What sells on SL ????

The Passport Malibu skin probably cost over 1000L before it got busted by a permissions bug/exploit, at least I think that's what happened, and Starley had to grin and bear it.

I spent a year or so just spending money on and in SL. I bought a subscription, I paid a bunch of tier just to have a place to call my own, I bought a bunch more L$ every month as I needed it, and I don't regret it at all. The fact that since I decided, for the fun/challenge, to create stuff and see how it sells, I've recouped all of that expense (and more), is just the cherry on top.

I don't think I'd be as happy in SL if I'd signed up and been scrabbling for money from day one, instead of just enjoying the "evening vacation" of it all, but some people thrive on that hungry approach. Those people don't tend to need to ask how to make money, though, they seem to have an instinct for it.

I was out shopping this weekend -- at a wonderful store that sells Japanese houses (for way too low a price) -- and this complete noob wanders in. Default shape, default clothes, no shoes, default skin, default hair and what appeared to be a wig chewed by gerbils sticking out of his skull.

Noob: What is this place?

Beebo: A store that sells Japanese builds. Aren't they beautiful?

Noob: How do I make money in here?

Beebo: You don't. You go back to Help Island until you learn the basics of SL.

Yes, that is question number one I always tell them that you have to work to make money (avoiding the camping chair subject, but when it pops-up I tell them that you earn less money in a camping chair, then you have to pay on your electricity bill for your computer to run at that time).

And when it comes to work, better work in real life (earns a lot more!) and convert it to Linden dollars to have fun with it.

And I totally agree with post #8 (Isablan Neva) that you should make things you enjoy. Don't focus on the money, it will come when you have passion and make beautiful things.

Meni.

Well everybody ... do not understand me wrong: I do not have the intention to make a lot of money on SL.
It looks like this is what most of you think after reading my wuestion !!!!

I only want to make some money besides having fun to spend again on SL .. and when you're new you don't know all options to make some money .............

Anyway, I have fun being around in SL and some of the time I like to spend to making money and the rest of the time to look aorund and have a nice time.

My goal is to earn in SL the money I spend in SL.

I'm going to add my voice to the chorus -- find something you enjoy doing in SL, then work out how you can get paid to do it. Don't look for the work first.

If you can build stuff, build the stuff that you enjoy. If you like scripting, script the things that interest you. Take it a step further - if you enjoy the club scene, music, etc, you could get yourself some audio streaming software set up on your computer and try and do work as a DJ.

That you're not looking to make 'RL' money from SL is good - but it definately suggests that whatever you do in SL for your L$, should be something you would have done anyways for fun.

Personally, I never intended to make any money in SL. I was building and scripting because it was pure joy for me. I gave some creations to friends, they liked my work and suggested I start selling it... this month, I paid for my quarterly premium and my tier, out of L$ I made in-world.

I guess what I'm saying is build, make, sell, whatever gives you the most satisfaction and joy. Your heart will be in it, the L$ won't be as important, and you'll have more fun.

-Atashi

Less than 1% of SL residents do that every month, but it can be done. I haven't had to buy any L$ for well over 6 months, and my SL income provides all the financial needs for myself and a handful of alts. I even take out enough extra cash each month, earned inside SL, to afford a modest restaurant meal with my family, once a month or so.

But then, I probably spend 30 to 40 hours a week, every week, doing stuff related to SL, and most of that time is directly related to what I do to earn money in SL. So if I wasn't having a lot of fun with creating stuff for SL and seeing other people enjoying my efforts, then I'd certainly be better off financially just dumping SL and getting a second job.

I like what I do in SL, so though the pay isn't much, my SL work does pay for all of my SL playtime.

I agree completely that if it isn't fun, there's no point in doing it in SL. You can make more money doing things you don't like in RL.

That aside, go to SLX (http://slexchange.com and look at products of the types you think you could make (scripts, textures, objects, whatever). See if there are popular products where you could make a comparable product at a better value (either, higher quality or lower cost). Then go for it.

Something that's really quite a lot of fun and doesn't require rocket science is jewelry. There are free scripts for making the bling, though you may have to fiddle with them to get what you want. And there are numerous tricks for working with tiny objects (look for a thead about tiny prims, I believe it's a sticky in the building forum).

Buy a few textures to start with (for example, molten metal textures you can buy very cheap on SLX). Find out the program folks use to build TGA files with alpha (for transparency) and find gemstone images to use, or buy them. Or find free ones, no doubt they're out there.

The rest is marketing. Sell it inexpensively, so folks don't have to sweat whether to buy or not. Women (rather, female avs) have a nearly insatiable appetite for accessories! If you have an artistic bent, it's a great way to start learning building techniques, and you don't need a lot of room to do it.

Oh, learn how to turn your select beacon off (in preferences) or you'll go batty looking at the dots when focusing on tiny objects. You also have to learn to handle your SL camera well (viewing objects from all directions and zooming in and out).

Goodness, I needed to hear that It makes me feel rather better about my business. I've been here since November, am in the black, have made back all the money I have ever spent on SL--including the copy of Paint Shop Pro I bought, and I now have enough saved for a tablet. But I'm hardly one of those "makes a solid second income" sorts that seem to be talked about in the media all the time.

Still, I suppose by the above standards, that makes me a success story, but I never really intended to be. I just like fiddling with things, and SL gives me an opportunity to be creative with my absurdly eccentric interests (um, 19th century athletic attire and vehicles? Who would have thought?).

To me, in the end, Lindens are just applause. Someone is saying "I like what you made". And that's a wonderful feeling, really.

*...fade to early '05, a dark conference room in Nova Albion*


Desmond: "See, I got this great idea, guys. I hope you like it. It's..."

FIC Banker #1: "Just get to the pitch."

Desmond: "Okay, okay. Virtual antiques. Nineteenth century stuff."

FIC Banker #2: "Virtual... antiques?"

Desmond: "Yes. Old things. Fine things..."

FIC Banker #1: "You've got to be kidding me."

FIC Banker #2: "No. Wait. I see it. The kid's got an angle. Sex, right?"

Desmond: "Ah, not actually. No sex."

FIC Banker #1: "No sex? A casino then. Riverboat gambling club."

Desmond: "Mmmm... no. No casino."

FIC Banker #2: *facepalms*

FIC Banker #1: "Des, look buddy - help me out here. What's your angle."

Desmond: "No angle. None at all. I just need some PG land."

FIC Banker #1: "Hey. Why don't you try making guns. Come back with a plan."

FIC Banker #2: "Do you know how to get by in this world at all?"

Desmond: "Thank you for your time, gentlemen."

*sound of door closing*

FIC Banker #1: "Well. That was a laugh! What a waste of time."

FIC Banker #2: "Yeah. S'alright, I got a guy wanting to develop 80k meters of mainland telehub land on line one.

For everybody who didn't drink the "virtual millionaire" kool-aid, that is usually the goal. Being able to generate some spending cash and cover your tier has always been the gold standard in terms of SL businesses. A few people get lucky, but the best most ever do is cover tier.

The economic statistics page:
http://secondlife.com/whatis/economy_stats.php
gives you a good idea of what in-world businessess are doing in terms of revenue. Approx 1165 people are covering tier on an island sim and less than 200 are actually earning what would be considered a living wage.

I completely agree with this above poster. This is what separates good builders from the talented ones in the end game. Listen to this advice people. But then again, when you gain experience in building and scripting there sky is the limit.