Advice on Sales!!

Thanks Czari, those classes sound great, i'll have too look around for them.

I tend to like the not so poofy skirts, and I don't like a lot of transparency in the skirts either (altho it is a little hard to get away from it when doing wedding gowns, gotta have SOME lace haha), it isn't just the look for me, it's the cost. Not the cost to me, the cost to the sim. I don't like skirts with an ungodly amount of prims (but I don't like system skirts either). Usually my skirts have about 12 prims (less if I can get away with it) although I am working on a wedding gown (which should be done sometime this century) which will have more. I tried on a dress the other day that had 60 (SIXTY) prims in the skirt...omg! I didn't buy it lol... The wedding gown is going to be the only gown which I will be setting up as a 'buy in separate parts' gown (because of the prim cost to put up all the boards for the different parts) so people can buy the parts they want. So yea, we can look for that in oh say..a year:\

Now that the sidewalk sale is over, I have started the restructure/redesign of my mainstore. With that comes the new look of my displays, which I am doing as I go. If prims allow it, the store will basically be nearly set up when I actually make the construction changes so it shouldn't hurt much, maybe for a day hehe...it will probably be at least a week before I am ready for the actual construction changes.

Sales continue to increase, I'm selling at least one thing every day which keeps me motivated (even if it is only a $25L item lol)

And Rhianna, I would say to make what you love, and have fun doing it

One good thing about the freebie groups is the exposure factor- what other groups would u guys recommend- free or not, besides the three we've mentioned, that might give us more exposure?


What other avenues to get out name out there?

nothing to see here

/me whistles and shuffles my feet..... my wedding dress skirt was 64 prims. BUT it is the most stunning wedding dress i saw in SL and trust me i spent a LOT of time looking. The advantage of more prims in the skirt is how how they look when you walk. Now thats mot so important for most gowns... but for yur wedding gown when you walk down the ile believe me it is hugely important.

I think the bride is allowed to eat a few sim resources for their wedding

Ill be teaching some marketing and new biz classes in Sept..just send me an inworld im and ill toss you the calendar.

/me waves at Jojo- I'm interested

Spent some time talking to Kerrypet Llewellyn- she has a freebie blog and will be adding Talon Faire to her listings. I told her about us and that I would be giving her name out so she is warned if you guys would like to conatct her- here is her web page now: http://freebieobsession.weebly.com/gifty-groups.html

That's sound's great Jojo, i'd like to take the classes

Thanks Amaranthim! I'll post that up as a resourse too. I'm not sure why it wouldn't take your name, I do hope you'll try again.

I've got a seperate question for folks here though. What are thoughts on starting a fall line in October, instead of September, or should I just jump into a winter line in November? I missed my Fall deadline due to some RL work issues, so now I'm torn. Any thoughts?

I started my fall line way back in June. Sometime in late July I threw it all away because I had gained a lot of new knowledge and quite frankly what I had done wasn't good enough to suit me anymore. And I've been busy and running a bit late, but I have two things released, one almost ready to do a photoshoot on and one in progress that I can hopefully get done in the next few days.

And because I am too stubborn to learn from past wasted time, I am working on a winter gown lol

haha! well, I have a feeling I'm going to take a page from your book I've got a couple of fallish things, so maybe skipping ahead and taking the time to put together a good solid Winter line is the ticket at this point. (and I know what you mean about learning new things, Even looking at my pieces from a month or two ago I wince ;P)

Logically speaking- I know I should do something Fall themed.. some body kick me...

I never follow the seasons, people are from such a broad global aspect and being we do have those from the southern hemisphere who's seasons are opposite us in the northern hemispheres, I just make whatever strikes me to be made and never follow the seasonal releases

sometimes I will do a holiday special but prolly won't be doing that anymore

I just like to create, if I had to create with a specific season in mind I would go bonkers and not enjoy it

for example, summer is near an end here in the northern hemisphere, however I am working on a new bikini set...

does it matter that it will soon be fall and winter? nahhh, what matters is that I enjoy it and that those who like it, enjoy it too

SL has no set seasons, unless you count the ground texture on some sims (snow/grass, rock etc)

I dont design for seasons, just whatever strikes my fancy. I have so many unfinished things in my inventory I really need to sort out and photograph.

Im working on a few wedding dresses and ball gowns at the moment. Im trying to keep the prim limit down by experimenting. I myself dont like system skirts, they are too poofy for me. If only they were a little less poofy they would be great for wedding dresses that are sleeker.

