Merchant Participation Guidelines, Info, & Rules
Most Important Guidelines
- Be Kind
- Follow the Rules!
- Feed the Flox. 😛
Information
- Apply Online - We accept all applications for Hunts and Events via online form.
- Random Placement - We assign merchant spots by random number generator--not by first come, first serve.
- Update Your Info - Once you submit your application, it is up to you to keep your information up to date. If your shop moves, please submit a "Shop Moved" notecard (and/or IM Perryn Peterson/Wyvern Dryke) as soon as possible.
- Join the Group - You must stay in the Second Life group "Historical Hunts Ltd. Merchants"
to receive updates, info, and materials for our Hunts & Events. Request an invitation if you need to join.
- Self-Promotion - We expect you, as merchants, to promote the Hunts & Events to your own store groups and blogs. We promote on our end, you promote on yours. That's how we build traffic and sales. :)
- Store Qualifications - When we evaluate applications for each Hunt/Event, we visit each store to see if they match a handful of qualifications. These include: good-quality items, no IP infringement, and past store participation. That's it. There are also characteristics which MAY or MAY NOT negatively impact stores' chances. These include (but are not limited to):
- No items matching current Hunt/Event theme,
seizure-inducing flashing things, excessive and intrusive
scripts/invites/notecards, mostly gatchas/breedables,
persistent lag, or the hardest one: egregious lack of class (e.g., presence of banlines, hot pink walls with green text, hairy butt-shaped
vendors... just overall, extreme
lack of professionalism or good taste).
- On the other hand, we do welcome and encourage new merchants. Having a great store reputation is nice, but we all started somewhere!
- Set Up - AS SOON AS KITS GO OUT, PLEASE SET UP.
We send out Hunt and Event Kits generally 1-2 weeks before the Hunts/Events begin. Also, we check each store personally, the week before opening date. So, if
you are not ready, we will mark you as NRY (Not Ready Yet) on the
official list! Very embarrassing.
- Hint Items - (Hunts Only) Hint Items look exactly like the Hunt Item. The only difference is the script inside. When you rez a Hint Item, it will tell you how to use it (type your hint in the description box -or- put a notecard inside).
- Hunt Blog - There is a Blog with pictures of prizes. To be included, please send your info to the correct person. (We will send a group notice with more information, close to each opening date.)
Contacts
For assistance, please IM:
- Perryn Peterson
- Wyvern Dryke (a.k.a. Wyvvy the Flox)
- Ceirwynsinclair Heartsong
Rules For All Merchants
- When you complete and submit your application, you agree to abide by the rules on this page.
- IP Rights - You may not sell/give away any item under Copyright, Trademark, or a License which forbids sale/gifting.
- To be perfectly clear: if you did not create all the mesh/ textures/ sounds/ animations/ scripts yourself, then someone else owns them--i.e., they are someone else's Intellectual Property (IP). Make sure that party has given you permission to sell or give them away! Otherwise, you cannot do so.
- This is a zero-tolerance policy.
- Family-Friendly - Historical Hunts, Ltd. tries to appeal to most ages and cultures. We DO allow Adult-rated sims and merchants, but require that the poster and prize be in a safe area, with none of the following visible or audible nearby:
- Adult-rated topics, nudity, abuse, hate, politics, obscenity, or extreme violence.
- General-Appeal Prizes - Prizes and gifts must appeal to a general audience--i.e, there must be none of the above list in the prize. Also, please make your prizes appeal to typical, humanoid avatars. (We make exceptions for Tinies/Dinkies.) Lastly, we require prizes to be UNISEX -or- both MALE and FEMALE. (Additional avatar-types such as kids, Tinies, etc. are encouraged, but not required.)
- Example 1: A decor item, such as a painting, would count as a unisex gift.
- Example 2: If you make a dress for women, you need another prize that men can use as well.
- Join Group - You must remain a member of the "Historical Hunts, Ltd. Merchants" Second Life group for the duration of the Hunt/Event. We release all info & materials via this group; we do not send them individually.
