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. 

Bixyl Shuftan

The SL23B Shop and Hop

 

 Good news for those who love to shop. The SL23B Shop and Hop is taking place. Featuring hundreds of stores across a total of 24 sims, this is one of the largest annual shopping events in Second Life.

 

The event actually started on Thursday June 20, though those in the Shop and Hop group could get in a day early.  There are a total of 480 stores, divided into two groups of sims. Eighteen are rated Moderate. Six are rated Adult, and are likely to offer adult-rated goods. The store owners are required to offer at least a 20% discount on their items (some are offering more), and at least one free gift for shoppers, regardless if they're in the store group or not.

 

Dropping by, the place matched the theme of "The Golden Age of Hollywood," with it's statues and some stores being Hollywood themed with decorations of Hollywood signs and the like.

 

You can jump right into the shopping by heading to Dahlia (130, 131, 25) (location from an inworld teleporter). But you can get a list of sims from the Destination Guide (or notecards available inworld in the Shop and Hop and SLB  groups), and a list of the 480 stores is available on this page of the official blog. There is also a SL23B Shop and Hop Flickr page. 

 

Happy shopping.

 

Bisyl Shuftan 

EOTB: Applications Being Accepted For SL23B Shop & Hop

 

For merchants wanting to take part in the Second Life Birthday Shop and Hop event, good news. Yesterday on April 30, Linden Lab announced it was accepting applications for the shopping event. 

 

For those interested, business owners wanting to be part of the event need to fill out an application on Google Docs (here). The SLB Shop and Hop will last for the duration of The Birthday, Thursday, June 18 thru Sunday, July 19. The setup itself will be from Friday June 5 to Monday June 8. Merchants are required to have all items in their store discounted by at least 20 percent, and have at least one available as a gift to anyone, or a gift certificate worth at least 299L, reguardless if they're in the store group or not. Politics is to be avoided, and items not for sale at the store cannot be advertised. 

 

This year, the Shop and Hop sims will be in two areas, one General-rated, and one Adult-rated. So those wanting to be in the Adult area can request it. Those wishing to be part of the General-Audience area need to keep their items and decor fit for the sim rating.  

 

Applications for the Shop and Hop need to be turned in earlier than other SLB applications, by Sunday May 10. Volunteers, Exhibitors and Entertainers need to turn theirs in by May 18. 

 

For more information, read the official blog post here.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Christmas Shop And Hop Starts Today

 

 For those of you who love Christmas shopping, or looking for a good buy and the occasional freebie, good news. The Holiday Shop and Hop, organized by Linden Lab, starts today.

 

The 2025 Holiday Shop & Hop is ... here with 360 participating Creators across 18 shopping regions, bringing you loads of festive fun! Every store will have at least a 20% discount on all items and a free (non-group) gift for shoppers or a gift certificate valued at L$300 or above! 

 

The fun starts today, Friday December 5, at 9AM SL time,  and as the announcement says, there's a lot of territory to cover, 360 stores across 18 sims. Each item will be on sale at least twenty percent, and at least one free gift or a gift certificate worth at least 300 Linden dollars. 

 

To get to the Shop and Hop, check its section in the Destination Guide for the list of sims, teleport to one of the stores from the list on the bottom three-fifths of the Holiday Events blog page, or just jump right in at Gleaming (128/128/54). 

 

For those shopping after Christmas, the event goes on to Sunday January 4 2026.  

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

"The Multiverse Fair," A Halloween Fundraiser For Parkinson's

 

The Multiverse Fair is going on. This fundraiser for Parkinson's Disease research takes place over seven sims, and is going on until Tuesday November 4.

 

Multiverse Fair is a seven region mega event in Second Life supporting The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Step into the ripple where realities collide. The Multiverse Fair is not just an event, it’s a dimensional detour through twisted fantasy, surreal sci-fi, and haunted dreams. Seven realms. Countless stories. Booths, quests, secrets, and surprises await. Come get lost you might just find something impossible. One question: What even is reality? 

 

 The grounds consist of seven sins (the one on the map on the upper right is a phantom that can't be reached). Five have various themes, related to Halloween. They are Dodge City (think Weird West), Folktales and Fleshwounds, Carnival Nocturne (evil clowns), Uncanny Ink, and Lolliocalypse. 