I want to do pants and such but having trouble with seams matching etc, if anyone can point me to a tutorial it would be much appreciated Especially a Jeans one that isnt made with gimp, gimp doesnt like me and cs2 doesnt have bump maps.

hope every one is doing well

I simply ADORE GIMP! The other fantastic thing GIMP has is Displacement. I use a set of shadow maps and then use the Displacement filer and it offsets the grains of the fabric fabulously.

Yeah cs2 has displacement too, but gimp just keeps turning off for me and my graphite tablet doesnt work either, so a bit upsetting there.

I have just set out some fall rugs and halloween rugs this week. I think esp for decor those items are quite popular and i did not do any last year...but i sure bought alot lol. These rugs can be used as wall hangings, decorations etc so i am hoping getting them out sooner, maybe even ahead of time will help them be of interest.

This is to a tutorial on Gimp but it translates to Photoshop or whatever you are using with a little figuring out I use PSP but finally figured out what was what, this did help me with my seams a bit
http://mistressofdesign.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/denim-jeans-tutorial-using-the-gimp/

thanks for the link, ill give it a go

little different subject....

Saw this in another thread and thought I would ask you all what your opinions are and if you have them at your store


dressing/changing rooms...

Do you have any?
Do you see a need for any?
Do you use them?

Thinking maybe I will add them to my store via a TP that will say occupied when someone is using it (if I can find a way to do that)

maybe made as a small skybox/dressing room with a mirror (which I already have heh)

I have one in my shop right now, only because I had an odd bit of space that I couldn't use for anything else so I hung up a curtain and a sign that says 'dressing room' and stuck a pose stand in there It's cute but in the redesign it will be gone.

I don't sell clothes, so I don't have one as part of my buisness, but I do use them from time to time in clothing and skin shops. I used them more when I was a new player, but even now I use them to save a TP if I am looking at demo skins.

I know its just pixels, but it's not really about privacy for me. I don't like looking a mess or being naked in the middle of a store. For skins in particular, this means I have to take the demo, TP home, and like it enough to go back and buy it. Also, I often find I picked a skin shade or makeup that wasn't quite right so I have to bounce back and forth multiple times if I didn't grab every demo in the place.

Whoa! No hit and run young lady - explanation requied please - I Gimp and have no clue what ur r talking about thanks.

seriously this week keeps bloody sucking!!!!!

I took your advice (and that of the linden who i spoke to about it all) and put the item back up for sale that the creator decided to harass me about and tried to get his group members to join in the hunt. I even put up some in other colour and set them for sale cos i didnt want to be intimidated by him.

Then i got a GREAT blog review about my shop. Our lovely creator had a hissy fit over it (one of the items she blogged was the one he had an 'issue' with), he sent another lovely group notice and finally worked out I am in the group and ejected me.

The blog owner has deleted my great review from her blog Im assuming he spoke to her but I have no idea cos i cant bloody get in world

ARRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

damn E sorry this is happening to you

would you share with us what the item is? (or send a pm/im) I would like to see what has someone else all in a huff.

I dunno why people get so bent out of shape and why others tend to believe anything someone says.

It is sad, but true, if a designer runs to a blog owner saying that something they blogged was stolen, instead of the owner contacting the creator that is being accused, they just remove it and say nothing

I know folks keep going on about how we need to support the creators etc, but what about those creators in E's situation, that are being falsely accused? Who supports them?

It could be any one of us in her shoes, we all create things that are pretty much market saturated... the chances of something similar is very high.

The whole theft thing is another reason I have moved to doing stuff totally hand drawn, no photosourcing (someone else might use the same photo as I would) and no pics to work from other than learning where to place wrinkles etc. all my designs and ideas are from my head, to my hand, to the mouse to photoshop, then to SL. All totally from me, and if anyone ever says I stole something I have my messy psd files to prove otherwise heh

I have seen a tattoo (the actual designer showed me) that was very very similar to mine, I showed him mine.. we chatted and come to find out, we both did a custom tattoo for the same person...

which leads me to this thought...

If you get someone to make something custom for you, and are asking others to do the same thing... shouldn't you share with the designers that you have others working on said project, so no one thinks someone stole their idea or custom job?

If I were having a few people working on the same thing for me, I would make sure they all knew that the others were working on the same thing, including sharing each other's names. so no one thinks the other is stealing or cutting in...