Buy As Gift Option On Vendors.

Is it possible to 'script' that into a vendor without needed outside database or resources?
Im trying to make a vendor but dont understand the requirement for this feature.
Do I need a website or lol *something*

Or is it an in world scripting secret that I have to hire some-one to do for me and it remains his or her secret?

Its something I really want to offer on my new venture vendors.

Any feedback is as always appreciated

Thank you

<- Has it covered

it's possible, yes.. but none of the implementations are entirely perfect.

The EASIEST solution is to make a version of your product that is no copy/yes transfer. Then the gifter can buy the product with confidence, that the gifteen will receive it, as soon as they give it to them.

But let's assume you want to gift a no transfer item.

The problem in a scripted solution, comes in needing the Key of your giftee. Most people SIMPLY don't know their friends keys. (most people don't know their own!). There isnt' a simple llName2Key function (though external 3rd party databases have been built).

The best way I've seen.. is to vend a specialized "gift certificate object" this certificate object is no mod, no copy.. but can be transferred. On rezzing it, (or wearing it) it says "touch me to redeem your gift". clicking the object contacts something similar to an update server. Which then "gives" the purchased object to the giftee. There are some downsides here.. particularly because there's no way to verify delivery. (admittedly, delivery seems to fail about 5% of the time.. so a few manual fixes shouldn't be a major issue.)

Once the request to deliver the object has been sent.. most gift certificates would self expire. (delete themselves perhaps). there is one way you could verify delivery.. and that's to have the item, when it arrives, come in a box. That box, on rez, would send out a "I've arrived" message, which would trigger the gift certificate to self delete. Of course this system CAN be gamed. (rez gift certificate, touch it, take certificate. rez box. give gift certificate to friend.)

Frankly, the most secure idea is probably to have the gift certificate delete it's own contents (script), rather than llDie (since you can't llDie an attachment). Have it delete contents the moment the "success" event is received from the update server... and then you only have to deal with a few, rare "didn't get my item" issues.. rather than dealing with 200 pirates sneaking off with your item, for the price of one.

ANother way, is to MANUALLY PROCESS a gift certificate. a no copy, no mod item.. that has certain properties that you will recognize. Selling the gift certificate to people, who then give it to the giftee.. who gives it back to you. Then they make a list of the items they want, and you manually give them the items.

I've got it worked out, no worries. And it does work.

Lilly, sent you the part of the script you asked me for, even packed it into a cool lil' laptop for you to play with..hehe

I've tried to make one of these and making it secure was a nightmare, though. I'm pretty sure there's no secure way of doing it, to be honest. Although I don't want to post all the vulnerabilities I found for obvious reasons...

Building off of Winter's idea . . . what about giving a gift certificate, NO COPY that must be dropped at the vendor from which it is purchased. Then, when the vendor receives it, it gives the product to the one who dropped the GC.

This would seem to me to eliminate some security issues . . . Or is there something big that I am missing?

Baron H.

Jack Hathor's Vendors have this feature. You click the gift button, and say the name of the Avatar you want to give the item to in roomchat. The vendor then delivers the item directly to that avatar. I think they only thing you need to do this is a Name2Key function, such as offered at www.w-hat.com.

At least one vendor I've seen asks for the name of the giftee, then uses a sensor to locate that person, get the key, and deliver the item. The giftee has to be in range for this to work.

How does the vendor verify that the item that was just dropped really is a gift certificate?

Ah, there it is. Good question.

And regarding the Name2Key and w-hat, that assumes that the recipient has made it into their list. For brand new avatars, this is unlikely.

I guess I like the sensor and the "need to be present to win" as the most "reliable" so far . . .

Baron H.

Here's one way.

-touch gift and select "open gift" from dialog.
-gift emails the gift server and waits for an answer
-server pings back the gift
-gift calls the now verified working server again with request to send the Item to the touchers key and self deletes the gift object (and the script inside to avoid attachment no die hacks)

You can put the 'buy as gift' option right in the vendors without needing names or keys.

This can all be done in game. Though it will require a simple prim email server.

You can also build in some simple gaming catches based on volume of gifts and av key to auto shut down.

(the default 'Open' option in the pie menu is one of the worst thought out things ever...it breaks everything...for the love of dog a simple llOpenMenuOption(FALSE) would be a good thing...a work around is to put the scripts in an invis child prim that complete covers the gift to trigger the touch menu and to have Nothing in the root prim. People will still use the open pie menu even if you spam them not to in FULL CAPS with sound. Also note you might want to multi script the gift/server to avoid the 20 second script sleep sending an email produces...[ATTN LL : prim to prim com please. rly])

I never understood why there is not a Name2Key function. You can get a person key by searching for their name and starting am IM session even if they are not online.

Moopf Murray has a vendor with gift-giving options, specifically to get around the problem of trying to purchase a no-transfer item for a friend.

I actually used to use the "gift certificate" method a long time ago. I had a scripted gift certificate that was nocopy/transfer which could give the recipient a copy/notransfer item.