 

The sims have some scary scenery. And I found shops all over with various goods. 

 

 Note: from the chatter on Discord, Lolliocalypse sounds super-scary to some.

 

 The mascot of the fair are the Nubbins. You can buy an animesh one for 800L,and take part in the "Hunt for Nubbins" game in which you search for little statues of the critters across the sims for prizes. 

 

Every day up to Monday Novemeber third, there are music events.  For more events, check the schedule (here).  

 

The music events take place on the EclipticAquatia sim, at (128/133/22). 

 

So to have a scary time, and support a good cause while doing so, head on over to the Multiverse Fair. 

 

To check out the blog, go here: https://slmvfair.com/

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Multiverse%20Fair/129/57/78 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Early Halloween At Dench Designs

 

September may have only just begun, but for some people already they're getting ready for Halloween. Gemma Cleanslate decided to check out a few stores which have decorations for those getting ready for the spooky season. So which ones did she see, and what did they offer?

 

Read Gemma's story in Design. 

Applications Open For Halloween Shop And Hop (Until Aug 24)

 

It's only August, but already Linden Lab is making plans for the spooky season.  On Friday August 15, Linden Lab announced they were accepting applications from merchants interested in taking part in the 2025 Halloween Shop and Hop. 

 

The Halloween season is creeping up on us once again, and so is one of Second Life’s biggest shopping events! If you’re a Content Creator, now’s your chance to conjure up your best items and reach thousands of shoppers across multiple regions.  

 

The shopping event is scheduled to take place Friday October 3 to Sunday November 2. Those interested in taking part need to fill out a form on Google docs (here). Those signing up will need to agree to their items at the store being offered with at least a 20 percent discount, and one free gift to anyone regardless of whether they're in the store's group or not. The gift must be a new one as well. If a gift card is offered instead, it must be at least 300L. 

 

No items rated adult can be offered, and nothing with political themes, or politicians, is permitted. The store cannot also be used to promote items at other events. And for those wanting to take part, signing up does not guarantee a spot.

 

The deadline for signing up is Sunday August 24.

 

For more information, check the Linden blog post (here). 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

SL22B Shop and Hop

 

 Besides the main Second Life Birthday celebration, there's a parallel event that they can take part in, the SL22B Shop and Hop. 

 

With 480 shops across 24 sims, there's a lot for a shopper to go through. The goods here are discounted here at least 20%, and have at least one free gift in each shop for everyone whether or not they're in the store group or not. 

 

For those on the lookout for friskier there, four of the sims are adult rated and separate from the others with adult-rated shops and goods. But across all the sims, there's plenty of decoration to go with the Second Life Birthday's Myths and Legends theme. 

 

 For a list of the stores, you can see them after the first part of the Linden blog entry on the Shop and Hop. You can also get a listings of the sims in the Destination Guide. Or you can just jump in at Gleaming (145/148/24).

 

 Bixyl Shuftan

EOTB: Linden Lab Announces Appications Being Accepted for SL22B Shop and Hop

 

For merchants interested in taking part in the Shop and Hop for the Second Life Birthday, the SL22B, good news. Yesterday on Thursday May 1, Linden Lab announced it was accepting applications for the shopping event.

 

The SL22B Shop & Hop event is the official multi-region shopping event of the 22nd annual Second Life birthday celebration. This event brings together many of the top merchants for exclusive items and discounts on some of the best creations in Second Life. 

 

Those merchants wanting to take part need to fill out a application on Google Docs (here). 

 

The shops will be set up from June 6 to June 9. All merchants will need to have at least a 20 percent discount on all goods, and have a free gift available for shoppers regardless if they're in the store group or not.  While there will be a separate Adult-themed area of shopping sims, the rules state no adult-rated items can be offered for sale anywhere, and the shops cannot be used to advertised goods outside the Shop and Hop. No political references are allowed. And while previous Shop and Hops have involved hundreds of merchants, people signing up are asked to understand that they are not guaranteed a spot.

 

There's not much time to sign up. Applications close on Sunday May 11. This is about a week before applications for performers,  exhibitors, and volunteers is Monday May 19.

