I'm not sure how to put it, but lots of minishops stores sell "cute" thingies. Ranging from pixel dolls and animals, to photoshopped plushies. Many of these are not customizable or personal. Such as, if you buy it, all you get is 'it'! You can't choose unique color combinations or buy items to dress it with, making it unique to yourself. Why are so many people willing to buy things like these? It makes no sense at all. If it's so cute, LOOK AT IT. There's no reason to buy it,'cause when you do, all you get is THE SAME IMAGE YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN! If you want to flaunt it around, there's no point because many people have ALREADY BOUGHT THE SAME FRICKEN IMAGE! The only ones worth buying are those you can personalize to make it different from the others, or ones that are only sold once (such as B/C pets).

Discuss... *pops a blood vessel*

She says it better than me >.< *points below*

Originally Posted by Kiwizzle

I agree with you. If you're paying for artwork, then you should make it as unique as possible. But I suppose that it also relates to mass production in real life. For example, let's use a panda plushie. There's a shelf full of them at the toy store, and they all look the same. They each cost $5, and people buy them because they like them, despite the fact that they're all pretty much identical. This situation is similar, but it's not the same. It's one thing to have in your possession a plushie that you can hold and another to have a jpeg that you can just copy + paste. Frankly, if you have to pay for art that is the same as what other people get, it's clearly not worth it. You can just save it onto your Desktop or something, and it will still be yours.

I guess because if they're so cute some people just like being able to say they actually paid to have one? Maybe some people like being able to show off something they've earned? I don't know, I never saw the point in buying those things either.

Yeah but showing off something like that... there's just no point! I say peer-pressure has a play in this!

I always thought it was laziness on the creator's part. :< Just my two cents.

I understand how you feel about that situation. If I were to create an art piece of some kind, I'd only sell to a certain number to people. Maybe 10 or so. Limited items are highly desirable.

But, I guess some people are just paying for the artists work. I mean, they did have to create the art. Place it online somehow. Then give the code to the costumer. It takes work, so I just assume that the customer is paying for the time the artist placed into that particular piece.

In addition to the above reason, cute things always sell well. Look at all of the toys out on the market. They sell tons of these toys. All of them identical. Sometimes they even sell out.

However, online there are an unlimited number of a virtual art products. That's why I said I would limit that number to like 10. And try to stay hopefully that the customer doesn't try to duplicate that art ( Give it to friends, or share copies and so forth). But most likely they will since they purchased it.

Other than those reasons. The looks, and paying the artist for their time. I really seen no other explanation.

I've been tempted in the past to purchase such art since it's so cute. But then I go searching off site. Sooner or later I come upon art free of charge. But that's me. Some people just have virtual gold to burn.

Why peer pressure? I'm sure that the owner of the mini-shop will push their items to be sold sometimes, but I can't honestly say I've heard of anyone bugging another until they broke down and bought something cute to put in their signature. I don't spend much time in mini-shop forums though, so maybe that's the reason right there.

• Maybe, people like it so much?
  They want to help the artist out and give them gold for a cute lil' image thingy?
  
  I don't know, but it seems you are tripping over it? If people like it so much, let 'em buy it's their gold. Haha.
  But I know what you mean, personally I'm in the same boat as you, I wouldn't buy it just because I find it 'cute'.

I sometimes wonder too.

I mean, i'm all for the personalized ones, or the ones where the artist does a different one or draws it differently every time, but when its the same image...

though there are exceptions of course O:

Well peer-pressure in the way of relationships. Say a guy makes a shop, and a girl comes in saying good luck and stuff like that. Soon she starts hanging around the thread and feels pressured to say nice things and buy the guy's art.

Also, once 1 person buys the art, most of the time they put it in their sig or at least post it once showing it off how they're the first one to buy it. With that picture out (assuming that the art on the first page was watermarked) people can just right click and save to their computer. Plus, some of these art go for very cheap. Such as little tiny tiny pixel arts like ice creams and crud that go for like 15 gold. I'm talking about Gaia though, so 15 gold is like nothing. It takes up the artist's time by sending codes to people and accepting trades and such for just 15 gold. And addressing pixel art, it's hard to watermark them because of their tinyness, it would destroy the art if watermarked.