- To join the group, please contact one of us for an invitation.
- One Store Limit - For HUNTS, you are only allowed to enter one store. For EVENTS, you may enter one store initially, then enter additional stores if space allows.
- Example: Merchant Mary runs two stores, "Pretty Prims" and "Tempting Textures." She applies for both the Renaissance Faire Hunt and Event with "Pretty Prims." She is accepted. She can only participate in the Hunt with her "Pretty Prims" store. However, when the Renaissance Faire Event gets close to opening, there is extra space. She can then grab a second booth. She can put her "Tempting Textures" brand in the second booth.
- Put Out Posters - Please place Hunt Posters at your arrival location (in your store) as soon as soon as we release them. It helps to promote the Hunt/Event.
Rules For Hunt Merchants
- Walkthrough - During the week before the hunt starts (and especially the 48 hours before!), we check each shop personally. If you do not have the following in place, we will contact you and mark you officially as NRY (Not Ready Yet).
Please have these in place the week before the hunt starts:
- Official POSTER within easy view (30m maximum) of landing point. (Landing point is the same slurl you submitted on your application.)
- HINT item on poster.
- HUNT item hidden, with prize inside.
Rules for Hiding Hunt Objects
- Do NOT change the hunt object in any way. This includes size, shape, texture, or color.
- Hunt object must be within 30m of the landing OR tracks must be provided to lead within 30m of hunt item.
- Hunt object must not be completely concealed within an object. (For example: You may put it in an empty vase. You may not put it in a solid cube.)
- Hunt object must be easily clickable, not behind invisible items. (For example: You may not place it underwater.)
- You may have up to 10 visible decoys. Please use wisely, as this may irritate hunters, and they may choose to skip your store.
Rules for Event Merchants
- Maintain Theme - Try always and sincerely to maintain the theme of the Event.
- Example: if the theme is Renaissance Europe, please do not put out Vegas-style neon signs.
- Prim Limits/Maximum (measured in LI)
- Carts: 50
- Regular size: 100
- Large size: 200
- Sponsors: 300
- Script Limits - We have no hard limits. However, if your items are unduly lagging the sim, we will contact you and/or return them (depending how bad it is) to keep everything running smoothly.
- Rent - We request a donation of 20L per LI (for the entire Event's period).
- Please pay "Perryn Peterson" or "Isotope Steampunk" (who pays Perryn), using donation kiosks in the event.
- Donation kiosks look like columns with the word "Donate" slowly rotating on top.
- You are on the Honor System to pay for what you have rezzed!
- If we discover you have no Honor, you will not be welcomed back.
- Moderate Rating - All Events are Family-Friendly Please blur/cover genitals and sexual acts in your signs and items.
- If you sell Adult-rated items, please offer a teleport where visitors can test them elsewhere. Do not offer live items at the Event.
- Keep Inside Shop - All decorations and signs must be inside or right against your shop
- Do not block passageways.
- Not even a tenth of a meter from your shop, thank you.
- If you feel your area needs more decoration, ask and we will provide it.
- Lighting & Fullbright - Fullbright is permissible for items and signs inside your booth. Please keep it to a minimum outside. Also, if you flood an area with unnatural light, we will ask you to remove the light(s) responsible (and/or return them, without timely response).
- Flashing Items - We do not allow brightly- or rapidly-flashing items which may cause seizures or headaches to others. These will be returned without warning.
- Control Your Sounds - All sounds must be occasional and quiet. If you rez items with ongoing, loud noises, we will ask you to pick them up (and/or return them, without timely response). We work hard to add environmental sounds to our Events, and do not need your help. Thank you.
- Outreaching Scripts & Annoyances - We do not permit any type of script or item which reaches outside your booth/shop to grab attention, give landmarks, invite others to a group, etc. If you wish to implement such a device, it must be limited completely within your booth/shop. Furthermore, if item(s) inside your booth/shop are annoying passersby, they will be returned without warning.
- This is for your protection as well as the reputation of our Events. Do you really want to annoy people into buying things? An angry customer is not a repeat one.
