iVend Notes
From Apez
(these instruction are for v2.2 and earlier - refer to new documentation after the release of iVend 2.3)
The iVend is an inter-networked vendor with a difference.
Like other networked vendors, you can place all your items in one place (in an item server) and rez as many vendors as you need around the grid, updating your items from a central location and manage everything from the web.
Unlike any other vendors in SL, if you choose, your products will be instantly available for resale over the entire vend network in-world and online through the Apez.shop and EzBuy!
With the iVend, in addition to selling your own products, you can sell other peoples too! (and earn sales commission). For a quick guide on setting up a commission vendor see Commission Vending Setup. This runs through the basics of obtaining, extracting and setting up an iVend vendor. Full documentation in due course.
Similarly, if you choose, you can make your products publically available for others to sell from their own vendors (which will cost you 5% of the sales price). Additionally, any items in your item servers can be delivered from your own web-site, or 3rd-party web-sites if you choose.
There are several models of iVend available, and more are being added.
Note that the *Free* vendors charge 5% commission on sales.
To access the Apez.vend web pages, you'll need to sign-up (free) for an Apez login (www.apez.biz), if you havent' already. That will associate your avatar in-world with your web-site login.
Apez.vend 101: A short step-by-step HOWTO
- Grab yourself an Apez iServ item server (free) if you don't have one already (available at www.apez.biz).
- Rez it somewhere permanent (e.g. on your land. If you don't own land, you can place it at the Apez free hosting area here in Apez Sands - just join/set the "Apez Hosting" group on your iServ).
- Place the items you wish to sell into its contents. You'll also want to include a full-perm texture for each item that'll be shown on the vendor.
- Press the iServ's 'update' menu button to upload its item inventory list to the Apez server.
- Go to your products page: http://www.apez.biz/modules.php?name=Vend&op=products
- Enter a new 'product collection' name and click 'Create'. This creates a new collection to put your products into (a kind of named set or group for products).
- Now, clicking to your inventory page, you'll see a list of all the items contained on your iServ(s): http://www.apez.biz/modules.php?name=Vend&op=inventory
- Create a product associated with each item and enter a name, price, select one of your textures, etc.
- Rez an iVend anywhere you want to sell your products (e.g. in your leased store, on your land etc.)
- After it has registered with the Apez server, you'll see it listed on your vendors page: http://www.apez.biz/modules.php?name=Vend&op=vendors
- Click the 'Edit settings' action icon to navigate to the settings for the vendor. You'll see settings for name, text colour, button sounds, front panel texture, etc.
- To sell the products you just created, simply select you new collection from the collections list and click the 'update' button.
- Now, the vendor will need to be 'configured' - i.e. to download its settings and the product information. That will happen automatically in a few minutes,but if you're impatient, just use the vendor's 'config' menu button in-world (touch the 'info' panel for the menu). Once the vendor says it has downloaded the product information, place it online (use the 'online' menu button in-world).
- Profit! That all there is to it!
- You can setup as many vendors as you wish and assign them to the same or different product collections. There are many more options and ways to assign products to vendors - see the online help tips.
If you need any help, please open a help ticket from the support page. You can post questions to the
forums for help or ask in the 'Apez Users' group too.
Earning sales commission by selling other users products
Unlike other networked vendor systems, the products sold by your iVend are not limited to those created by you. If you choose, you can assign products created by other people. See Commission Vending Setup guide for detail step-by-step instructions.
First rez any model of iVend (for example, in a shop). Next go to the vendors page (vend.vendors): http://www.apez.biz/modules.php?name=Vend&op=vendors You'll see one row corresponding to the vendor (it can take a couple minutes for the iVend to register sometimes). Click the 'Edit settings' icon (looks like a small notepage&pencil). Near the bottom of the page you'll see a 'Categories' heading. By selecting 1-3 different product categories from the list, the vendor will be assigned products that have been classified into those categories (by their creators). Because there may be many products in the categories you select, the capacity of the iVend may be exceeded. For this reason, a random select of the available products will be choosen and assigned to the iVend. The selection will be re-assigned randomly every 3-4 days, so your vendor will always have a fresh selection of products. Once you've make your selection, press the 'update' button at the bottom of the page. Now the vendor will get a new assignment and will download its configuration automatically within a few minutes. If you'd like to have it update immediately, use the 'force configuration download' button under actions next to the vendor back on the vendors page. It can take a little while to download everything, buy will inform you when it is done.
Version history
- 1.0-1.5: Internal development & beta test models
- 1.6: Initial releases
- 2.0: Modified next,prev buttons to move page-at-a-time
- 2.1: Fix for rapid-click bug. Added moddability of number of previews, backlit displays,extra models and other small enhancements.
- 2.2: Enhanced reliability of deliveries
- 2.3: All vendors copy/mod/trans. New features: pre-configurable, in-world setup options, faster download, gift purchases, buyer redelivery and purchase history menu options, increased comms reliability.