 

For more information, Click Here. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Valentines Day Shop And Hop Opens Today

 

Yesterday, Linden Lab announced that the Valentines Day themed "Shop and Hop" shopping event would be opening today, Friday January 31.

The 2025 Valentine Shop & Hop is almost here with 280 participating merchants across 14 shopping regions. All are offering their best to inspire your Valentine's fantasies from a romantic evening with your bae, to a party with your friends, and everything in between. You will definitely find something to suit you! 

 

As the announcement stated, there's fourteen sims with almost three hundred stores, with plenty of romantic-themed items. Each store has at least a 20 percent discount on it's wares, maybe more on some, and there's at least one free gift for shoppers whether or not they're in the store's shopping group, or a 300 Linden dollar gift certificate. 

For those wondering, all of the sims are rated Moderate. There is no separate area for adult-themed stored as there was in the recent past.

 

For a list of the sims, click here to check the Destination Guide page.

For a list of the stores, click here to check the Linden's blog post.

To just jump in, head here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/128/129/54  

Bixyl Shuftan

More Christmas Shoping

 

Gemma Cleanslate has been going around Christmas shopping areas. Here, she writes about a few. One is the Christmas Wonderland event, with plenty of items and deals. But a few other places caught her eye,
LouChara Furniture, C.M.D. Christmas store, and Christmas Delights. So what did she think?

Read Gemma's story in Design.

 

 

Tex's Tree Farm

 

Gemma Cleanslate has been going around Second Life checking out winter and Christmas themed places. One she visited recently was Tex's Tree Farm. Here, you can pick your tree, chop it down, and take it home. But that's not the only thing you can do here.

 

Read Gemma's article in Places. 

Holiday Shop and Hop Starts Today

 

 

 It's time for the biggest shopping event in Second Life this Christmas season, the Holiday Shop and Hop. Starting at 9AM Friday December 6 (today), residents can hop on over and shop away.

 

This is a huge shopping mall consisting of 16 sims, with 320 stores. Beside the shops, there's numerous decorations to give the place a festive feel. 

 

"Every store will have at least a 20% discount on all items and a free (non-group) gift for shoppers or a gift certificate valued at L$300 or above!"

 

And you'll never know just who you might run into.

For a list of the sims, check here in the Destination Guide.  For locations of each of the stores, they're on the bottom two-thirds of this post in the Linden Blog. Or just head straight in here:

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lavendar/126/125/54

 

The Shop & Hop lasts until January 6, 2025.

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Three Halloween Shopping Places

 

While it may still be September, already Second Life is getting ready to the spooky season that is Halloween. Gemma Cleanstate decided to take a look at three. She went to Dench Designs, Khargo, and :"Fiendish Rides and Haunt." So what did she think?

 

Read Gemma's article in Design.

 

*Update: two more pictures in the article since it was first posted*

EOTB: Applications Now Open for Halloween Shop And Hop (Until Sunday)

 

 

It may still be August and the time of summer heat and vacationing on beaches. But Linden Lab is already looking forward to the cooler season of autumn, and Halloween. On Friday August 16, they announced they were accepting applications for the Halloween Shop and Hop shopping event. 

The Halloween season is fast approaching and our annual multi-region inworld shopping event is coming back. If you are a Content Creator, this is your chance to spook up some sales and reach a large audience with your creepiest and coolest creations!

Those interested in taking part and getting a store at the event need to fill out a form on google docs (here). Participating merchants are required to have a discount on their items in the store, at least twenty percent off, and have at least one gift available to shoppers, whether they're part of the store's group or not. It should be a new one different from previous Shop & Hop events. And the store and items should be appropriate for a Moderate-rated area, and there should be nothing political.

The application form won't be available for long. After Sunday August 25, it will be taken down. It should be noted that applying doesn't automatically mean one is in, the Lab saying they will contact you soon after the date "if your application is accepted." The setting up period is from September 27 to 30.

The Halloween Shop and Hop will start on Friday October 4, and is scheduled to last to Sunday November 3rd.

For more information, check the Linden Blog.

