Forum Moderators: buckworks
Anyways, I was wondering if anyone could tell me how good of a job Yahoo Merchant handles calculating shipping charges (for FedEx and UPS) and credit card processing. Are those features included with the 'Standard' package?
Yahoo is a shop for dummies. It's plus if you are dummy but the same is a minus if you are computer guy.
budbiss, by the way, Yahoo has all what you need.
Yahoo! web hosting upgraded a lot of things, so it's a nice plan and good for the value.
Fortunately, many of my clients are 'less than literate' when it comes to computers and the web. With Yahoo's simple-to-use store manager, it makes it easy for anybody to use.
Most importantly, it's also easy to use and secure from a buyers standpoint. A couple clicks and they're putting in their shipping and card information. The 'secure' portion is no small item either. Yahoo handles all the behind-the-scenes updates and patches. On other e-commerce packages, you have to make sure everything is secure and patched regularly or you will be sending out emails to ex-customers telling them to cancel their card.
From a webmaster's point of few, you can focus on web design, page content, intuitive navigation, and SEO - rather than making a lot of work-arounds to get the design to look and navigate properly.
With Yahoo's Merchant Solutions, you set up the database, throw in some snippets of code for the buy buttons (and pricing or whatever you want to include on the page), then you have complete control over the looks, usability factors, and SEO of the site.
We have run in to all kinds of retro-fitted messes out there with some of the other cart packages. Some with complicated logins, most with poor control over page design and SE optimization (titles, headlines, filenaming conventions, etc), and others with PHP ID strings that are as long as my arm (which Google ignores completely).
As far as calculating shipping, budbiss, they use the UPS rate table or, you can setup custom shipping rules by region, by order, by product, by weight, by amount, etc.
On the card processing, I believe they can handle most any merchant setup, but for new accounts, their default is Paymentech (owned by BankOne). Yahoo seemlessly gets you signed up for the store and the merchant account - wait a day or two for everything to activate - then you're in business. And unlike some new merchant accounts that cut you off at a certain level, we have clients processing $250,000 a month or more and have never even gotten a phone call.
Overall, I would say this 'shop for dummies' is one of the best values on the Internet.
Steve
BTW, I have one other question: How many category levels can you add to the product catalog with yahoo stores? Or can you even add any levels at all?
By 'category levels' I mean say you sell widgets for him and for her in red, green and blue and in square shape, circle shape and triangle shape. You might want to first offer two top categories...him and her...then from there shapes, then after shapes by color. Get my drift? Or is my example too confusing?
Anyways, if you do understand what I am saying, does Yahoo have this functionality or do you have to 'rig' your site to be able to do this?
And thats exactly why I am ready for something like Yahoo. Obviously I am not going to blindly jump into it (hence the reason why I posted here). I am trying to gather up as much info as possible so that I don't end up with the same or even more issues then what I have now with OSCommerce.
Yahoo really does seem like the best choice. Yes, it is more expensive, but I feel its worth the money assuming it will be less headaches since it should be less maintance, better suited for SEO (OSCommerce needed endless tweaks to make it rank even decently with SEs), and most importantly, the buying experience for the customer should be better with Yahoo. In the end if it results in more sales and less of my time jacking with a web site every week, I feel its money well spent.
Robotsdobetter, I see you have never tried to get raw logs from there :)
Lets say your products price varies depending on what color it is, so you want to have a dropdown box that lists different colors and can adjust the cost based on what color is chosen. Can this be done on Yahoo?
Also, does anyone know if they allow you to put in dropdown boxes and checkboxs that are associated with optional features and such?
If you use the store editor...Yes...if you are fimilar with RTML. If you aren't then you'll probably have to hire a y store developer to do it for you.
If you build your store on the hosting side of MS, you can do it through the normal HTML, and just add the options to the store editor as well so they match up.
By the way you can get raw logs if you ask Yahoo! to set it up.
Maybe on the webhosting account...but not on a Yahoo! Store...no way no how nope.
Since every Yahoo Merchant Solutions account (starter, standard & professional) includes the hosting, there is free and easy access to log files (you don't even have to ask for it).
You simply go to the Yahoo Merchant Solutions' 'Manage My Services' page, Click on 'Web Hosting Control Panel,' then 'Access Logs.' Couldn't be simpler.
Maybe the confusion is that some are still running on the old Yahoo store (setup before September of last year). In that case, its time to consider an upgrade to Merchant Solutions. It's cheaper, and also includes the hosting, log access, email, etc.
Steve
There are 2 way to build your store.
