Poll: Do You Have a Problem With Distributors?

Not really. The problem is that there are a lot of old krusties on this board who simply will not believe that I don't resell freebies. Whatever. Not my problem.

I'm here for those who are ready to move on to the new and exciting world of SecondLife business - and refuse to be dampened by a bunch of old farts whose time has come and gone.

Why was it ever in your shop?

No, we are aware some where sold. The fact that they "sold like crap" is a good thing. They were never meant to be sold in the first place. So the universe was just balancing things out.

And don't worry about busting my ego bubble. I'm but a n00b at ego bubbles compared to your superior bubble.

Interesting. How long have you been doing this, Herzog? Do you do a good business as a reseller (you don't have to get too specific, I'm just curious if you feel the role of authorized reseller is viable)?

So long as the OP is doing so with the knowledge and consent of the creators, I have no problems with it.

A good business minded person hooking up with some good content creators who don't give a hoot about profit could work.

But doing so on the sly is wrong, and gathering free stuff and selling it for a profit is even worse.

And for the record, selling free stuff for $.02 or less per item is not a profit in my book.

It's been my experience that when a designer sells his/her stuff to a reseller that they do not want anominity but publicity.

Free Dove is a good example. Designers leave small freebie packs for people to pick up. They add notecards and landmarks in their packs in order to gain new customers.

I find it hard to believe that any designer in SL would allow anybody to resell their goods without credit, a notecard, and a landmark to the main shop. I would never allow my goods to be sold or given away without these things.

If I were to use a distributor to sell my products, i would sell a box with a limited number of items inside for a little less than normally. I wouldn't want to give a full copy version to any distributors.

Edit:

Sure, there are advantages to have a distributor system. I, as a producer, don't have to operate a store anymore. All I need is a small vendor, which is selling only to certified distributors.

What you are doing doesn't strike me as being a "distributor" at all.

What service are you really providing to the creator? To call yourself a "distributor" I would think you need to provide at least some of the following:

1. Access to markets not easily served by the creator.
a. Placement in a wider selection of stores.
b. Placement in high-profile sales websites (such as SLEX)

2. Marketing.
a. Advertising on websites.
b. Product placement in periodicals and events, such as fashion shows.
c. Viral marketing, such as the "ROAM" subscriptions.

Notable in all this is that in a proper distribution model, there is no need for the original product to be out of the control of the creator. There are quite a few good distributors in SL. You are not one of them. You are a reseller.

Well, been reselling the MultiGadgets for about a year now. I wouldn't say I'm getting rich from reselling (although the MultiGadgets do tend to sell pretty well and are no longer "out of stock" but I make enough to keep goin' back and restocking (ieAYING Timeless Prototype for his product and the RIGHT to resell them). Most of my money is made by selling my own creations and those I've collaberated on with friends (in which case profits are SPLIT according to the amount of work each of us has contributed to said product), but AUTHORIZED reselling gives me a little extra pocket change and no one gets hurt or robbed of their due credit in the process.

That actually sounds like a good idea. Personally I dont care of people want to resell the items I make; after all, they paid the right to do so. A distributor in this fashion makes a lot of sense.


- Newfie

Wait a minute, Jamie's custom title claims Jamie is "SL's Largest Distributor", but clearly this is not the case. I once climbed to the highest peak in SL, and it was there that I found it: SL's Largest Distributor.

(Okay, I know, long way to go for a lame joke... )

As a 'distributor' I can understand the two sides to this thread.

I am new to this game but run a RL website. I have a proposal with LL to develop a new business model, which I hope comes to fruition.

In the interim I am buying and selling land, trading on the Lxchange and selling commissioned items.

I have no skill in RL as a designer and I know the same is the case in SL. The items I sell on my website in RL are designed by someone else. What I do understand in RL is marketing and distribution. Those are the skills I want to bring to SL.

As a result of my waiting to hear about this project, I am now selling items I have commissioned from creators, in addition to one set of items I purchased from a retailer with resell and copy rights. People with far more talent than I , but not the time or inclination to market the products I have commisssioned. I pay a premium for the right to resell, copy and modify my commissioned items. They are typically buildings, but they are also a few clothes. At present I don't have many items, but will build those in time.

All of my clothes have my RL company logo on them and on some buildings I have that logo as part of the build. Those I commission know full well I am selling, that I am not passing through a commission and that I am offering them on at resell point with only copy and not always modify rights.

I do not have the time, skills or desire to make any modifications to the items I have commissioned and if the designers choose to include a notecard, landmark etc with the items they build, that is fine by me.

I also sell one property, which I do not commision, but receive a discount from the builder, with no copy but resell and modify rights, as I sell alot of these, as my main business is land resell and rental.

Why do they do this? I guess because I pass on building referrals for items I don't have, because I am a good customer and because I am clear about what I am doing. Leaving them to design to my spec. I can't see how anyone would have a problem with that.

Further to that, if this project goes aheead I will be commissioning a large retail building and designers to make over 1,000 items of clothing. All of the building and design work I will commission on the basis of full resell, copy and modify rights. I expect to pay handsomely for it and if people don't want those types of commissions that is absolutely fine. but someone doing what I am doing and intend to do on a far larger scale, is not someone ripping off designers and claiming credit for someone elses work.

