Heya peeps,
today I have been to Collabor 88. Every damned month I am really waiting for it, no exaggeration there. I used to lurk in the neighbouring skybox when it was still at its old place and cambuy stuff as soon as it was set up by the creator…ahem. :>
I know the following won’t make me popular, but I want to express my opinion regardless.
The last few rounds, I have been a little disappointed. Anyone but me noticed that the prices there skyrocketed? There isn’t much left of the original concept of selling stuff for 88 Lindens when stuff is set at prices such as 588 Lindens by now. I’ve seen prices above 1200 Lindens, too, though I think not this round. Granted, it is a good and big item, but…don’t sell such an item then? Very few items are still sold at the old 88 Lindens price, and if so, with few notable exceptions, it is usually some sort of little item, say, a ring, earrings or whatever.
Wasn’t the whole concept originally to showcase awesome creators withing Secondlife and give people access to teaser-items (or maybe exclusive items working as a teaser) for a really low price, to offer a gREAT deal? Those deals really haven’t been so great anymore, and given the financial crisis, people now even have LESS money (on the average) in their pockets. Many, many people I know on SL really need to calculated wether or not they can afford item XY. I find it sad to see sometimes crazy high prices at an event like this. I even heard rumors that some items ended up -cheaper- in the mainstores after C88 ended, but I have no personal proof of that. Would I be surprised? Yes. I really hope the organizers keep track of that though and I think they wouldn’t allow that at all if revealed.
A Few choices
Don’t get me wrong, I can understand (!!!) that the creators do not want to sell their items under their value, but there are but a few choices to pick from:
1. Just don’t offer an item that would be greatly undervalued. Or maybe not every time.
2. It is Collabor 88, not Collabor 88-1088. Maybe adjust the name a little? I think it is very misleading nowadays.
3. Be generous and do it anyways. Chances are, the customers will hold you in very high estimation for it.
4. Do it at least sometimes. Not every round, but maybe every third?
If the only idea of the name supposedly was (and I absolutely doubt that, since in the first couple of rounds almost everything WAS 88 Lindens) to have the price end with 88, then it is a really bad deal imho because it means an item sold for regularly 2000 Linden could be sold for 1988. Awesome ‘deal’, huh? And if that IS the case, why is ISON allowed to sell their stuff for (admittedly awesome) 148 Lindens? ;D
C88 is a SALES event..
I am aware that C88 isn’t supposed to be a discount event, but you know, if you start as Colabor 88 with the prices originally BEING 88 Lindens, and then start to raise those prices through the sky? Don’t be surprised if people are upset and disappointed. My two cents really. Cory Edo of Trompe Soleil even admits in this PLURK that the merchants ARE told that it is a sales event, but what kind of sale is that when you save 12 Lindens??
Summary – No more IMPULSE BUYING and a lot less lindens left at C88
I think my beef with the whole thing is that C88 promoted itself very differently at the beginning. Prices were awesome and you made a great deal. Nowadays, the items are more expensive at times than similar quality items from the same creator in their mainstore. I can see a creator’s perspective, they need to make their cut, too. However, people’s disappointment is very clear and the explanation of “The price only has to end with 88″ seems far from logical. I still like the event and sometimes you get a great deal out of it (I love the skirt from FD and the hair by Clawtooth this round), but I leave significantly less Lindens there now. I used to easily leave up to 3k ….now it was exactly 2 x 188 Lindens. Back then, I also used to buy a LOT of stuff I didn’t really need, nowadays, I am VERY picky. Leaving 500 Lindens there is a lot for me. Back then, I bought a lot of stuff just because it looked cute, nowadays I don’t care to buy it anymore. Pity really, and I know I am hardly the only one. No more IMPULSE buying for me.
Granted there are STILL a lot of cute and great items for a good price, but…it used to be a lot more of a bargain and I used to leave a LOT more money there. Sure, you can say “Don’t like it, don’t buy there.” And it is exactly whata lot of people do nowadays. However, my kudos go out to those creators who still sell AWESOME items for a price that definitely is a bargain. Be it 188 or 288 Lindens, Glam’s skins are awesome. ;D And so are a couple of other things there.
<– OPEN for Pictures!
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