I eventually gave this up because of dup exploits on nocopy items. I don't consider SL's DRM system particularly secure, and having a system that relies on LL's ability to make sure BOTH nocopy and notransfer worked as they should was a bit too risky for my taste.

I think the right solution to this problem is to get the Lindens to implement a Buy->For Friend feature. That solution would definately be easiest to use for both the customer and the seller, would not rely on an external (possibly incomplete and out of date) database, be completely secure, and would be fairly easy to impliment.

I posted a list of features SL really should have (including this one) a while back:
/13/a7/104417/1.html

Interesting discussion.

There are currently 3 methods to do "gift vending" in sl.


1. Gift Certificats
2. Gift Vouchers
3. Key Lookup Gift Delivery


1. Gift Certificates are most usually a fixed amount and redeemed manually, the process can be automated but requires vendors specifically written to do so.

2. Gift Vouchers, each item has a voucher created that can be transfered, this voucher can then be redeemed either manually, or most often automatically for delivery of the item. The voucher is then disabled from further redemption and stamped with the name of who redeemed it.

3. Key Lookup relies on the key being found in one of the databases outside SL, they currently contain over 1 million keys. But brand new accounts most likely will not be in the databases. There is a libsl program to do key lookup as well, but it requires a system that can run the libsl program and be attached to the internet.

Thanks Guys.
( Thrax in particular made me the TRU catalog and that was a huge undertaking no one would touch for 8 months )

Yeah seems I assumed it was easier than I thought.

Have seen the gadgets that send you a av key off ppl on your land in case of griefers have seen th evendors with the Buy As Gift and assumed I could 'have me one built'

The vendors Baron are making are kinda unique to what Im selling with counters at the top and such like so I couldnt just go buy one from some-one else it had to be custom built.

Anyway we've decided on a system where by they have the option to buy for self or as gift if gift a dialog pops up asking them to type the name of the giftee when they do the dialog will confirm the spelling they then press yes to confirm or no to retype.

Once that process is complete their input is sent to my email addy and I will just send the item manually.

Its no biggy I cant imagine on a % scale too many ppl would buy as gifts the product my alt is selling... but its always wise t keep your options open

Many thanks again to all your replies, always makes me smile watching all your clever scripters debating the best way to do ABC ( meant in a nice way )


LB

There is always SLExchange.. which has a built in "Buy as gift" option. Of course your buyer has to be on SLX for that to work.

In the end.. it's up to you. Personally I like the redeemable, self crippling item, that uses relatively proven "update server" technology to do it's magic. Of course there are a few glitches in relying on something like that 100%, but I figure it will be 90% effective... leaving 1 in 10 gift certificates needing to be manually processed. There are ways to make it more secure (having the GC email you it's key and the ID of the redeemer when the attempt is made, having the update server email you when it's delivery attempt is made) etc.

That at least creates a papertrail.. and a little careful searching of your emails can reveal an ongoing fraud.. should the same key show up twice.

Not so, Thrax - there are FOUR. Number 4 is:

4) The Together Store Card System - totally in-world and totally automated, and yes, it does allow gifting/card transfer.

I have a gift voucher system (buy gift voucher, give it to friend, they set it down and it asks them to redeem), that I recently compleated. It's being used right now at the Avilion Mist store.

I haven't explored the other two options in great detail yet as I get sidetracked on making other toys...


EDIT:
-----------------------------------
That is still only 3, the Together system is an automated gift certificate system. Which I covered in #1.

Yes there would be a number 4 but it hasn't been created yet and that would basically be a generic gift certificat. Where they buy the card and can then go use it at one of several different stores.

And as for all of the systems I quoted, the only one that needs an external connection is #3.

Your system, like all Gift Certificate systems, suffers from a rather large problem. Which is why I created a gift voucher system instead. You can't buy someone a specific no-transfer item.

#3 on the other hand suffers from the problem of requiring instant delivery, personally when I buy a gift for a special occasion I want to deliver it personally.

If you had seen it or knew anything about it you would know that it is absolutely NOT a certificate system. Please get your facts straight!

*Reading back it appears that you are simply "knocking" the Store Card system (with incomplete knowledge) in order to try to promote your own less capable/innovative system. I have many customers who would testify to the total incorrectness of what you have declared as "facts" about the TMC System.*

Gift Certificate -

1. Buy a Certificate that has a linden value
2. Give the Certificate to someone as a gift
3. They go buy something at the store the Certificate is from and redeem its value



Store Card -

1. Buy a Card that has a linden value
2. Give the Card to someone as a gift
3. They go buy something at the store the card is from up to its value

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Yes you're right, I can see where I was mistaken in categorizing the Store Card as an Automated Gift Certificate system.

As for knocking your system to promote my own? I don't recall ever stating your system sucked, or that it didn't work, nor did I say it wasn't innovative.

What I did say was that people do like to buy specific items as gifts, and they like to be able to deliver them personally, and that was what my system was built to support.