Selling on Xstreet just got more expensive

If you search like what - most to least expensive?

You didn't seem to continue reading to where I said 50L and less items should have their own section and so should freebie items.

Yeah, one could say Google knows a thing or two about how to search.

Not exactly rejoicing here....will have to do some tweaking....it's in the tweaking where the benefit lies....if people would take a look at the whole picture. I don't have that much stuff up....just a small sampling, but was going to add some more, as time permits. Will just have to be really sharp about what to add, now.

If the amount of profits that you make on Xstreet don't seem like a value....or if the listings don't seem to bring people to your store....that's a separate issue than a listing fee.

Mickey maybe some people have been sort of in denial or have been allowing themselves to string along listing things that don't profit or don't sell often even for free. But that's also probably kept them in game, paying tier or shopping for other people's items.

The more things that discourage the bulk of the user base the worse it will be for LL and for the shops that user base buys from, in my opinion. You can't sell to ghosts.

Depends on how people search, but when I want something, I don't put in any parameters....and leave it wide open....black leather jacket. If I have to search in two different spots....will probably choose the over 50L spot. Not all people will search that way.

So improve the search engine to suit all or most, as many as possible.

Why does that mean charging people to list freebies? Seems the lazy way out.

I would think that getting out of denial, and tweaking your business to produce a better outcome would make it much more enjoyable to go in game.

Unless you're talking about people who do it just for fun....but like I said...there are a ton of ways you can make it fun in game, and hand your stuff out.

Some will see it that way and adapt. It just seems a dangerous curve LL are skirting lately.

They will end up driving out the hobbyists.

I'm not real comfortable using the word "hobbyist"....I think that if you do some soul searching, many hobbyists would truly want to see profits from their efforts.

If you're in it to make profits....there will be curves tossed out every other day. It's hard to have a discussion on this....because everyone seems to be separating people into two categories.....those who are "hobbyists".....and those who manage a business for profit. Wouldn't that involve two entirely different thought processes?

Just make it a different product, a "special edition" only for XStreet, with an extra notecard included explaining why its more there and where to find your stuff in-world. Or throw in a freebie item along with the main item to make it different:

In world - Dress
XStreet - Dress with matching freebie shoes.

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In general, economics never stops working, despite the Linden's apparent lack of understanding of this point. Sellers on Xstreet will do the math, and if it costs more to have an item on Xstreet than to have a one prim vendor in-world, then guess what, people will move in-world. And how expensive will it be to set up a website thats nothing more than pointers to in-world vendors? It doesn't even have to mess with magic boxes.

You can pull up a web page internally in the SL client, so all you need is a website with decent listings and search functions, and a SLurl. Voila, TP direct to the desired vendor. Cheap listing fees to cover overhead.

Some enterprising people will set up massive "malls" that are nothing more than a bunch of vendors to pick up your items at, with no landing point set so people can arrive right at the correct vendor. If they are smart, set it up as multiple levels on an island, so the vendors are spaced out and you dont have to rez much within your draw distance

Example: Items spaced 10m apart horizontally, and levels spaced 160m apart vertically = 625 items/level, 24 levels from ground to 4000m altitude

I meant that is how LL sees anyone but the current major brand names in SL, or so it seems this morning.

But no, not everyone wishes a profit; some are content with a virtual sandbox. (And no, not really, to answer your question - not if realism is important.)

I'm not a major brand name, and I have no problems with how LL labels me. I don't have a problem with them changing things up now and then, and tossing out curves. Curves are learning tools. You can only benefit from those.

For those that are content with a virtual sandbox, that's fine....I respect that. If I weren't having financial challenges in RL....I could use it for that, too. But what is confusing, is that those who are preaching that they create for others, and that it has nothing to do with their own pocketbooks....are the ones who freak every time a few cents is mentioned. What is that about?

Because even altruism costs money? Charity costs money. I've tried to address that question in the 2 or maybe 3 threads on this topic. But you're asking a question that's a bit leading. I keep saying it isn't about the money, necessarily. The money isn't the point. The future is.

From strictly a consumer standpoint, seems to me one of the first things they should fix before attaching fees to anything is to revamp that funky ass search engine. I'm not a browser, I can do that inworld. Usually I do my xs street shopping while I'm at work and I am looking for a specific item. I don't have time to wade through hordes of unrelated items. When I type in wedding bouquets for example, I don't want to look at everything with the word bouquet in it. Same thing with the inworld search engine.

I believe if they make the user experience easier it would generate more sales. Another suggestion, make the list of merchants easier to find. Example: type the word weapons a drop box appears listing the most common weapons used in sl. Then perhaps a sub-drop box listing those merchants that matches that particular item. I do realize there are a lot of vendors that make a variety of products and this suggestion could be daunting. However there are alot that don't.

If they made things easier to FIND, then it would likely increase traffic and sales as a result they would see increases in "their" commissions.

Additionally, I was part of the population boom of 2006 and as a new citizen I recall things were very expensive and the availability/quality of freebies was next to nothing. I applaud those over the years that have shared their products to either market their product or simply for the joy of just sharing. Nothing wrong with either approach. I believe demos are very important because it allows the buyer to "test drive the product" before committing to a purchase. This too ignities sales and possibly retention for the seller.

Because the bottom line is like irl, the fees will eventually be passed on to the consumer.

I'm asking the question straightforward...even more straightforward, WTF? What is that about?