I appreciate the comments of selling 'free' items' however if a designer sets an item to resell, but gives it away for free, that doesn't make the person who can find a paying market for it a scrounger. If the designer changed perms to 'no resell, no mod' there would be little issue.

I am sure there are ways around those settings. I don't know how and I don't have any desire to learn, but that is the same as in RL where you can buy a 'Gucci' handbag for less than a dollar. There are always and always will be scammers, it's life. SL or RL. The way to protect those intellectual rights is to watermark. There is a thread on this in texture ripping.

Every area of SL has problems, from selling land by mistake at L$1 to someone selling ripped skins. If intellectual property rights can be proven, I would expect if it mattered then owners would be able to prove and defend their products.

I have seen Coca Cola (tm) cans in SL, should Coca Cola be on here claiming intellectual property rights?

It may well be irritating to see someone selling what you as a designer built and intended as a free giveaway being sold by someone. A land owner may feel the same if they see someone making a profit on land they sold at a reasonable price just a few days before. But that is commerce and commerce is definately part of the SL experience.

I know the OP seems to have a few 'un friends' on the forum, as I have seen their postings being reactd to previously. But I think the original question, not the paraphrased one is a genuine question which from the responses it appears many designers are not comfortable with.

Good info. Thanks.

While you may no longer be reselling freebies, I don't know for a fact either way but I do know for a fact that you are still selling things that were either leaked or stolen and you have no (legitimate) rights to. So please do us all a favor, yourself included, and stop pleading your innocence...either own up to what you've done/are doing and STOP doing it or quite simply, shut up about it.

Juro

As I said, I appreciate the irritation from a designers perspective, with their intention of free for ever.

I do think there is likely to be an increase in this activity because new basic accounts start with no money and no skills. If they can sell a 'free' item they surely will, to earn a few lindens to enable them to play the game without adding RL cash

Wait a minute, Jamie's custom title claims Jamie is "SL's Largest Distributor", but clearly this is not the case. I once climbed to the highest peak in SL, and it was there that I found SL's Largest Distributor.

I didn't say provide access to *me*, per se, just to provide access - to those suppliers.

As a newbie still (or recent anyway)....

When I first started I saw loads of freebies and thought, well they are either rubbish or something that can't be sold in SL, so is probably useless, so I didn't bother.

Then when I started to buy a few items a couple of people pointed me to the freebies and I had a look.

I couldn't understand why they had resell/give away rights as I knew no-one on SL. What I did do was to keep landmarks.

When I had used them and worked out what I actually wanted I deleted most of my freebies, but as I said I kept the landmarks, this means that if I meet a newbie, or anyone in fact, I can pass them onto the site I got hold of the item.

What I am saying I guess is, I assume I had a relatively normal introduction to SL, knew no-one in SL and had no need to 'give anything away'

What I depserately needed from the freebies was copy and modify. The number of times I completely wrecked the original item in my eagerness to 'have a look'. So was pleased I could just delete it and open the copy to start again. The modify. let me break things and find out how I broke them. So were and are great learning tools, as well as being very helpful for what I wanted to do.

It would be a shame if you had to give up freebies because of resell issues, but in all honesty for most newbies the resell/ give away isn't a major issue. What is more important is the opportunity to copy and modify, it is a great service to new SLers. It would also be good if the image of the useless freebie could be dispelled. I am certainly one of the 'converted' and offer the landmarks regularly to people I meet. Sure they may find it easier to have the item itself, but they can at least have a look around SL, and find alternatives with the landmark.

Those who offer freebies, should be recognized by LL as being perhaps one of the most important value added creators in SL.

While I don't think I have ever used or seen any of your creations Juro, I hope you don't give up, as the newbies are ever grateful for these items, even if it takes them a while to appreciate them for what they are, as I did

hello i am software distributor

i buy 1 software and then make 1000 copies

then i distribute each copy for $5

retail is cool! i am big distributor!

I'm a creator.
Yes, I sold Jamie a few items.
And now that noobs are buying them in droves, I'll soon control the grid.
That is all, bowkthx.

There needs to be a clear separation of the check boxess

indicating "give away" and "resell".

As they represent entirely different concepts and intentions.

Things that anyone can give away that is intended as a promo
item can be a very powerful sequence of events for the
creator.

While the "resell" checkbox indicates something that I hear
very few of the creators intending for their items.

I would like to see the option of granting rights over particular
objects rather than being forced to grant general object rights.
Perhaps we could obtain the ability to grant object control over particular peices of land.
It would be nice to be able to "hire people" newbies whoever
without having to give them the keys to the kingdom.
the situation with perms makes it difficult to hire unskilled labor.

On the main topic I have no problems at all with legitimate
distributors. For it can extend the reach of sales as well as the
rep of the creator. I am actally in the process of developing relationships with key people for the purpose of distribution.
The people I am interested in for this role are people who exist in key networks that have positive reputations as a direct
result of what they have done and said in the past.

I am fairly new and I do not know you Jamie however it is certainly entertaining to read your threads.