Garden of Beasts (with some humans, too) -- Avatar Shop

[Zyrxae]

As previously mentioned, I'm setting up an avatar shop.

Current stock:
                             


NEW: COMMISSIONS!
If you have avatars cobwebbing away in your vault, I can find them a good home for a small commission. Details can be worked out individually.

Species: So far I have seen more high-quality humanoid avatars than strictly human forms, but this should be no vast impediment to their sale.

Pedigree: Most of these are from Generation 13 or before, and all have "MagicDuel" listed as their creator.
This is not a slight on current artists but rather a recognition that most 'serious' artists profit more from commissions or direct sales than from selling to the shop.
Edit 1: Generations and/or IDs (all available information is shown) are listed below each avatar.
Edit 2: I don't know the names of the artists but would include this information under the images if others are knowledgeable and forthcoming.

Rationale: Several free credits - fighter + distaste for continued avatarlessness of others + inspiration => avatar shop.

Price: Bid here or in PMs; I will update prices in comments under each image. I reserve the right not to sell if the offers are too low.
Timing: Auctions will end four days after the last bid has been placed; this and other aspects of the shop are subject to change within reason.

Exceptions: While I am open to giving avatars away if they seem particularly suited to a given individual, I do seek to sustain the shop itself. The more people who agree that a certain person deserves a certain avatar, the more likely I am to sell at a reduced price or give it to them outright.

Images: Even posting images of avatars can devalue them (or so Asterdai [url="http://magicduel.invisionzone.com/topic/8308-avatar-shop/#entry71587"]seems to have believed[/url]); as such, I'm conflicted as to whether I should display these publicly at all.
EDIT 1: It seems my hesitancy was unfounded; the images are above.
EDIT 2: Images of sold avatars will be removed from the shop after an as-yet undecided period.
EDIT 3: Sold artwork is to be removed from the gallery and placed it into a private 'Sold' album whose privacy setting I may temporarily change to 'anyone with the link' in order to show to prospective clients seeking a better idea of prices.

Regulatory Nonesuch: In the interest of preemptive clarity:
- I won't be using alts to store avatars that I (Zyrxae) have owned
- I may revive and make use of some storymode alts if business is sufficiently brisk, in which case I would keep payments on those accounts only
- Although I'm not quite sure how to prove as much, the purpose of this is not "just to move credits around"; I really do want to see more avatars put to good homes.
- [Other concerns (there are always some) to be addressed here.]

$$: Depending how profitable this is, I may use the money to sponsor upcoming quests, to buy credit packs to buy more avatars, or for some similar purpose if I think of one.

Be yourself; if this service can help display that, all the better.

Edits: Shop opened; a bid & a sale and commissions; sold artwork policy changed to allay legal concerns, see below; sell-by dates.

Edited June 11, 2013 by Zyrxae

[Miq]

What is the comisson fee for entries?

[Zyrxae]

Edit: I misunderstood Miq; he asked what I would charge to sell others' avatars for them.
Again, this is to be determined case-by-case, if anyone is indeed interested in such an arrangement.

Edited March 7, 2013 by Zyrxae

[Tom Pouce]

voted both picture and description

picture to see

and description of some quality that show its value if it exist (age, artist ... )

i dont think showing picture is devaluating as the one buying get the right to use it exclusive ...

Edited March 5, 2013 by Tom Pouce

[Hedge Munos]

1 gold for the teddy bear

[Ackshan Bemunah]

What made you change your mind about display?

[Zyrxae]

[quote name='Ackshan Bemunah' timestamp='1362628283' post='133557']
What made you change your mind about display?
[/quote]
The brief poll on this topic and points raised in discussions with several individuals, including my conscience:
-> People are still far less likely to [i]consider[/i] buying based on a very subjective description than if they see an image up front. A picture is worth...well, several gold, potentially.
-> Avatars belong (in the mind of the public) to their wearers; seeing an avatar in a shop doesn't devalue it
--> Not so; seeing an avatar anywhere but on its wearer is a small sacrilege. (A sole voter in the poll and no one I talked to agreed with my conscience in this statement.)
---> If other people don't see an action of mine as wrong, I'm probably the one who should back down. The ends (suiting mental images to visual ones) justify the means (openly displaying the latter sort of images). Besides, I should be less headstrong overall-

Flexibility-
I'm open to input in deciding how long to wait before removing images of previously sold avatars from the shop.
Leaving the images and prices up gives potential buyers an idea of their worth, but people might be turned off knowing that their avatar of choice would remain on public display.

[Chewett]

[quote name='Zyrxae' timestamp='1362631578' post='133558']
The brief poll on this topic and points raised in discussions with several individuals, including my conscience:
-> People are still far less likely to [i]consider[/i] buying based on a very subjective description than if they see an image up front. A picture is worth...well, several gold, potentially.
-> Avatars belong (in the mind of the public) to their wearers; seeing an avatar in a shop doesn't devalue it
--> Not so; seeing an avatar anywhere but on its wearer is a small sacrilege. (A sole voter in the poll and no one I talked to agreed with my conscience in this statement.)
---> If other people don't see an action of mine as wrong, I'm probably the one who should back down. The ends (suiting mental images to visual ones) justify the means (openly displaying the latter sort of images). Besides, I should be less headstrong overall-

Flexibility-
I'm open to input in deciding how long to wait before removing images of previously sold avatars from the shop.
Leaving the images and prices up gives potential buyers an idea of their worth, but people might be turned off knowing that their avatar of choice would remain on public display.
[/quote]

Legally all the artwork belongs to MagicDuel and therefore you are not permitted to rehost them. However provided you remove them as soon as you sell he artwork and state that you are using the images in a way that conforms to fair use policy then it should be fine. Did you speak to the artwork approvers for the legal aspects?

[Zyrxae]

[quote name='Chewett' timestamp='1362639962' post='133559']
Legally all the artwork belongs to MagicDuel and therefore you are not permitted to rehost them. However provided you remove them as soon as you sell he artwork and state that you are using the images in a way that conforms to fair use policy then it should be fine. Did you speak to the artwork approvers for the legal aspects?
[/quote]
I hosted these remotely due to your concerns regarding limited space in the forum gallery and chose Picasa for its privacy settings. Currently this album is viewable by anyone with the link; this is less of a hassle than and about as secure as having to type a password posted on this public forum to view one hosted at an easily-guessable/generatable URL.

I have removed sold artwork from the gallery and placed it into a private 'Sold' album whose privacy setting I may temporarily change to 'anyone with the link' in order to show to prospective clients seeking a better idea of prices.

Just emailed the artwork approvers with this information for a final word but am open to changes in the meantime.