Part two - My journey continues - the first days

In my first two days in SL, I also explored the home pages, which are extensive, and time consuming to explore and understand! Towards the end of the second day, I found the Marketplace. It was this which tipped me into Second Life, willingly I might add! I spent the next couple of days exploring the Marketplace in detail. I started to understand the terms involved, and that my system Avatar was not mesh. I therefore looked closely at the clothes and shoes, in order to see which I might buy.But before I did that, I needed some L$ (Linden Dollars). There is an exchange rate when buying L$ using either US$ or GB£ via Paypal.  At the time of writing (August 2018) the exchange rate is that L$2,500 costs US$ 11.46, which includes a small transaction fee. L$2,500 can go a long way in the Marketplace if you shop around. If cash is tight there are lots of bargains to be had. I also learned that where a demo is available for a particular item, it should be tried first. Demo's are normally free.So I bought some Lindens, and invested in my first Avi, She was BEA, from Apollo Blue, and cost me L$222, which I think was a bargain. Here she is............................

This was my first effort after buying my first Avatar. She was just what I was looking for. Young, innocent and she came with a lovely flounce dress in four colours. Cream, orange, pink and blue. But I'm not a fan of blue!!

BEA also came with boots which I didn't like. I soon managed to fit her up with some sexy heels. From this point my learning curve was almost vertical. Shopping in the Marketplace became obsessive for a while. Not everything I purchased worked out. Some items don't fit well, and so you must be prepared for some disappointments along the way. I made sure that everything was for the standard system Avatar!!! Note that some items will also fit mesh Avatars.
When you purchase an item, the process is similar to real world buying. Your item will arrive in your Inventory as a delivered file. Sometimes it can be worn or added directly. Sometimes it must be unpacked in a sand box.

When you add an item from your Inventory to your Avatar, there is a choice of wear, or add. Each of these options has a slightly different effect on other items on your Avi, and some items may disappear when you wear something. Over time I have found that using add causes fewer surprises!!

The sand box concept baffled me at first. Now I simply enter sand box in the top bar and teleport there. Once there, the delivered file can be dragged onto the ground and opened, using the 'open' command on the menu. You will then either see the contents download in a new window, which can then be saved to your Inventory, or a new window, usually upper right will advise you that the seller has sent you a folder, and for this action you click on keep.

The Inventory is a standard hierarchical computer file, where you store all your belongings under different headings, just like a large wardrobe. It can be manipulated just like any other computer file system.

Each item you buy will have preset parameters, such as whether you can copy, save or modify the item. If this is important to you then check the details before you buy!!!!