They promote themselves as Philanthropists, and altruistic gods, while some of us are working our butts off in the store, even more so, because we can't afford to give stuff away, unless we are able to pay our bills first....and we are handing out stuff too. Marcel and some others can chime in on this....but I hand out tons of product every week, and the only way I can afford to do that is to go inworld, and work my ass off, otherwise I won't have a piece of land to do it on, or the time to do it.

Not directed to you, Melita....but anyone who is in a tizzy about handing out their free stuff, and not being able to compete against a merchant who is making a profit, and not wanting to pay for land to do so....Do NOT tell us that we are not contributing to SL, unless you have spent time in our store group, and see how we run things.

Not sure what you are referring to, but keep in mind people are upset and spouting off or letting off steam on this the latest of the surprise announcements, while the main goal is kept hidden from most of us. Based on guesswork a lot of us have to decide to stay or go, spending a lot of real money in the process, toward an uncertain future.

I should post again when I'm rested.

There are no separations between people who have to decide what to do. We all have to decide that.

Every future is uncertain....no matter what world you live in.

I, too, can't quite figure out what this is about. I don't understand why it's difficult to grasp that somebody who makes some stuff available for free might be perturbed that they are now expected to donate cash to LL each month for the privilege of giving their stuff away. I have no idea what the creators involved think about this, but I'm thinking of script classic such as the Sit Target Positioner, or the SALT HUD. I'd be pretty aggravated about it, if it were me.

(Yes, I know LL may yet consider some relief for such items. I don't see how they can tell the promotional freebies from the philanthropic ones, but in any case: didn't happen yet. I don't expect it to.)

But that's not actually the larger risk, as I see it. And in fact, as I understand your business and that of Marcel, it's precisely your kind of endeavors that I see threatened by LL policies now--with these little XstreetSL fees just the most obvious (and petty) examples. Maybe you guys are already big enough that you're on the sunny side of the line; if you're Gold Solution Providers or Recommended Application Providers qualified for the SL Work Marketplace, then you're all set. Probably if your stuff is featured in Linden offices and showplace displays, you'll be okay too. If not... well, there are now whole categories of customers for which you are no longer allowed to compete.

Lol- Lord Sullivan......it must be Christmas come early for you, ....what with LL handing a nice chunkable size of their Shopping site business on a plate to yourselves and Metaverse for nothing!.

Priceless!

There are plenty of avenues to hand that stuff out through, so I'm not real clear on what the uproar is. I thought Xstreet was a "Marketplace"....not a Freebie distribution center. I suppose it was both.

Some of those who are handing out freebies, are saying that they can't put in the investment inworld to provide land for that....understood. Resources are required. Correct? We agree on that? Then why should they have a hard time understanding that Resources are required in a "marketplace" as well? Why is that so difficult to understand? It's the whole core of their complaint.

I don't see my efforts threatened. I built my business through my customers, and not through LL mechanics. I think that anyone who thinks that LL can threaten their customer base, with a few policies that most customers will never even know about....might need to spend some quality time with their customers.

You have to admire those sneaky Lindens....all the talk & discussions on Xstreet Commerce Forums were about how to lessen the amount of Freebies listed and how to tackle ripped content being listed blah blah blah....and right under our noses they slipped in the most devastating of policy changes : a 10 L per item per month listing fee!!

It certainly knocks out the little guys (Mom & Pop stores). I don't plan on giving LL a couple thousand each month just for listings.......i'll trim my items down to about a 1/4 or 1/3rd.....and focus loading those items on Slapt.me (a lot are there already) and Metaverse.

SL Boutique (later Onrez) and SLEX were small independents that became hugely successful, no reason why those 2 new alternatives can't make it too!

I simply want to know why the old SLEX performed much better searches, had much better forums, made much better sales with about a quarter of the items listed....and was not charged 10 L per item for a listing.

I want to know why a small independent business managed to achieve all that....whilst a fairly large company continues to score own goals with policy changes!

I personally am waiting for LL to ban the other shopping sites via risk API once they figure out how much their little policy change is going to cost them.

Actually, that's the weakest point in the rationale given for this whole change: the marginal cost to Linden Research of listing the SALT HUD on XstreetSL and delivering it in-world for the next decade is somewhat less than I pay for a latte at Starbucks in the morning, or 60 seconds of the average fully-loaded Linden salary. There are some good reasons to de-list freebies, but hosting costs ain't one of them.

If XstreetSL had never been available to use for that purpose, yeah, there'd already be other, nearly frictionless means of their distribution, and there will be again. I agree with that. What's interesting and germane about the change, however, is that it was made with no consideration of that aspect of SL whatsoever--and I believe that's consistent with other recent changes (notably in the Estate land market), and indicative of what's ahead.
Except that if LL succeeds in moving the direction they're trying to go, those customers are no longer desired participants in SL. Oh, they may pay the bills during the transition, but the writing is on the wall, and it says "Exit". That's the whole point.

Taking a still longer view, however... past the point Nebraska implodes and the current management team is out on the street, having squandered the entire marketing budget for two years... then, yeah, those customers will be welcome again--assuming there are still lights on in the datacenters.

Darkness, for those like me who don't have a clue what this means.. please? ('cause am in the midst of my own move out of Xstreet)

I don't see that it's going to cost them anything. They are going to be better off. They'll have a lot less stuff to host and they'll be receiving 'rent' for every item. However, that won't stop them from banning alternative off-world shopping places. If any of them actually take off, they'll be serious competition and shopping at them is highly likely to be banned. They'll invent an ultra-sensible reason, of course - no doubt including the 'fact' the users have been asking for it.