The only way we can find a real answer is by having one of these "oh so cute! i just HAVE to buy it!" people come here...

hm...yes, I see where you are comming from. It does not good if your art isn't custom. When I do art, I draw that persons avitar as they are or would like to be. I draw it in any fun postion I can think of and sometimes I have stuff going on if there is more than one person in the pic. If that same person asks for more art, I change it up and make something else happen in the pic. I change backrounds and everything. There really can't be any point to a person selling 10 of the same pic to different people cause there is nothing special about it.

I never understood that sort of thing either.
I like having personalized or custom artwork.
If it isn't personal, then I won't be paying for it. It's just that simple.
I LOVE avatar artwork, so I'll get stuff like that.
I also like pets under certain circumstances.
But anything else just doesn't do it for me.~

Cute sells. Sexy sells too. o.o

Would you buy something butt-ugly? XD
As for buying the same image, I have no idea, maybe they just want to help the owner out?

I agree with you. If you're paying for artwork, then you should make it as unique as possible. But I suppose that it also relates to mass production in real life. For example, let's use a panda plushie. There's a shelf full of them at the toy store, and they all look the same. They each cost $5, and people buy them because they like them, despite the fact that they're all pretty much identical. This situation is similar, but it's not the same. It's one thing to have in your possession a plushie that you can hold and another to have a jpeg that you can just copy + paste. Frankly, if you have to pay for art that is the same as what other people get, it's clearly not worth it. You can just save it onto your Desktop or something, and it will still be yours.

I never understood that either. :0 Personally, I would
never buy something like that. I would buy something if
you could change the colors/add items and stuff.

• I never understood those minishops either.
  I've only bought avatar/OC art or customisable images from minishops. Really, what is the point of buying pixels that are just there? :/
  Maybe I should give that kind of store a try using all my old pixels that I used as adoptables when I had sites years ago, lolz.

Probably because "cute" art is the easiest to create.

I don't buy art unless it's customized. I have a shop on Gaia where I make little cocoa mugs like the one in my sig. The mug base (outline) is the same shape, but otherwise I customize it however people want.... I don't know why people would buy something that's not even personalized....

I might buy something like that (though not "cute little things" like what you listed)...IF what I was getting was a print/poster, not just some pixel badge to flaunt on the internet.

I don't see the point of buying something that's already there. I mean...everyone and their grandmother probably already has one. :|

If it's not customizable I don't see why people just don't give it away as some freebie to make your signature looks pretty.
But charging for it? xDD

I suppose. It's mainly just preference.
And a lot of people are collectors. Haha.
So even if they get the same image they already saw . . . you'll get it without the watermark? And they can flaunt it without someone acusing them of stealing the image.

Well most of you have understood what I said, props for Kiwizzle for the best explanation... way better then my angry confused first post >.< Some of you however are missing the point... It's not JUST cute things, some people are into horror and other crap. It's just pretty much all of the comments are "OMG ITS SOOO CUTE! Are you gonna sell it? I would buy it from you!" Those are just very annoying.

@ Fuumuu, alot of them aren't watermarked. So they could just right click and save. Some of them are watermarked, so they look at someone who bought one who usually puts the image in their sig or profile and just right click and save. And also, photobucket. Right click an image and go to the photobucket link then go to the photobucket account. The unwatermarked image is most likely on there. There is just no point in it... And please guys, even though everyone is on the side that says "There's no point" don't be afraid to post if you're one of those people who... actually buys these things.

Honestly? I've never gotten -why- it's so popular either . . . Haha. <3

But in real life, a have a lot of friends who are willing to just download movies and stuff off of torrents. I, however, like to support the good things in life. haha. if I liked it in theatures, I'm going to buy it when it comes out - just to support it.

Maybe that's what's happening here? @@;; --shrugs-- Maybe the people who continuously buy the "cute" unwatermarked things are just trying to be honest in their support for the artist? @@;; --shrugs-- ^^ <3

I think it's so they can support the artists and creators. :3

i wonder that too, sometimes..
a friend of mine likes to buy stuffs like that, she said "its cute!" ..well, yea thats a reason..but i dont think its quite necessary to buy it really..she just likes to spend her gold perhaps x)

I don't understand that at all.
If I wanted one of those so badly, I'd just steal the image. e_e''

It's rude, but I don't see the point in paying for what I can get for free. It's like buying bottled water when there's a drinking fountain across the hall.