Linden Lab Updates Marketplace Policy In Regards To Inactive Merchants

 

 

On Wednesday August 12, Linden Lab announced on it's blog that it had updated it's Marketplace policies. This was in regards to inactive merchants and items that are not selling.

There is now a "Product Unlisting Policy"

If a Merchant has not logged in for one year AND a specific product has not generated a sale in one year, that individual product listing will be automatically unlisted from Marketplace.

This policy applies only when both conditions are met.

If a Merchant has not logged in for one year AND a specific product has not sold in one year, that product will be automatically unlisted.

The Lab would add unlisting by itself "does not delete the product, the listing data, or the merchant account. The product is simply disabled from appearing for sale on Marketplace unless reactivated later by the merchant."

 

 There is also a "Store Disabling Policy"

If a Merchant has not logged in for two years AND their store has not sold anything in one year, the entire store will be automatically disabled.

The Lab would add this disabling of a Marketplace store, "does not delete the merchant account, products, or store data. The store is simply removed from active Marketplace visibility unless later reactivated by the merchant."

The policy enforcement will be aided by "a new automated monthly review process that identifies inactive products and stores based on account activity and sales history."

To keep products actve, the Lab encouraged merchants to "Review older or lower-performing listings periodically," and "Refresh product listings, images, descriptions, or pricing to help improve visibility and sales activity." They added, "Active merchants and actively maintained products will not be affected by these changes. Accounts will not be affected by these changes."

To read the announcement in full, Click Here. 

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Steam Gaming Service Removes A Number Of Adult Games Following Pressure By Credit Card Companies, Paypal Blocks Steam In Much Of The World

 

If you're a fan of game with mature themes, there's been a development on Steam that will likely leave you worried and/or upset. It seems following pressure from credit card companies, Steam has taken a number of adult-rated games off it's list for sale. 

 

In a PC Gamer article, Value, which owns Steam, was reported as saying, "We were recently notified that certain games on Steam may violate the rules and standards set forth by our payment processors and their related card networks and banks. As a result, we are retiring those games from being sold on the Steam Store."

 

Earlier, Steam had enacted a new, and vague, rule about banning "Content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam’s payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers."

 

An article in The Guardian stated the pressure by the credit card companies was due to pressure on them by "Collective Shout," a group seeking to ban adult content from Australian Internet access, saying the corporations were "facilitating and profiting from rape, incest and child sexual abuse game sales."

 

The result has been a backlash. On change.org, a petition was started protesting the censorship of the games, "not because they're illegal, but because they offend the personal values of executives or activist groups," going on to say, "These same payment processors allowed platforms like OnlyFans to operate with minimal oversight, despite multiple credible reports and lawsuits alleging the presence of real sexual abuse content involving real-life minors. That is a criminal failure of responsibility. Yet, when it comes to entirely fictional depictions, these same companies act swiftly — shutting down creators, restricting access, and acting as global censors." 

 

So far, the petition has gotten over a quarter million signatures. One who left a comment identified himself as a member of the LGBTQ community, "Banning sexual content never stops there, it always include non-sexual things. As such the fight to protect people’s right to sexual expression is vital for protecting my right to exist." 

 

Mastercard eventually responded, but denied making any pressure on Steam, "Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations."

 

To add to Steam's troubles, Paypal became unusable in most of the world as an option to pay for Steam purchases. It was reported in The Gamer only users in the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, and countries which use the Euro can still do so. At first, Valve offered no reason as to why, but later would explain, "In this case, one of PayPal’s acquiring banks decided to stop processing any Steam transactions, which cut off PayPal on Steam for a number of currencies"

 

As of now, it is unclear when the delisted games will be restored, or when Paypal will be fully useable again. 

 

Sources: PC Gamer, The Guardian, The Gamer, Rock Paper Shotgun 

 

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