Second Life Linden Dollars, Accounts & Build Services

Second Life Linden Dollars: The LindeX and Why Outside Sellers Are Prohibited

Second Life is one of the few online worlds with an official, regulated exchange for its currency, and Linden Lab is explicit that Linden dollars (L$) may only be bought and sold there. That makes the rules unusually clear.

How Linden dollars work

L$ is the unit of trade in Second Life. Residents use it to buy content, land and services, tip and pay each other. It can be purchased in the viewer or on the website through the LindeX, Linden Lab's official exchange, where you can buy at the current market rate, place limit orders, and sell L$ back for a credit on your account. Some residents earn enough L$ in world to sell it and even pay out the resulting balance to a real-life account. All LindeX transactions carry fees. Our Second Life L$ guide explains how residents earn L$ and our leveling guide covers getting started.

What the Terms of Service say

The Second Life Terms and Conditions state that Linden dollars may not be purchased or sold outside of the LindeX. They also say that Linden Lab may halt, suspend, discontinue or reverse any LindeX transaction, proposed, pending or past, in cases of actual or suspected fraud, violations of other laws, or deliberate interference with Second Life. In 2013 Linden Lab tightened this to disallow third-party exchanges, ran an authorized reseller pilot for a time, and closed that program on August 1, 2015, after which the LindeX became the only authorized place to purchase L$.

Why third-party L$ is risky

Linden Lab has warned residents that outside sites often use “too good to be true” discounts to lure card details, and that some use trusted payment systems while selling fraudulently obtained L$. When Linden Lab recovers fraudulent L$, buyers can struggle to recover their payment from anonymous sellers. It says using such sites both puts card information at risk and violates the Terms of Service.

Practical risks

• Reversed L$. Linden Lab can reverse transactions tied to fraud, leaving you without the L$ or your payment.
• Card theft. Lure sites collect card details.
• Account action. Terms violations can lead to account termination.

The sanctioned way

Buy L$ on the LindeX or with the “Buy L$” button in the viewer; earn it by creating and selling content and services. The Currency Calculator converts an hourly L$ rate into dollars using the current LindeX rate.

If you decide to buy from a third party

We cannot make a purchase compliant with the Terms of Service, and since the LindeX is easy to use we advise against it. If you go ahead, never share your login, avoid entering card details on unknown sites, use a payment with dispute rights and read our Second Life buying guide and safety guides.

Sources

• Second Life — Terms of Service
• Second Life Community — Buying and selling Linden dollars
• Second Life Community — An important reminder about buying and selling L$ (2013)
• Living in a Modemworld — L$ Authorised Reseller programme to close (2015)