Bixyl Shuftan

The Valentine Shop and Hop

 

 

 It's February, and for Second Life shoppers, and those looking for romantic-themed gifts, it means that the Valentine Shop and Hop event is now open. 

The 2024 Valentine Shop & Hop ... with 280 participating merchants across 14 shopping regions. All are offering their best to inspire your Valentine's fantasies from a romantic evening with your bae, to a party with your friends, and everything in between. You will definitely find something to suit you! Every store will have at least a 20% discount on all items and a free (non-group) gift for shoppers or a gift certificate valued at L$300 or above!

For a list of the almost three hundred stores, check out the list of merchants on the Linden blog (here). To get a list of the sims, check out the Destinations Guide. Or just straight on hop over to Forsythia (128/126/54).

 

Happy shopping,

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

 

Black Friday

 

 

 "We interrupt this Second Life to bring to you the shopping season."

November 24 was "Black Friday." In real life, it's the busiest day for many stores in real life. And here in Second Life, many stores marked off the prices of their goods to attract shoppers eager to scoop up some bargains, getting gifts for friends and loved ones, or just wanted to be part of the shopping experience. It's good news for Linden Lab as it means more people buying up Linden dollars.

Some of the sales, maybe most, go on to today. So feel free to keep on checking for bargains. 

Bixyl Shuftan

The Thanksgiving Parade And Some Xmas Shopping Places

 

The Thanksgiving Parade is back! DJ Franny Dean’s friends were determined to keep her project going, and they succeeded. Gemma Cleanslate went to take a look, but also checked out some places to do some early Christmas shopping. So where did she go?

Read Gemma's article in Places.

A Few Halloween Shopping Places

 

It may still be September. But already some places are getting ready for the spooky season that is Halloween. While there are haunted houses to see, others get into the spirit of things and decorate their places to make it spooky. Gemma Cleanslate decided to check out a few places where one can "scare up" some scary decor.

 

Read Gemma's story in Places.

 

Press Release: Making Strides' "Outshop Cancer"

 

The 6th annual Out Shop Cancer event supporting Making Strides and the American Cancer Society is almost here.

Out Shop Cancer is a main store and marketplace shopping event and a signature Strides Campaign in Second Life in support of the American Cancer Society’s breast cancer programs and research.

The 2023 Out Shop Cancer event includes main store and marketplace shopping, a grid-wide hunt, an Out Shop Cancer Pop-up Market, and a special Gala event. Along with the many shopping opportunities, there will be several special raffles during the month, including raffles for eBody Reborn bodies, Belleza bodies, LeLutka heads, skin packs and much more.

In addition to the shopping, hunt and raffles, there will be an art walk and photo contest this year. The Easthaven Art Walk will also run Oct. 1 through Oct. 31 and feature the creative work of artists and photographers with proceeds benefiting Strides. A photo contest with the theme, "Season of Hope" will be held at Easthaven and open to everyone to join in the fun!

With more than 70 stores participating ranging from clothes to decor to breedables, there is something for everyone. Sandie Slate, founder of Out Shop Cancer, says “The response from designers this year has been tremendous and the amount of support for the event has exceeded expectations. With the inclusion of the Pop-Up Market and the Gala event, this year’s event is jam-packed with shopping and much more.”

Slate continued: "By hosting events throughout the month, there's plenty to see and do -- all while helping to raise funds for a great cause."

The Out Shop Cancer event runs from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31. Shoppers will be able to pick up a shopping hud inworld at the Out Shop Cancer office. A list of contributing merchants with a shopping directory and the official bloggers can be found on the Out Shop Cancer website at https://www.outshopcancersecondlife.com/. Information about the Hunt, Pop-Up Market and Gala event will be available on the website as well.

All proceeds from this event go directly to the American Cancer Society’s breast cancer programs and services.

 

Once again, for more information, check out the website at outshopcancersecondlife.com 

 

About Making Strides

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer or MSABC is the largest network of breast cancer awareness events in the nation, uniting more than 300 communities to finish the fight. Every breast cancer walk and event is an incredible and inspiring opportunity to honor those who have battled breast cancer, raise awareness about what we can do to reduce our breast cancer risk, and raise money to help the American Cancer Society fight the disease with research, information, services, and access to mammograms for women who need them.