Marketplace/Sellers FAQ

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Marketplace help topics

• Migrating from XStreet
• Report a Marketplace bug

Hello Second Life merchants! This help page is created with your needs and questions in mind as we have transitioned from XstreetSL to the SL Marketplace. Bookmark this page and check back frequently!

Problems with selling

Having problems while selling your items? See if your question is answered in the Support for sellers.

Promoting your products

Can I buy banner ads on the Marketplace?

NEW! Yes, you can now buy banner ads to promote your items or your store.

How is "relevancy" determined in search results?

The criteria for "relevancy" periodically change and are rebalanced as we monitor actual Marketplace activity. To prevent "gaming the system" abuse (consistent with how other company formulas are implemented, like inworld search rankings and the Risk API), we won't be revealing exactly how it works. However, we can tell you the formula includes:

• Average rating
• Past sales over a chosen time period (it could be 1, 7, 15, or 30 days at our discretion)
• Sales rank
• Search term matching

So, our recommended approach to increase your relevancy is: simply create excellent products and market them effectively for the long-term, as explained in our power tips for sellers.

What should I do if a category doesn't exist for my product?

At the very least, include apt keywords when editing your item listing. This enables your product to still be found. There are more search tips in our power tips for sellers.

If there are several categories your product could possibly belong in, insert your product in the category you think fits best, and add keywords related to the others.

You can also suggest new Marketplace categories.

How will the related items feature work?

This feature is on the way! Each merchant will be able to link up to 8 other listings to the main listing. These recommended listings will be seen in a tab in the listing page called "related items".

This is a great way to show off a fatpack that includes multiple colors, the chairs that go with a table, jackets that match pants, and in the short term, items of another color and texture. Later, we will add the ability to show multiple colors of an item, as well as recommendations from other merchants based on the item purchased; these will show up at the bottom of the page.

I work with other merchants under a shared brand. Will there be branded storefronts, not just ones for a single merchant?

Merchants can still share a brand, but the merchant stores are only categorized by merchant name.

Are there signs to promote my store?

In a few weeks (after 2010-10-06), the Commerce Team plans to offer signs for sellers who'd like to send inworld shoppers to their website storefront on the Marketplace. (If you're familiar with the older Xstreet SL Magic Boxes, those could also be clicked to go to your web presence.)

If you'd like to create your own sign sooner or otherwise customize it:

1. Create a sign object. (Presumably, you're already familiar with content creation.) We recommend adapting the same graphics you may already be using on your Marketplace and inworld stores for branding consistency and saving time.
2. Right-click the sign object and choose Edit.
3. In the build tools window, click the Content tab.
4. Click the New Script button.
5. Double-click the "New Script" in contents to edit it.
6. Completely replace the script's contents with this script:

default
{
    touch_start(integer total_number) {
        // load a dialog with a URL
        llLoadURL(llDetectedKey(0), "Visit my Marketplace Store", "https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/30");
    }
}

Now:

1. Customize the highlighted text to specify your store. The store number is shown in your browser when you login to the Marketplace and choose My Marketplace > My store.
2. Click Save.
3. Close the script and build tools windows.
4. Click your sign object. A notification should appear, directing you to your web store on the Marketplace. This is what your customers will experience, too.

Listings

I want to update a listing with a new version of my product. How do I do it?

Learn how to change the object associated with an existing listing.

I just created a listing with Moderate or Adult content and now I can't find it! Where did it go?

Please make sure you have the Include moderate/adult (18+) content checkbox selected when you search for your item. The feature that lets shoppers exclude Moderate and Adult content in their search results also prevents you from seeing your own listings, unless you enable the content.

I can't find one of my listings in search. Where did it go?

Try searching for your listing with the Include moderate/adult (18+) content checkbox selected.

Your listing's maturity level may have been automatically updated by the maturity level filters we use to scan periodically for listings with an incorrect maturity level. We occasionally update the filter keywords, and if your listing contains words in the updated filter, its maturity rating will be updated.

How do I add a new item to the Marketplace?

Learn how to list a new item in your store.

How do I list real estate?

You can list real estate in the Mainland and Private Island categories on the Marketplace. You can find example listings in each category by searching for "CommerceTeam Linden". Note: The real estate item must be listed as free.

The real estate listing allows the shopper to purchase a free token that provides a landmark to the land inworld. The shopper will then buy the land inworld or make arrangements to do so with you, the merchant. The purchase of the token does not result in the ownership of the land.

This is a free solution for residents who found the XStreet real estate listings useful. We will not be migrating any Xstreet real estate listings to the Marketplace.

Can listings be saved midstream to work on later?

Yes.

Can merchants preview a listing before posting it live?

Yes.

Can there be a link to the store policies on the item page?

No. Store policies are set by the merchant and are linked from the merchant's page.

Will merchants be able to create extra versions of listings in several languages?

Yes. Each language is a separate listing, though they can be created simultaneously in the listing process.

Are links allowed in the long description or feature list of a listing?

No. While you may hard code the text of a URL into these areas, the text will not be linked to the page. There is room on the merchant page for links to the merchant's web page or blog.

