Linden Lab appear to be unleashing evil plans to make some of the protest gnomes redundant with a new announcement regarding a way of reducing tier payments. The reduction does come at a cost, but let’s look at the blog post : Want Lower Tier? Now You Can Get Grandfathered Land Rates!
In November, we lowered the set-up fees for land purchases by 40%. Today, we’re introducing a limited-time offer that will make land even cheaper by allowing you to lower your monthly tier payments (aka land maintenance fees).
From today until October 4th, 2016, you can “buy-down” your Full Islands and/or Homesteads to the grandfathered maintenance rates. By paying a one-time fee up front, you’ll be entitled to lower tier rates on your land for as long as you hold it (and remember, we now also allow transferring grandfathered land).
The pricing for this offer is as follows:
- Full Island:
- One-time buy-down fee: $600
- Grandfathered maintenance fee: $195/month (regularly $295/month)
- Homestead:
- One-time buy-down fee: $180
- Grandfathered maintenance fee: $95/month (regularly $125/month)
Note: This offer cannot be combined with our Education and Non-Profit discount program, and cannot be applied to Skill Gaming Regions.
If you plan to hold onto your land for longer than 6 months, this is a great deal for you!
To take advantage of this offer, you’ll need to submit a Support Case using the Land & Region -> Region Buy Down case type. In that case you can provide us with the names of the regions you would like to buy down, and we will assess the appropriate buy-down fee per region.
This is certainly a good deal if you have the upfront money and plan to hold your region for the next six months. The overall cost for the next six months would be the same as if you were still paying your current tier rate, but you’ll pay the one off fee and then see $100 knocked of your tier bill (for a full region). After that six months, you will start making savings.
So just to try and avoid confusion, you would make the one off payment and then see your monthly tier bill reduce. Therefore if you own a full region you would pay Linden Lab the $600 buy down fee and then your tier payments would be $195.00 a month (plus any VAT of course). Now if you are paying VAT, then you would make savings of more than $100 a month but I’m also assuming that the buy down fee would also be subject to VAT, so you’ll pay a bit more in the first place.
It’s good to see Linden Lab trying to do something about tier prices, although I’m sure many people would prefer Linden Lab just to cut tier for everyone, this is at least a bit of a compromise. This move follows the lowering of land setup costs, as the blog mentions.
The offer being available for the next six months is a good move. That gives people time to try and put some money aside if they’re planning to stay in Second Life long term and don’t have the money right now, it’s certainly better than a weekend offer.
Tier remains a bone of contention for Second Life users, but Linden Lab have demonstrated over the last year or so that they are listening to those concerns and are making efforts to reduce tier fees and that should be applauded.
grandfathered sims are being dumped by the dozens already. It is just a money grab. Don’t forget by october a lot will be ready to jump to Sansar so the grid will be even less occupied as it is now.
Linden Lab cutting 30% of their regular income. You do not see many scream of joy most likely because they already are receiving special deals and holding grandfathered regions. The reactions to this news appear to be minimal.
Take a look at the Lindex Ciaran if you want to see how ugly the situation is.
I haven’t looked at the Lindex for ages Yurik and due to personal issues, I don’t have as much time as I would like to look at it but thanks for the heads up about that. That would be a great subject to look at.
I don’t think Sansar will see an immediate collapse in SL, because SL is where the people are and that’s a really strong clamp. OpenSim is far cheaper, but it doesn’t have the people in all the right places yet. I do like OpenSim and I’ve met great people doing great things there, but price isn’t the major factor, which is rather odd.
Since fall 2006 they have been telling us “average joes” that they could not make a “profit” off SL if they lowered tier. Were they wrong all those years? Are they wrong now? Is this a desperate move? A sign of health? Inquiring minds want to know??? lol!!
IMO it’s a desperation move. As grid residents and region owners why not make a counter offer. LL you pay us all $600.00/region immediately – within 30 days or we all bail on you. And you lower full island tier to $95.00 US/month. Take it or leave it… LMAO!!
And the Turkey Buzzard goes hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssssssssss! 😉
I don’t think it’s a desperation move, but there are flaws in the plan that people have highlighted in the discussions and they largely revolve around small – medium estate owners for whom the upfront costs are going to be troubling.
Small/Medium Estates are just a part of the overall problem. How about mainland? Same tier as private islands but none of the advantages. Sounds like LL just killed off mainland region ownership. Especially, landlocked mainland with no protected water access. Who is going to hang onto that garbage?
So, they lower tier on mainland proportionally or they face massive abandonment. Will mainland owners be given the same option to “buy down” their tier?
And for those medium/small estates what prevents a race to the bottom between estates on rental payments? They are going to all try and underbid each other to keep existing renters and gain as many new ones as possible. Try to hold on until the other guys go under. Burning through their savings…
And what inquiring minds want to know and that I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere is this? Did the Atlas folks get a larger discount too? lol!!
Another disastrous move brought to you by the fine folks at LL… ; )
LL could really act clever for once and pull out the up front fees for those willing to buy a full region on mainland, as long as the ones buying are not the always ones.
The offer to turn a regular region into having grandfathered rates for a $600 fee expired Oct 4, 2016.
https://community.secondlife.com/knowledgebase/english/grandfathered-region-pricing-r1408/
Thanks for the update Fred.