tied with exchange rate, either...

and since when is simple decision "it's too expensive to me, am not buying it" ... being greedy rather than simply being business-savvy? o.O;

Vivianne, do you really think that everything in SL can be free?

First of all, you don't -need- SL yourself. You really can take your $0.00 and choose to spend it on another online service.

But...

You do realize that LL doesn't spend hundreds of thousands of dollars per month to keep SL running just to make it fun and free for -you-, right?

In turn, others pay for land fees, tier, etc, to make places for people to go... and create content in that... This allows for the servers to keep running every day. It allows for people who *DO* have fulltime jobs to have it be worthwhile to provide for those who don't want to create for themselves.

Someone has to pay. I think there's a vital connection here that you aren't understanding. There can be free trinkets, yes. Those do exist. But for the entire world of SL to be free, well, if that were the case, SL really, -- i meant it here -- wouldn't exist.

If the stipend ever gets tied ot the exchange rate, I will review my decision to be a premium. In any case, I -still- will only see 100l as 100l, because I don't care about the exchange rate.

Its all luxuries that we can do without, push come to shove. Content provider slike myself who do it for fun will pick up the slack.

Joannah, content creators are seeing the things they make become "virtually worthless". It's not a matter of it being "too expensive". Costs are going down. They aren't going up. But I do believe there's a disconnect:

-There are people who simply think SL and the items in it are not worth paying for.

-However, on the other hand, they're here.

What does that mean? I don't know. I guess it means that the people who feel that "if I can't get it for free, it isn't worth it for me anyways" may pick up and leave.

Jonas, just wondering, what exactly is it that you create, and how much of it?

Do you provide customer service, at all, as well?

Seriously, I'm wondering what that slack is.

You seem to have a real bone to pick with anyone who -doesn't- work at wal-mart, and anyone who *dares* get any compensation for what they do.

Well, was thinking rather if that happened at the moment, it'd actually benefit you... since the same monthly fee would be providing you with more L$ to spend weekly ^^ (effectively balancing out possible price increases of merchants trying to compensate for lesser profits due to increased operating costs)

To some extent, this seems true, in that one of the compelling 'features' of SecondLife is its ability to provide a great backdrop for hanging out and socializing, which are 'free' activities, and that anyone can theoretically build an original version of any item they care to, needing only the occasional L$10 for texture uploads. And that's fine, if you're getting everything you want out of your experience here. Can't fault that.



I'm not sure what you mean, unless those demands are to pay the merchants for their goods and services, which is sort of the whole point. A consumer product sale should be a mutually benefitial transaction; the consumer getting something, and the merchant /artisan being rewarded for their effort, or at least breaking even so they don't lose money in return for providing something in SL.

Merchants aren't exactly holding consumers hostage, though. If Susan Q Consumer doesn't think a product or service is worth the expense, she'll make do without or find a bargain she is satisfied with elsewhere.

Joannah, - plain and simple... regarding that comment... Why do you think, for some reason, that merchants -deserve- to have the hurt put on them?

This is all about schadenfreude. People are getting kicks out of watching someone other than themselves feel the pinch.

I think it's a matter of how you decide to look at things. I said it already elsewhere, but there seems to be two groups in SL;

a) group which utilizes the connection of L$ and real world currency. Either by purchasing L$ with real money, or by cashing out their in-game earnings to cover their real currency expenses, or combination of both.

b) group which does not utilize this connection. Uses in-game earnings to cover in-game expenses, and real-world money to cover real world expenses, if any.

group a) literally "doesn't get" group b. And group b) for whatever reasons doesn't feel compelled to do things the way group a) does.

When you say "costs are going down" you're looking at it from perspective of group a). When Jonas says prices are going up, he's looking at it from perspective of group b) ... and it's that b) group which makes the part of customers that might be possibly alienated by what they perceive to be price increase.

there's nothing more to it, really. But as long as one refuses to acknowledge this disparity exists, thread will really by nothing but both groups calling the other one "greedy" etc.

Uhm. can you please tell me how did you read from that comment that i think merchants deserve to 'have the hurt put on them'? because am genuinely and completely baffled by your comment now o.O;

what i meant was -- as long as stipends are locked at certain weekly value, people who receive them and use them to cover their in-world spendings, are seeing their buying power being reduced when merchants decide to increase their prices in order to cover their increased RL costs. Consequently, due to this reduced buying power, these people might decide to buy less things in game because they can literally afford less.

This is all. merchants make business decisions based on their costs. The customers make their own business decisions based on their buying power. The issue of hurt and who deserves it doesn't even enter here, it's pure and simple economy at work.