Are animated .gif files allowed on the Marketplace?

Yes, see this.

There's a 5000 character limit on long descriptions. Where should EULA (end user licensing agreements) and product instructions go?

We recommend that product instructions go into the .pdf file. Product specific EULAs should also go there, but if you only have one EULA for all items, we suggest you put this in your store policies area, linked from your merchant profile, and also duplicate in the .pdf.

What's the attached PDF file size limit for instructions and further information for a listing?

There is no limit to the size of the PDF file, but we do encourage merchants to use their buyers' time and bandwidth wisely — few Second Life Residents are on ultra fast computers. If you don't own Adobe software on Windows, you can use Microsoft Word or Open Office to create PDF files. On a Mac, almost every application can "print" to a PDF file.

Can each item have a SLurl or is there just one Merchant SLurl?

Each item may have its own SLurl. Merchants may also have one SLurl in their merchant page.

Payments and order history

How do I see my order history or transaction logs?

Learn how to view your order history and transaction logs.

How does the new "Distribute Funds" feature work?

As of 2010-08-03, and announced earlier in a blog post, funds distribution in the new Marketplace is here.

Active products on Xstreet SL that have distributions (payments to multiple Residents) were migrated over the new Marketplace but not made active. A merchant can activate a product if they choose to and handle the distributions themselves until this is automated.

Here's what the new "Distribute Funds" looks like:

The biggest difference in the new Marketplace is that unlike Xstreet, distributions are based on percentages that scale, not fixed L$ amounts.

For example, say you're selling a car on Xstreet for L$1,000. You make L$700 per each car sold, and distribute L$200 per sale to Alice and L$100 per sale to Bob. On the Marketplace, instead of L$ amounts, you see 20% goes to Alice and 10% goes to Bob. The L$ amounts are the same as before, but if you increase the car's price to $1,500, while Alice's share stays at 20%, her profits increase from L$200 per sale to L$300. Similarly, Bob's 10% per sale goes up to L$150.

Items that meet these criteria did not have their distributions migrated:

1. Distributions which totaled more then the price of the item.
2. Distributions which were entirely to the merchant
3. L$0 and L$1 distributions.
4. Distributions of L$1,000,000 on free items.

Some of the above information also appears on this page where item fields are described.

What happens when I make a Marketplace purchase with PayPal or a credit card?

When you use PayPal or a credit card to make a Marketplace purchase, your Transaction History might show a debit or credit originating from "Commerce Linden" and/or "Marketplace Linden". You may be wondering why these names show up on your Transaction History.

Here’s the explanation:

Marketplace transactions that use PayPal or a credit card actually contain two steps. The first step is a conversion of your payment to L$ (Linden Dollars, via Commerce Linden), and then the second step is the actual payment of those L$ to the merchant (via Marketplace Linden).

Who is "Commerce Linden"?

Commerce Linden is the account name used by Linden Lab to convert your payment into L$. If you see a reference to Commerce Linden as a "Quick Buy" of L$ on your Transaction History, then this is acknowledgement that your purchase has successfully converted into L$ via Quick Buy.

Who is "Marketplace Linden"?

Marketplace Linden is the account name used by Linden Lab to finalize payment in L$ to the Merchant. If this appears on your Transaction History, then this indicates that the payment has been successfully transferred to the merchant in L$.

Why does an order show no recipient?

The Recipient header shows if an item was intended to be delivered as a gift to another Resident. If it wasn't and was intended to be received by the same Resident who bought it, then you'll see the buyer's name next to Customer:.

Migration from Xstreet SL

How do I migrate from Xstreet SL to Marketplace?

For information on migrating from Xstreet SL, see "Migration help for Xstreet SL merchants".}}

Are Magic Boxes going to be replaced?

Yes! See "A Boxless Future" in this post made by Grant Linden on 2010-09-17. While historically, Magic Boxes have served as an intermediary to integrate inworld and web commerce, it's clear that as we grow, they're problematic for both usability and technical reasons — they're difficult to set up (as shown here) and don't scale well.

Eventually, we plan to allow you, as a merchant, to list Marketplace products directly from your inventory, simplifying the process of both adding and updating your products.

Will cashing out on XStreet SL continue as usual?

The Xstreet Linden Dollar Exchange will be retired later this year. Residents can use the cash out services provided by the LindeX. Please refer to the blog post here: http://blogs.secondlife.com/community/commerce/blog/2010/09/30/update-on-the-closure-of-the-xstreetsl-exchange

Other

I'm a services merchant. Does the new Marketplace accommodate me?

Currently, we're focused on goods delivery via Magic Boxes. We'll add features to support services at a later date.

How many assistants can a merchant have?

An unlimited number.

How many levels of permissions are there to assign to assistants?

Only one at this time.

Will logins be retained across sessions?

Linden Lab is working hard on the single sign-on project and the situation should improve soon, but the teams that are working on this project are not the same ones working on the Marketplace. Once the single sign-on work has been completed, the marketplace will adopt it immediately.

Will the Marketplace be integrated with Avatars United?

Avatars United has closed. There will be integration with the Second Life profile in the future as the Second Life profile feature evolves.