Should I buy mainland or not?

I'm planning to open up a small shop in due time, and so far I've figured the most sensible course of action would be to buy a 512 m2 parcel of land on the mainland. I'm a premium account holder, so a single 512 m2 parcel would be free to hold.

The way i see it the benefits of no running costs and the freedom to fully control my land outweighs the potential risks of ending up next to an ad farm or whatnot.

I'm aiming for creating high quality fashion, probably some of it scripted and/or with particle effects. As such I hope that the relative quality and rarity of my designs will attract customers despite location. Selling at SL Exchange as well would also help to deal with a potentially bad location.


So tell me, am I way off here? Would I be wiser to "buy" or rent land off the mainland? And what's the deal with residential vs. commercial land. Would I be prevented from opening up shop on land labeled as residential?

There are also mall vendor spaces that are perfect for clothing designers.

And to minimize the impact of adfarms, just be selective in your choice of land. Choose a lot in an established sim, particularly an older one. But most important, DON'T RUSH IN! Give yourself a deadline if you must, but search for several days and only buy if confident. If you loose one lot you like, another will pop up tomorrow or the day after. And if none of that works for you, and an ad farm does crop up nearby, create your shop in a skybox.

At least that would be my advice.

A mall-based shop would be a nice addition, but I still think I want a dedicated piece of land as well.

Deadline-wise I'm aiming for opening by xmas, so no hurry as of yet... How do I know which sims are older and/or more established?


Another question: Where should I look for land? I've been looking at SL Exchange, there seems to be some 512's for sale more or less constantly. I haven't figured out how to look for suitable land for sale in-world, any tips on that?

I'll give my opinion on the second answer first .. either use the search function and select tthe apropriate tabs for "mainland/estate/mature/pg" .. define by parcel size or price .. then read through the list offered and maybe TP around. or open your main map and on the right hand side theres a check box "Land for sale" which highlights all fosale plots in yellow with a price and size icon.

first now


By older and more established it's usually taken to mean that most of the sim is already bought and developed rather than 95% up for sale.. then TP there and have a look around . maybe speak with a few prospective neighbours check for eyesores and maybe TP a few of your freinds there for their perspective input.

.. Don't rush these steps .. Happy huntin'.

I've figured out the "Land for sale" -bit on the map, but I couldn't figure out how to actually engage the buying transaction once I've found what I'm looking for. How does that work? I'd rather not missing out on something due to not knowing how to actually buy.

The older Sims are located on the original main continent west of Federal out to the virtual west coast seaboard.

By the way before we get into a debate on which way north, south, east, and west actually "are" in this virtual country, I define the direction "North" as standing on the original main continent virtually looking (though my pixel avatar eyes) (in mouse lock) "North" to the first second continent, that is looking toward the virtual fly over sea where the Linden Labs owned Oil/Prim Rig is located

You may find some of the older Sims have some interesting options such as a 40 meter raise lower land limit, as well as two or three Sims having a double prim count, although overal performance may not be quite as good as the newer class 5 servers

Assuming you have decided to buy mainland..just right click on the ground or click on the plot name at the top of your screen and navigate the purchase dialog..

If it's PI estate then you should navigate to the "about land" as above but go to the second tab " Covenant" this spells out whet you can/cannot do on this land..maybe also speak with the estate owner.


Edit To Add ...You can'y buy directly from the map..you still have to TP out there to purchase.

I don't know about your north John, and hopefully also not getting into a debate about it, I use SLs north as defined by the mini-map

Yes, I've read about the older sims. It seems there is a bit of a list in the SL History Wiki, here: http://www.slhistory.org/index.php/Sim_Histories

I need to spend time in-world and check out some sims in greater detail, it seems.

Nothing beats using your own eyes, and gut feelings. All the written descriptions in the world will not give you a sense of what the sim (and adjacent sims) REALLY look like.

Are there big spinning for sales signs in the air everywhere? Usually a bad sign. Are those parcels chopped up into small blocks (512 sqm or less?). That's an even worse sign that ad farmers may be coming soon. You don't want to buy where all the land around you is also for sale. You have not idea what is coming soon around you. It could be bad, or not the kind of neighborhood that suits your business - which will really diminish your foot traffic.

Find some well-known stores that have been in the business for a while, both in your industry, and related industries. Go check out the areas where they "live." Fly around those sims. Spend alot of time there over the course of a week or so. Do the stores get business? Is there alot of lag in the sim? Are there very many people around? I think you will find that they have a very different "feel" than the carved up sims where everything is for sale. When you find somewhere you like, buy land there. (Turn on "landowners" in the view menu, and all the plots that turn brown are for sale, even if they don't have a visible for sale sign displayed. You can right-click on them to get the info).

And yes, I understand that you want to use your "free" 512 and buy your own land, because you think it won't cost you anything extra. Well, if you end up hating where you are, or if the neighborhood really tanks, you are STUCK owning that land. Can't walk away and get another free 512 until you can sell the first one. And you might not be able to sell it. I would strongly suggest that you rent shop space for a while, until you are sure you like the area, and that your product is going to sell well. If things don't work out, you can just leave when your lease expires with no further financial obligation.

Good Luck!

Princess Ivory

Thanks for the tips, Princess.

I'm pretty much convinced that I should refrain from buying land for a few months at least, to better get a feel for SL. Renting in a mall somewhere for a while could well pay off, that way I won't risk getting stuck with "crappy" land.

I've thought about the possibility to use SL Exchange to test if my wares will sell, would that be a good idea? But then I do still need land somewhere to put the required magic-box-thingy or whatever it's called.

What about estates, any thoughts on the benefits of those, anyone?


PS. Finnish Saunas Princess? If you need expert advice just IM me...

