I recently posted a few tips from customers telling store owners how to improve their shopping experience, so I thought it only fair to let shop owners give customers a few suggestions.
“What advice would you give to customers?” I asked.
Here are some of their responses.
“Always try the demo first!” -DRAKE S. McCULLEN
“…if you want to make a creators day, let them see you using and enjoying the items they made. A good review is amazing, but seeing you wearing your dress out in public is everything!” -IZZY NIMBLE
“Be nice. Don’t go on some abusive tirade if there’s something you don’t like. Just ask and reach out to the creator, and they’ll help you.” -DAISY RENNELS
“Read all the information provided to you, both on the store and in the item delivered to you. That can be a life saver and usually fixes 99% of potential issues you might have…” -CAINE LIGHTMAN
“Say thank you occasionally, and if you *really* like an item, leave a review or let people know how happy you are with it/where you got it from.” -KAREN PIPER
“… Make sure you’re buying what you think you’re buying because most stores don’t offer refunds for no transfer items.” -JADE SULFUR NOVA
“…If you see an item that doesn’t include your body of choice, please for the love of puppies and kittens, do NOT yell at us or berate us or put us down because of it. We sincerely do the best we can and try to please as many people as we are capable of pleasing, and whenever I get these messages it makes me not want to ever create for those bodies again because the joy has been literally sucked out of it … I love to help kind customers and listen to them and even just talk to them, but I’m past getting abused and yelled at. Kindness is the answer.” -ANNIE MELSON
“Just because a creator is online, doesn’t mean that they’re on the clock. So many of us get burnout from not being able to just enjoy SL. That’s why it’s important to send notecards when specified so that we can reply when it’s best for us.” -KRICKET FAWN
“Don’t run away when you see us going about our business in our store, we’re not standing there rubbing our hands and muttering ‘come on… buy… buy things… come on….’ like some kinda creeps. We’re happy to see you even if you don’t buy anything, just hang around!!” -EDIE DARLING
“LEAVE MP reviews. If you love the product, if it made you happy, if it was amazing, if it was exactly what you’re looking for take the 1 minute to leave a positive review … Creators make MORE money when you shop in-world instead of MP. If you really want to support your favorite creators who have in-world stores.. shop in-world…” -JENNIFER STEELE
“Contact us before leaving a bad review on mp. In most cases, we can help you, solve it, fix, replace or somehow make you happy with the purchase. And of course, we love 5 stars – always!” -TAL RAM
I agree with that last one in particular. If you find a mistake in something you bought, don’t immediately write a bad Marketplace review. Be sure to ask the shop owner for help to resolve it first, and give them a reasonable time to get back to you. People are human so make mistakes occasionally. Most creators really want you to be happy and will try to fix whatever it is.
So there you have it, customers!
