How To Make Real Money in Second Life Article

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How To Make Real Money in Second Life

Jun 6, 2016 | 1 Votes

by Kim 10 rate Your vote If you’ve played – or are still playing – Second Life, then you’ve probably bought a few items with your hard-earned Linden Dollars. Well, did you know you can exchange these dollars for real cash? WWGDB - How To Make Real Money in Second Life

WWGDB - How To Make Real Money in Second Life

While most residents of Second Life enjoy socializing, dressing up and doing their thing inside this virtual world, other residents are busy creating things to sell on their shops. Need a fancy outfit to wear on a date? Need a cool wall art for your home? Want a vehicle to drive you around town? Whatever it is, rest assured that other Second Life residents have the skills and the time to create these for you. Of course, they do out of the sheer enjoyment that they get, but they also do it for the money.

If you’re familiar with Linden Dollars, then you might already know the LindeX. The LindeX is the exchange platform where Second Life residents can cash in their Linden Dollars for real currency using the exchange system. The real money can be deposited into a bank account or sent to a PayPal account. While regular residents strive hard to earn and spend Linden Dollars in the virtual world, other residents have found a way to make a real living by selling things in this virtual space and exchanging their Linden Dollars for real cash.

There are three common ways you can earn money in Second Life: creating objects, running a business or working for someone. To create objects, you need to learn how to build using Second Life’s tool or any other software that lets you design 3D objects (and is compatible with Second Life avatars). Here are the most wanted categories of objects sold in Second Life’s Marketplace:

Clothes

A lot of graphic artists create niche clothing and sell it from their stores in Second Life. Clothes, when designed right, can fly off the virtual shelves and generate income for these creative designers. Clothes that have a specific theme sell nicely in Second Life, but expect tough competition from real world brands like Adidas, Giorgio Armani and American Apparel.

Avatar Accessories

Do you have a good eye for what goes well with an outfit? Then you can create trendy handbags, sunglasses, hairstyles and jewelry for residents to buy. You can make your accessories stand out by making it personalized, like the shop called JCNY, which customizes dog tags and other pendants for their customers. If you’re looking for low competition niches, you might want to create unusual items like wings, masks, wands and other “magical” objects.

Home and Garden

Furniture and decorations are sought-after items in Second Life, as residents would want to decorate and make their homes look beautiful. In Second Life’s marketplace, this category is the second one with most sellers, which is a good sign of its demand from residents. Items cost L$ 10 to L$3,000 and range from potted plants to fur coat racks.

Art

Are you an artist in real life? You can translate your art digitally and sell it as decoration for the residents’ homes. From PopArt style posters to renaissance-inspired sculptures, you can appeal to residents who want to put something beautiful or interesting in their homes. Art items can be a great way for you to stand out and express yourself, and competition is not as tough as in other categories.

Other entrepreneurial ventures outside of the Second Life Marketplace can mean working for your own business or working for others. Real Estate dealership is a popular option. In Second Life, you buy land and rent it out or develop it to raise its value before making it available to buyers.

Renting out land

a prime piece of property in Second Life

Real Estate is a prime commodity in Second Life, and people are taking advantage of its demand. Premium Second Life residents are given free land when they sign up, but basic members can rent out a piece of land without having to upgrade to a paid membership. With this, some people – called Land Barons – buy land and rent it out to residents who need it for selling items or holding events. This option requires a considerable amount of money to invest in, since buying land in Second Life requires real money, but the pay-off is pretty worth it.

Land developer

Unlike Land Barons, Land Developers of Second Life build and design structures within the virtual world and get paid. These premium real estate properties can then be sold or rented out to residents who are interested. An example of a Land Developer is Anshe Chung Studios, which is owned by Anshe Chung, the first Second Life resident to become a real-life millionaire. Today, her virtual company employs 80 full time employees.

Getting a job

Second Life, just like real life, is a place where people go to clubs, coffee shops, concerts, fashion shows, weddings and other events. These events would need employees like waiters, models, bartenders, wedding planners, etc. An avatar can look for job openings in any of these businesses and inquire from the owner. Some businesses will even pay avatars to just hang out in their shop to generate buzz. The important thing is, you have to show up and complete the job in real time, just like in real life. Some residents earn a meager but steady source of extra income by getting a job in Second Life.

While Second Life may seem like a virtual world where you earn and spend virtual cash, there are lots of opportunities to convert its currency into real world income. If you have the skills or the patience to learn, then Second Life can become a lucrative online business for anyone who tries. While it never guarantees overnight success, the rewards are promising enough to stick around and keep trying.

Most Second Life entrepreneurs started out their ventures as hobbies, because they truly enjoyed doing it. If you get joy from the work, then it won’t be long until you find residents who notice your work and would be willing to pay for it. The key is to find a need and fill it, and you’ll soon find the cash rolling in.