People teleport a lot inworld, "crappy" land isn't a huge issue if you have a good product and advertising streams. Obviously good land is better but if you're in a residential area how many people will just be passing by anyway?



Estates can offer more defined land, such as commercial/residential areas but read any covenants carefully, some have major restrictions (to protect fellow residents) that may not suit you, you'll also not benefit from your 512M tier if you buy estate.

My husband makes more sales on SLExchange than he does in his in-world store. It is nice in the SL Exchange ad to refer people to the store to see the actual furniture. I make a few sales of my own fairly regularly in both SL Exchange, and in our store. I highly recommend SL Exchange. Yes, you do need a spot to put your magic box. What you can do is rent a small in-world store. You can place your Magic Box in the back corner of the store, out of the way.

I'll have to have you come by, and we'll rezz a sauna for you to see - my husband is of Finnish descent, and he modeled this on the saunas from his childhood. It's got hot rocks to make steam, and everything!

I'd steer clear of estate land for purchasing, because you don't really "own" it, it is more like purchasing a leasehold, and you still have to pay tier to the estate owner as well. And your 512 exemption does not apply - you pay full tier - whatever the estate owner chooses to charge you. And the land can be reclaimed by the estate owner, if they so desire. I don't think it happens often, but it is a risk. That said, there are some nice malls and shops on estate land that you would be able to rent space in, and that might prove to be a good option.

Good luck,
Princess Ivory

On SLexchange : I agree it is a great service, but I make far more sales in world than I do there. So, if you put things on Slex and they don't sell that doesn't mean that you won't sell in world. I suppose the reverse could also be true. As for placing the Slex Box, there are mall stores with rent as low as 50-100L$ per week that you could put the box in plus a simple vendor to sell you wares. You could then list the location of this mall space in you slex ad for people who want to come view whatever little space you have set up until you have a bigger space. Oh, and doesn't Slex offer some sort of service for people who don't have a place to put the magic box? Don't know anything about that but might be worth checking in on.

As to buying the right piece if mainland: I agree finding a good plot is better than a bad one, but you are most likey going to get more sales from ads and being listed in places under search than from foot traffic in most areas you buy. Also, you are not limited to having your store in the ground (if ground level is unsightly) Or even seeing the outside at all. Set the TP site inside the store and make it as attractive as you like. Shoppers need not even see your neighbors. "Good" land may have a very high price, and only you know what you want to spend on the initial land investment. If you buy a "bad" plot you can always price it very low and I think it will sell (see all the threads about bots).

Your plan to take your time and look around is always a good one. Good Luck!

Do what Racal said (using the FIND tool)

BUT - You also can open your map and check the "Land for Sale" icon. All the land avaliable for sale will appear in bright yellow. So - if you happen into an area you like, open the map and tick the 'Land for Sale' checkbox to see what's available.

9 of 10 sim will -always- have available land for sale somewhere.

The only issue I have here is that all land is essentially leased, including mainland. Whereas people probably (hopefully anyway) trust LL more than estate owners, if you don't pay your premium membership or tier fees to LL, then you will also lose your land.

I would also visit places where there is no land for sale or very little like the southern end of the 3rd Continent.

Places where people have bought a lot of land to keep the sim or sims attractive.

Some times a large land owner doesn't mind selling a 512 to the right person even if the land is not set for sale.

i`d go to an island and just avoid hell

The single biggest drawback to purchasing mainland territory is the lack of covenants on most mainland sims. With no guarantees (there are so little in this game, anyway...) as to what your neighbors can do, any joker can plop down a prefab casino, packed with camping chairs and lag merry hell out of the entire sim. Or worse...they open a popular nightclub, nd you can't even access your own parcel because the sim is constantly full.
I regret hanging around the mainland as long as I did...I finally sold off all my holdings and decided that enough was enough. Go to a private sim...preferably on an island...and let the seething ghetto of the mainland rot away on its own.

Reputation of your landlord is important too bc/ these things can and do happen on islands as well. A covenant only means something if it is enforced.

I love my island home true but parts of the mainland are wonderful and you have more chance of meeting and getting to know new people.

I like having both and think that is a good solution. Have an island retreat for peace and quiet and land on the mainland to keep up with the pulse of SL.

true, but i`d rather just have my island and visit hell when feeling like it, no ties to it and no adfarms/clubs/etc not to endup with a piece of useless hand

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'm in no hurry so I'll go with my gut feeling once it develops in a couple of months.

Regarding Estate Land, these suggestions are my own opinion but

1) The Caledon Group of islands is both a community and an oasis of well-built virtual Sims. Land ownership there is hard to obtain and I believe there is a waiting list, very unusual in Second Life. Desmond Chang is the owner. Costs are either equal to mainland or at a modest premium. Desmond does not encourage land speculators therefore he usually approves both sales and repurchases. Having said that I both purchased and sold there for good commercial reasons (not connected with land speculation) and was satisfied with the result

2) The Dreamland Group owned by Anshe Chung, and administered by Master Quantro, can accommodate more or less anything ranging from pure residential through to pure business. Again I have purchased and sold there and was satisfied. In addition Dreamland has 24/7 support via employed "Angels" which can act as an additional support layer for most Dreamland related issues. The Dreamland Group can also offer design options for first life commercial businesses

Both these island groups offer single and double prim land together with 100-meter raise/lower land limits. In addition both groups do enforce reasonable behaviour from all tenants, although I would comment that was not necessary while I was present in Caledon

Depending on the type of island management you get, though. Heaven knows there are good managers and bad managers. My first property was on an island owned by a flighty teenager. Not good. The theme of the island changed dramatically when she decide to make the middle of a residental beach island into a WoW battle area.

After a few moves, I'm in one now were the management is reluctant to confront a resident who clearly violates the covenant. Still, it could be worse.