1) Webhosting (geocities) through catalog manager and store tags (tedious and requires html/programming skills)
2) Store. (recommended...easy to use but steep learning curve with real customization)
Store is what about 97% of Y! MS users use...which does not offer any access to the logs. There is a basic statistic package available in the manager...but it isn't comprehensive by any means.
As far as using Yahoo e-commerce to build your store, there are only three options available for purchase:
Merchant Solutions - Starter ($39.95)
Merchant Solutions - Standard ($99.95)
Merchant Solutions - Professional ($299.95)
What is 'Not' available, is the old RTML-based stand-alone Yahoo Store (without web hosting, logs, email, etc). Yahoo has continued to support its old customers (we still have some we haven't switched over yet ourselves), but it is not available for purchase.
As far as tedious, Merchant Solutions e-commerce is not tedious at all. It simply integrates into your existing web pages with some simple snippets of code. While it does require some very basic HTML knowledge, one would hope that is a 'given' if you developed your site in the first place.
As I mentioned before, this method of easy integration allows webmasters to focus on web design, page content, intuitive navigation, and SEO - rather than making a lot of archaic work-arounds to get the design to look and navigate properly.
As far as programming, that is for Tsuren and custom PHP programmers - not Merchant Solutions. You simply add your products into the catalog manager fields for each SKU, description, price, etc. - No muss, no fuss.
While I agree there is already a large installed base of the old RTML-based Yahoo Store, it's a moot point, since anyone considering adding Yahoo for their e-commerce needs can only purchase Merchant Solutions with integrated hosting.
Steve
What is 'Not' available, is the old RTML-based stand-alone Yahoo Store (without web hosting, logs, email, etc). Yahoo has continued to support its old customers (we still have some we haven't switched over yet ourselves), but it is not available for purchase.While I agree there is already a large installed base of the old RTML-based Yahoo Store, it's a moot point, since anyone considering adding Yahoo for their e-commerce needs can only purchase Merchant Solutions with integrated hosting.
Sorry...that is 100% incorrect. EVERY new merchant account includes Store, Domains, and Webhosting. The RTML / store method is still by far the preferred way to build the site. The old RTML based store is still by far the biggest aspect of a merchant solutions account.
Trust me on this one...we've built over 750 Yahoo! Merchant Solutions stores and worked with over 2,000 other Yahoo! Merchants in one way or another. I know what I'm talking about on this. I eat, sleep, and breathe Yahoo! Merchant Solutions and have for 6 years now...since before Yahoo! even bought the software.
There is only (1) way to build a Yahoo store today - Three flavors of Yahoo's Merchant Solutions that includes the e-commerce AND the hosting of your current site (including the log files - which was questioned before).
For those that haven't used Yahoo Store, or Merchant Solutions, the difference is you can now put your existing site on Merchant Solutions, while before, it was typically a box-cutter left column unless you wanted to spend the weeks or months necessary for the 'steep learning curve,' for RTML as 'Stores' pointed out.
As far as 'Sorry... that is 100% incorrect' - I think you must have meant '100% correct.'
I appreciate the fact that you now agree with me that EVERY Merchant Solutions account includes both the store AND integrated web hosting (which I mentioned 3 times in previous posts). The old Yahoo store could not host a currently configured site without significant RTML changes to the layout. Merchant Solutions provides hosting for your current web design - with only the addition of a little code ('buy' buttons, etc.) and a simple database to make it work.
The purpose of the original post was to learn about what Yahoo has to offer in the way of e-commerce, without a lot of added confusion about geocities webhosting and how difficult the html/programming is. Web hosting of your current site is now part of Yahoo's standard e-commerce package, and there is no 'programming' required.
Stores, the way Merchant Solutions is sold - which I'm confident you know - is as a fully integrated solution that does not require all the complexities of the old RTML stand-alone Yahoo store - which you were implying (and recommending).
While you may 'eat, sleep, and breath' RTML, you haven't been losing any sleep on Merchant Solutions for six years - it just came out last September.
The good news, is for those that want to spend the time, Merchant Solutions still provides an integrated Store Editor that allows you to go in and completely customize your site using RTML.
Steve
<Added>Bubzeebub, if you already have a website, you can add e-commerce to it by setting up a simple database and adding some code to your existing pages. That's how easy this stuff has become.</added>
The good news, is for those that want to spend the time, Merchant Solutions still provides an integrated Store Editor that allows you to go in and completely customize your site using RTML.
That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about...that is Yahoo! Store...not some "old" software that isnt used. Yes, people have the option to use webhosting...but you'll find on new accounts...a very small percentage actually do...almost everyone uses "Store" (which still doesn't have log files)
Its not worth arguing about anymore...its not helping anyone so I'm done.
