Hello!
This post is an FAQ targeted at creators interested in the Avatar Marketplace. While you might find some “general” questions/answers here, keep in mind it’ll be creator-focused!
For more general information, check out the other post here!
Feel free to ask your questions – we’ll try to answer them as we can. Likewise, we’ll keep this post updated as we do.
(Also, check out this video on how the Creator Economy works.)
How the Marketplace Works
Q: Why can’t you download source files from the Avatar Marketplace?
A: There are a few reasons why we decided to take this route. The short version, though, is that we felt it would be a better experience for both users and creators.
For users, we felt that the best experience was one where they instantly had access to an avatar. No extra steps, no worrying about backups, no worrying about learning new software – just an avatar they can instantly use.
For creators, one of the constant pieces of feedback we heard was how overburdened they felt in supporting users unfamiliar with the tools needed to upload (or customize) their avatar.
This method reduces that burden, allowing them to spend more time creating and less time filtering through Discord messages.
It also increases file security. While we do not – and cannot – promise an impenetrable system, it does slightly mitigate risk compared to alternative methods.
Q: Can I grant source file access to buyers who have purchased my avatar on VRChat?
A: Yes, but be aware that VRChat does not officially support this. Choosing to share source files off-platform significantly increases the risk that your content may be pirated.
Q: Will creators have a way to confirm that someone has purchased an avatar in order to give them the source files? (Asked by @TrixxedHeart)
Sellers can see a transaction history of all purchases, including the names of buyers. (Current Creator Economy sellers already have access to this functionality - it’s not new.)
Q: Where will purchased avatars be available in the UI? (ex: New section that isn’t Uploaded, Favorites, or Other?)
A: In the “My Avatars” section of the Avatars Tab, under the “Purchased” category.
Q: Can you clone a purchased avatar? (Asked by @Hammey)
A: Sort of! You can select other users who are using a marketplace avatar. You can try it on locally to see if you enjoy it, or visit the listing to buy it.
Purchased avatars cannot be made public, and they cannot be cloned unless the person cloning has also purchased that avatar.
Q: Can I upload avatars I’m currently selling in other marketplaces?
A: Yes. We do not require exclusivity. Likewise, you are free to upload avatars you’ve previously published on other platforms.
Q: How can I share my avatar listings outside of VRChat (ex: social media)?
A: You can share links to your avatar’s page on VRChat.com, but at launch, users will need to make purchases through the client.
Q: What happens if an avatar is broken (or breaks)? (Asked by @splitscream)
A: Fortunately, we review avatars before they get published on the marketplace! Broken avatars are unlikely to get published. So avatars shouldn’t break - but if they do, we should be able to fix it.
We probably won’t catch every issue, so if you find one, please let us know!
Q: Will sellers be able to upload new versions of their avatar to fix things post-purchase? (Asked by @Hammey)
A: Yes! You can improve your avatar and make fixes, though you shouldn’t drastically change to avatar and meet the expectation of existing buyers. (Don’t turn a dolphin avatar into a squid.)
Also, we review updates of marketplace avatars before publishing them.
Q: Can we offer different variants (e.g., performance levels, styles) of the same avatar as part of a single listing? (Asked by @Hammey)
A: Yes! Several sellers will list multiple variants of the same avatar. This improves performance while still giving you a lot of options.
Q: What about gifting avatars? (Asked by @Hammey)
A: Not yet, but it’s a popular feature request and we’d like to do it.
Q: Will creators be able to remove avatars from the Marketplace after listing them? And if they do, will buyers still retain access to the avatars they’ve purchased? (Asked by @Hammey)
A: Sellers can unpublish avatars from the marketplace to prevent new users from buying them, but they can’t “take away” avatars you have already bought.
Q: Are there any plans for “co-authoring” avatars – for example, if people work together on a project? Would you be able to split credits? (Asked by @Sunset_Gato)
A: We added a new section to the avatar details page called “Acknowledgements” that allows you to credit other creators. Of course, avatar sellers still need to respect the licensing terms of whatever assets they use. In your example, the seller may need to make a licensing agreement with the original asset creator.
