Another one to look at (^_^)

I just got word of this site from an SLU thread. (^_^)

http://www.cariama.com/marketplace.php

Their basis seems to be that they offer services on multiple grids and don't charge a commission fee. I'm yet to read their FAQ to see what their business model is, but, here's another on to take a peek at while moving away from XstreetSL. (^_^)y

Freebies or theft: Lesser of two Xstreet evils?

A friend of mine was shopping for a specific hair style. She hops around the stores, checks out the blogs, and takes a peek at XstreetSL. All happy things. (^_^)

... Until she runs into a hair with one maker name as the creator and another maker's name in the description. (=_=)
https://xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=1882815

Wonderful! This seller can sell Sirena hair! \(^o^)/

That's not all...

https://xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=1890286

ETD, as well. How do I know? (^_^)





It's one of my most commonly worn hair styles. Practically the first one I ever bought when I started working out my style in SL. (^_^)

I put up a mention in SLU. What do I get? First response...

https://xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=1955982

A link to some bold sonova**** who blatantly puts "Redgrave" in the item description, as if to PROVE it's stolen. Well.. Probably to draw attention to the product so that it will sell faster. I mean, what better way to sell stolen Redgrave boots than to list your stolen boots under the search term "Redgrave", no? (^_^)

So, this is the XstreetSL that Linden Lab gives us. An outlet that's being rid of the "freebie clutter" to make room for perfectly honest copybot thieves who price their items accordingly so that they break minimum commission and are assured sales since they're undercutting their competition by hundreds of L$. Of course... Don't go and say that their competition is the exact maker they're stealing from. That would require Linden Lab to, you know, take action? (=_=)

Bleagh! DX

I haz a grumpy nao. (>.<)

Where I went (^_^)

Since Xstreet has gone the way of Wal Mart, I have since pulled out and focused on other things. Mind you, Xstreet sales almost never made anything for me. I see myself as a cottage industry. I make a couple styles of glasses, a few more styles of doll keys with my own scripting, and a nose piercing. I'm not a heavy full-time content creator. (^_^)

So... With that, I don't really sell much. My main store pulls in about L$1200 per month, I had a mall location in LicoLico that was more of a landmark provider to my main store and cost me L$600 per month. And, Xstreet was my publicity engine where I was lucky to make L$25 per month. (^_^)

In the end, I'd usually walk away with L$625 per month. My stipend alone beats that to the ground. (=_=)

So, what to do? I still want a publicity engine. I still want a website. As Kyrah mentioned in a comment to one of my prior posts, there were currently 4 other options:

http://slapt.me/

http://apez.biz/

http://meta-life.net/

http://metaverseexchange.com/

From the looks of things, they're all good choices. Slapt and Meta-Life have the nicer looking web pages. I found Apez to be too dark and MetaverseEx resembling a site from the early '90s. So, as a publicity engine, I was biased toward the pretties. (^_^)

Slapt seems to be having some back-end drama. I'm seeing a friend on Twitter mentioning that he was dropped as a group admin so that gives me the feeling that they're still going through growing pains. (>_<)

So, what I was left with was Meta-life... And, that's who I've set up so far. (^_^)

http://meta-life.net/second-life/marketplace?merchant=Imnotgoing-Sideways

So... For now, I have my little butt planted on Meta-Life. Actually, taking a look at things, I've already made a sale! \(^o^)/

Setting up on the site was pretty easy. I like the method of getting a password from an inworld object. That just makes for one less thing for me to think about. Listing items was considerably trouble free. So far, I like it. I'm going to tinker a bit with the vendor system... It'll take some prim cutting on my part to do so, but, I can do it. (^_^)

I still have to look into the other sites, but, for pretty and publicity it looks like Meta-Life is a good choice. (^_^)y

Alternatives to XstreetSL

Just read Kyra's comment on my prior post where she included 4 website names. Thanks for that. (^_^)

Just to give them more visibility, I'll add web links here. =^-^=

http://slapt.me/

http://apez.biz/

http://meta-life.net/

http://metaverseexchange.com/

I plan on visiting each one (Plus any others added in comments *hint hint*) to see which one I'm gonna plop my little cookie jar on. =^-^=

Doubleblow! XstreetSL this time. DX

Okay... Not only is the Mentor group being shut down. Now XstreetSL is going to charge fees for item listings below certain price thresholds. (=_=)


Second Life Blogs

Freebie listing fee = L$99 per month. (=_=)

Non-freebie listing fee = L$10 per month. (=_=)

Minimum commission on non-freebies = L$3. (=_=)

So... The hopeless cottage industry seller has no place here. Honestly, I've made little to no money from listing my items on Xstreet. I put my freebies up there and they move like hotcakes. Really, the one place I've had the best sales experience is my own little inworld 510M parcel, which is paid for by my annual premium membership. (^_^)

Really. I see no need to rely on XstreetSL any more. Once I get home, I'm pulling all my listings and tossing my bloody magic box. I've heard my unwelcome and accept it. (=_=)y