Hello my virtual Goddesses and Gods!  In real life, I am a yard sale junkie. Yep, I love stuff that is both really cool and cheap! And I love to score a deal!  There’s just something so satisfying about showing off your nifty item later and saying “yah, and I found this at a yard sale for only (insert low price here)!” I get this same satisfaction from scoring a great deal on my Second Life stuff, whether it be hair, skins, clothes, or stuff for my virtual home.

Let’s face it…the down economy hit a lot of us, and I for one am on a budget that now defines spending real money on virtual world stuff as a luxury entertainment expense. And those are some of the first expenses cut when we have to cut our budgets. I do still allow myself an entertainment budget, but it is a much smaller one than it used to be, and I can’t just go around spending thousands of lindens on a single item whenever the whim strikes anymore.

However, this hasn’t turned out to be a bad thing. In fact, I’ve found a whole new way to have fun (and it really is fun!) by becoming a bargain shopper in Second Life!  If we are connected on Twitter, you may have seen me Tweet more than once that “you don’t need a lot of lindens to make your avvie look fabbie!” I’ve found so many great deals and ways to keep my avvie looking fabulous without breaking the bank or my meager budget. And yes, my pets, I will now share my top 3 bargain hunter secrets with you: Fairs & Hunts, Marketplace Freebies, and Gacha Yard Sales. Can I get a woohoo!!

Bargain Hunters Best Friend #1: Fairs and Hunts

Fairs and Hunts have become a big deal in Second Life. They are a great marketing tool for creators and sellers, a way to attract potential buyers to view their wares and raise awareness of their brands, stores and products.

For hunters and shoppers, they are also a great big deal because they are actually FUN!  Yes, I said it, FUN! So much fun that I I even said it in bold and color, twice! Event producers have become really good at making the hunts fun because that is what attracts shoppers and fun seekers alike, broadening their audiences and creating new loyal shoppers.

Hmm? What is a hunt you say?

Think scavenger hunt. In Second Life, a Hunt happens when a group of stores agree to provide a prize item for folks who look through their shops to find a designated object for a hunt. In the pic below you see an example of the little devil guy that hunters are seeking out for The Renaissance Hunt V. Often, hunts are associated with and happen during a Faire or Festival. The Renaissance Faire, the SL Fantasy Fair, and the SL Birthday Bash are some of my favorite annual events that produce fun hunts with fabulous prizes.

At a Hunt’s starting location, there will be a sign that usually gives you an info card that might include landmarks to hunt locations (the stores participating in the hunt) and will show you what to look for, in this case the little devil guy. Go to the locations and search for the hunt item. Often, the stores will have a hunt sign up at their landing or welcome points, and will provide a hint for where to search in their store. Find the item and click it to receive the prize.

It’s a lot of fun looking for those little suckers, following clues and getting the prize at the end when you are successful. There’s usually a Second Life group associated with the hunt, and if you get stuck you can send a group chat asking for help and hints. Sometimes the hunt locations are provided through notecards passed out by the group.

There are fabulous prizes to be had by participating in Hunts! In fact, I’m STILL going through my inventory opening and organizing prizes from hunts in 2014 and 2015! The fabulous dress, wings and staff shown in the pic above are 2014 hunt prizes that I just got around to opening yesterday, lol.

Where to Find Hunt Info:

When you go to a participating store, that store will have a display with signs for all the hunts they are participating in. I’ve often gone to a store while doing one hunt, and ended up getting prizes from other hunts they are participating in too. Here’s a few groups and links to get you started on your way to fabulous hunts and prizes:

• Join the Historical Hunts, Ltd. group in-world for notices for the STEAM hunt in March, the SILK ROAD hunt in June, and the RENAISSANCE HUNT in September.

• Join the FFC Fantasy Faire group in-world for notices and updates about the annual SL Fantasy Faire and hunt.

• Visit the Hunt SL web site for a comprehensive list of hunts, dates and info for both vendors and hunters.   ..

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Bargain Hunters Best Friend #2: Second Life Marketplace Freebies

Yep that’s right folks, not only can you find the latest expensive fashions on the SL Marketplace, you can also find a whole lot of group gifts and freebie offers too!  And not just old stuff either, there are some great finds to be found. Some of my favorite dresses, skins and accessories were freebies or dollarbies found on the marketplace, including those you see in the pics below:

Have you learned yet my lovelies? Just go to the marketplace and search “freebies” and “gift” to get those great group gift listings. Also sort by the lowest price range in the left sidebar, and you’ll find some real freebie and dollarbie treasures!
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Bargain Hunters Best Friend #3: Gacha Yard Sales

Yes my lovelies yes, I know you know my name is Prettyflower and I am a Gachaholic.

What is gacha?

It’s a slot machine that gives out goodies with every pull. But you don’t know what goodie you’re going to get. You might get the beach ball and the towel and the umbrella and the picnic basket, or you might get 4 beach balls and a towel. If you are on a budget, you have to choose your gachas carefully.

For example I know that when I go to LODE, no matter what the machine spits out I will absolutely adore it, so there is no risk there, only a bargain. But when I shop at gacha events, I have to wait till I find the outfit or scene that I really MUST have, and be willing to spend some lindens to get it.

OR…. I can go to the many gacha yard sales put on by the folks who ended up with 5 red skirts before they got the rare white one they really wanted. I’m cool with that. I like red.

The wonderful thing about the yard sales is that you know what you are gonna get, and many items are sold at or below the original pull price. These are folks who just want to get rid of all those extras in their inventory. You know, other Gachaholics that just can’t help themselves when they see the machine.

And it’s not just clothes… I love all the cute critters and housing decor that can be found at gacha events and especially yard sales. Check out these awesome pics of items I found at cheapo gacha yard sales, and below those will be some links to great cheapo gacha yard sales stores to get you started on your gacha addiction shopping.

With these yard sales, the items move pretty quickly and the inventory changes a lot. So repeat visits are always good, especially if you are looking for sets. There are also some great gacha trading groups where you can buy, sell and trade gachas. My fave is !Epic Gacha Chat! Trade! Sell! – open group info then tp to the location listed to join the group.

Here are some great gacha yard sale links to get you addicted started:

• Sunny Dayz Yard Sale – everything is L$50 or less, with most items ranging from L$10 to L$25

• Image Essentials Gacha Yard Sale – lots of L$10 items, ranging up to L$50. Also L$5 clearance items, woot!

• Gotcha Gotchaz – the stuff in this store is mostly the same price as original – not necessarily a bargain outlet, but not marked up either, and it is a great place to go to find those items you really want and need but didn’t get during the original gacha event that featured it. There’s a ton of really good stuff here, lots of rares and items that photographers love. The owner Tink is lovely and friendly, and twice gave me a nice gift from her store just because she liked my avvie and thought the item would go with it well. That’s just sweet!

Bargain Hunters Best Friend #4

Join the Pretty Places Tour Group in world for group bargain hunting excursions!

That’s it for today, virtual Gods and Goddesses. It’s just a start today but one that will give you a Second Lifetime’s worth of bargain hunting delights!