There’s no revenue splitting yet, but we’d love to add that feature! Avatar creation is a collaborative effort, and we’d love to make it easier.
Q: I’m curious how this would effect commission based content. Will there be an option for private listings on the store? (Asked by @ToastedDrago)
A: When sellers publish an avatar product, it becomes available for purchase on the avatar marketplace for all users.
Q: Does VRChat have any plans to offer other payout processors for creators? (Asked by @Invertex)
A: Yes! Currently, we only offer PayPal. But we’d love to offer bank payments in the future.
Q: Is there a minimum price that avatar creators have to abide by? (Asked by @moltyplied)
A: Yep, the price floor is fairly low (currently 1200 Credits, ~10 USD). We might revisit this in the future, but at the moment, creators seem to be happy with this.
Also, worth mentioning: When you buy an avatar for 1200 Credits (or any other price), your purchase might include multiple variants of the same avatar, i.e. different outfits or styles.
Q: How will creators credit folks who they might’ve worked on an avatar with? What about in cases where they’re using assets that require attribution? (Asked by @RebelDaFoxx)
A: We’re adding a new acknowledgements feature to the avatar details page! It allows avatar creators to add credits and licenses to their avatars.
Q: Are there any plans to expand the storefront to the web? (Asked by @Depereo)
A: Not yet, no. That marketplace is only available in VRChat.
However, we are adding the following new features to the website:
- We’ve expanded the avatar details page.
- Creators can add gallery images, acknowledgements, tags, and more.
- Here’s an example: Flan Chibi
- Creators can add avatars to their world store.
- This allows you to buy avatars in world stores!
- Creators can even mix and match products - i.e. rewarding you with world benefits and unlocking avatars.
- We’ve added new menus to allow avatar creators to submit avatars for review.
Q: Will Creators be able to upload an avatar that would cost nothing to purchase to the Marketplace as a kind of Tech demo for their work? Something to help them get their name out there. (Asked by @Sawblade)
A: Users can try any user can try on any avatar on the marketplace without buying it, but we’re not launching with free avatars.
**Q: Is Quest/Android support mandatory for creators? (Asked by @May_VRC @Retired_Panda)
A: PC-only avatars are allowed! Users can also see which platforms an avatar supports.
We want to incentivize creators to support all platforms, but it’s not a requirement.
Moderation
Q: What about NSFW avatars? (Asked by @AshyWashh, @Yin)
A: Our avatar content guidelines currently don’t permit NSFW content on the marketplace. After we have launched the marketplace, please feel free to submit a feature request on Canny if you’d prefer this to change.
Q: For the purpose of VRC’s Creator Guidelines, are avatars listed on the Avatar Marketplace always considered “public”? (Asked by @Vincil)
A: Yes, avatars on the marketplace should respect our guidelines for public avatars.
Q: Since updates are allowed to avatars, will these also go through moderation/approval? Will there be a waiting period for those changes to impact everyone with that avatar? (Asked by @turtledude01)
A: Yes. Avatar updates go through the moderation process. Because of that, there is a waiting period where sellers/buyers will need to wait to see those changes go through.
Q: What is the minimum/maximum (depending on how you look at it) performance ranking sellers will be allowed to have on their avatars? (Asked by @Laughless)
A: Almost all avatars on the marketplace have a performance rank of “Poor” or better. We only accept “Very Poor” avatars on a case-by-case basis.
Some creators optimized their avatars to improve their performance rank! That was great to see.
Q: What mechanisms are in place to prevent abuse? e.g. people uploading and selling avatars they do not own the rights to. (Asked by @Chekote)
A: At the moment, we review each seller and each avatar individually. This should help avoid unauthorized content and increase the quality of avatars on the marketplace!
Application Process
Q: I’m an avatar creator! How can I join the marketplace? What are the requirements?
A: Check out the application form! It explains the requirements and how to join. Please remember that we’re still working on the marketplace, so we can only accept a limited number of applicants. We appreciate your interest!