Price Wars

i was shocked today to see a store with good outfits for 20L.They make a motto about designing for fun. Yes most designers do it for fun but the idea of making 20L a wack and haveing everyone buy your stuff for 20 just because its so cheap sounds like a plan, till you think about everyone dropping the prices designers dont get the cash to rent stores ...malls close up and sell...land becomes dirt cheap but nobody wants it because we all live in Second Slum. Keep your prices competitive and help the SL economey growing!!!!

no



Some people just enjoy sharing their products more than trying to get rich off of it, once its done, its free to copy forever, so in a way charging anything is pointless. The only reason i ever charged for any of my products was to make money to pay scripters to put more products in my store. Or else everything would be free.

It seems like it would be a problem but in SL it really isn't. If you make things that people want to buy, they'll buy them, even if similar products are out there for 90% less.

This is capitalism. Thats just how it works.

What chip says, and when you don't ask much you probably won't do marketing. So less people will know about your product.

No this isn't modern liberal capitalism, this is more like

corporatism.

It's also useful to think about the history of medieval guilds.




Issuing free items is equivalent to privileging and other features of the guild system. The king. or Linden Labs, subsidizes and permits the guilds, the top businesses in certaain sectors who "make it difficult or impossible for those lacking their approval...to gain access" -- in one way, by undercutting prices with freebies, many of which serve as loss-leaders to lure newbs into stores where they make more expensive purchases.

this topic has been discussed numerous times under the subject of whether freebies are good or bad. All the same arguments apply to "almost free" items.

Charge what you want, or charge nothing.. and let your customers decide.

Ferran and I give away a few items because we think they are cool and we enjoy seeing people using and enjoying them. We charge outrageous sums for a few items because they represent a lot of work and we want to keep them rare and valued.

There is lots of room in Second Life for multiple approaches.

I share your sentiments Surreal, for me I charge the prices I feel comfortable with, because my goal is that everyone is able to purchase something I make. I'm not trying to market to just one or the other, but rather to everybody. Hell when you can buy a furnature set at the same price of someone else's chair, and it works for you, phhht, go for it.

What you should do is buy a dozen copies of each of those L$20 outfits and sell them for L$200 at your own store.

Haha! Now everyone at work is looking at me because I just laughed really loud. Dang you, Eggy!

That would be a great idea if you wanted someone to negrate you. It would only work if the item wasn't set to no transfer as well.

Issuing free items is equivalent to privileging and other features of the guild system. The king. or Linden Labs, subsidizes and permits the guilds, the top businesses in certaain sectors who "make it difficult or impossible for those lacking their approval...to gain access" -- in one way, by undercutting prices with freebies, many of which serve as loss-leaders to lure newbs into stores where they make more expensive purchases.[/QUOTE]

So Prok, just checking here, when Netscape and Microsoft and now Firefox give away their web browsers for free, or when the Lindens give lifelong access to SL for $9.95, that's not capitolism? Seems like an invesment of intellectual capitol to me.
Also, I don't get the idea that top businesses can make it hard or impossible for those lacking their approval to gain access. If one wanted to invest enough RL money, one could easily access just about anything SL has to offer. Also, usually successful people are more than happy to grant access to anyone who can offer them value. Why would they waste their time and energy on moochers?

I'm not sure what subsidies you are talking about. But I'm guessing the Lindens are rewarding people who offer them value. Again, free market capitolism last time I checked.
Enjoy,
Tagart.

Alrighty, I figure this thread is about me considering I recognize the av who started the thread. Gonna try and do this explaination, or defense, or response as fast as I can. I'm on vacation right now and gotta return to the beach.

1. I charge the "UPLOAD FEE ONLY" as a service meant for the newbies of SL and those on basic account. If any premium account or high earning avatar buys my designs, I hardly feel it would be proper, nor kind, to be prejudiced against them buying clothes.

2. There was no guaranteed success of the shop when I started. It is a pain in the ass to cover marketing fees and what not on your own with the success based the selling of an item by large quantity. For every vendor space I rent, it takes a huge chunk out of my capital. I rented a 150/w spot not too long ago to gain a bit of exposure. I've sold an average of 5/w from that spot.

3. You mentioned before that I should "raise the prices for the sake of the economy." The economy is just fine. If they buy a cheap dress from me, they go somewhere else and use that to justify buying something expensive somewhere else with the "Well, I saved ____ money on this item, so it's ok." Also, Gucci and other designers exist...so... I don't think Wal-mart has crushed them.

4. I do design for fun, I charge what I'm comfortable with. Some of my clothes only take about 10 minutes to finish because of the patterns and textures I've created in the past. I don't feel right about making lots of linden dollars off of a pattern or texture I used in 2nd year college for a design project.

5. You're more than welcome to buy my dresses and sell them in your shop for 200L$ if you like, but you'll be helping me pay for the shop's upkeep by doing so as well as lose the customer when they find out the originator.

6. My prices ARE competitive. By trying to convince me to sell at a higher price, you're trying to discourage competition. My business would only threaten the economy if I could satisfy the entire market demand, and honestly, I don't think anyone can.

Anyways, I'm very flattered that you say my clothes are good, that's a high compliment when the only complaint is a low price.

- Eternalynn Calliope
Owner/Operator of UFonly

P.S. Back to vacation... I'm very sad to say I've earned my first sunburn. ;_; It hurts and stings!

I sell all manner of stuff for all manner of prices: Second Life is a GAME, people. If someone wants to make stuff for fun not profit, then that's up to them. It's how they want to play the game.

Just wondering if there is something wrong with purchasing an item from someone and then selling it for more if its a no-copy. Every business in the world does this unless they are the ones manufacturing the items. I really don't see anything wrong with it.

I don't have a problem with your business, I do have a problem with your "marketing".