Land Selling 101 and "Land Swooping"

Recently, a large number of "Land Swoopers" have flooded into Second Life. "Land Swoopers" are an unethical, greed oriented group of individuals who make it a predatory practice to purchase land which was not intended for sale to them. Linden Labs is not in the practice of defending land sellers who make errors, instead is upholding the rights of "swoopers" to continue with this horrible practice.

How do "land swoopers" operate? It's simple. They use the "Find" "Land Sales" list. The list is set to sort searches by $L/sqm. The list is then refreshed frequently, as much as every 30 seconds by some diligent swoopers. Land listed for sale below fair market value will appear at the top of the list. When this occurs, the "swooper" can teleport and buy the land in a matter of seconds, often leaving the seller and the intended purchaser standing on the land in distress. Linden Lab has NO SYMPATHY for these situations, folks.

In order to combat this practice, here is a list of things to know about selling your land.

1- If you want to sell your land, do your homework first. Anyone can sell any amount of land to anyone at anytime, but this is often the cause of problems rather than the result of of rights and freedoms.

2- Ask for quotes from your friends, your neighbors and reputable land sellers.

3- Once you have arrived at a price, do not check the sale box unless you plan to sell it to "anyone". If you plan to sell to a specific person, then before setting the price, use the "set" option, enter the name of the intended purchaser and hit "select". This way, only that person may purchase your land, at whatever you price it, without the fear of being "swooped".

4- NEVER EVER EVER set your land for 1 dollar. This is like giving your land to the swooper for nothing. If you intend to gift or transfer land to a friend or a person in trade USE "0", because only you or they can buy it, and/or it will provide you with a safe window of time to set the name of the intended purchaser.

5- Read the dialog confirmations clearly and methodically, double check the name of the buyer and double check the purchase price. All to often, zeros can be neglected and the land can be swooped up at 10% of the intended sale price.

6- Buyers, it is incumbent upon you, while buying someone's land to clearly explain the need to use the "set" option before checking the price for sale box. Often the buyer is more aware of the land tools than first time sellers, so you MUST be sure that the seller is aware of them.

I cannot emphasize the importance of this posting, because the number of "land swoopers" is on the rise, mainly because of LL policies. Education is the only reasonable defence to combat this at this time, until LL wakes up to this issue.

Thank you, Weedy.

Truth. I got swooped the other day. I got my land back for an unsuicide inducing sum but it was still rather insulting and frustrating especially since the original swooper cheered at their "good fortune". I understand we left ourselves open to it, but no, we got no outside help for the predicament. It may not be against TOS, but its distinctly unethical.

I'm really sorry for your situation, which has become all too common these days. I think it's reprehensible that the "swooper" would "cheer" and collect money for an error in transaction that was solely intended between your own group members.

Weedy, you are a land swooper yourself who had the steam taken out of you when LL reversed its policy of letting land go public.

While you may have held yourself to a higher standard than other "swoopers" you employed legions of land scanners to fatten your pocket.

Sour Grapes.

Ouch. I have a few scanners laying around myself, actually. I don't have the time or energy to sit around SL constantly refreshing the land for sale list though. I should probably get rid of all those 16m2 lots now that the public land is gone. Or maybe I will put signs on them as part of my "JUST SAY NO" campaign.

Funny how thats exactly what landscanners do..and the OP was the user of those from what I recall.

Hypocrit much?

Put up Impeach Bush signs maybe?

JOKING!

This post is the one of the most hypocritical I have seen, (it rivals the lady who suggested boycotting the reserve land auctions and then went on to reserve 50 odd herself). Weedy you are the biggest swooper I have witnessed in the game, what are you harping on about?
I have used the find land feature to try and find cheap plots to sell on for a profit, often when I do I find yourself and several other familiar names already there! If you remember you have even arrived on a plot I was buying, rezzing on my head and getting the plot before me! I think you don’t like competition.

If you read my post instead of jumping into personal attacks, you might understand.

NEVER EVER have I taken land from anyone that did not sell to "anyone". NEVER EVER have I taken land from some that was intended for someone else. Your accusations will end up as abuse reports if you continue to suggest that I do, what it is I am trying to put a stop to.

This post is about people who take advantage of other trying to do business, such as forgetting to use the "set" option, selling for 1 dollar to a friend or group land transfer etc.

Reported for personal attack.

A land swooper is someone who takes land from someone that did not intend the sale to take place. NEVER have I bought land from someone that did not intend to sell it to me.

If you wish to continue to accuse me of this, I will continue to report you for personal attacks.

Great post, Weedy. I'm sure this will prevent problems for many residents.

Okay, I jumped the gun, apologies!

I took it you meant anyone who is hunting for cheap plots via find. What you actually have an issue with is people exploiting inexperience in selling land, not understanding the 'sell to' feature, and getting ripped off as a consequence. This I agree is bad.

landscanners are worse though because they cause lag too.

Weedy, are you saying that if the sale price is set to ZERO and one accidentally puts their land up for sale to ANYONE that noone would be able to purchase it--that there is some type of protection designed into the About Land dialog which precludes a sale unless SET to a specific person or group?

Yep.

Crooks who STEAL land from unsuspected newbies or user who made a mistake, are just low life garbage. And if SL does do anything agains them. i sugest a NEW group to fight those scumbag any we can.

Like maybe posting a list of swooper and conduct an in game boycott campain and fill out petition for SL to BAN thos undesirable parasite individuals from the the game once and for all.

A mechanism that will require the seller to approve the sale once it's made will of course get ride fo the problem. How long wil it take to SL to implement that?

SL is quick to react to event posting that goes agains they rules but it seem they are not as fast to ban from the game the real undesirable scumbags.

Land swoopers are stains on the SL grid and need to be clean up once and for all.

The OP used land scanners, mectron, so they are being hypocritical in their comments. That being said LL already gives a confirmation window. They ask you if you want to sell to anyone for X amount of lindens. So, they -already- have a mechanism to improve the sale. Only people -not paying attention- will put their land up for swoopers. Even a newbie can read the warning...


Lets not bog the process down anymore, k?

good post weedy. i'm sure LL will fix this as well. after all they have already shown good judgement in ending the land scanner exploitation.

Has anybody here even tried to put up land for sale? The dialog boxes and clicks you have to jump through are really clear. They ask you if you really want to sell at that price and if you really want to sell it to "anybody". You have to agree to that before the program will allow your land to be sold. And if you agree to that you really can't bitch that you got scammed. You didn't. You repeatedly said you wanted a certain amount for the land and you agreed to sell it to "any one".

this is not a rational thread about land sales. weedy is still reeling from the loss of her land scamming oops scanning business.

OMFGROFL!!!!

ROFL, DUDE!!!!!!
ROFL!!!!!1111111

I'm wondering.. would you still be angry about this whole swooping thing, if you could automate the process with some sort of scripted item which told you where and when to swoop in?

What does one call an ethical greed oriented individual?

Great post Weedy, this is a geniune post from Weedy who through this shows that she really is against "swooping" on someones mistake. I have rezz'ed at the same as Weedy several times and we both have had the chance to purchase a quarter of a sim for 1L but instead have spent the time educating the land owner on how not to lose their land for a buck. We all love a bargain but it shouldn't be at someones mistake and through this post I hope some people learn.

Cheers,

Manny