Building of a new B2C site, comments?

[skirril]

Hello,

I will shortly be buliding some Ecommerce Site (taking orders over the web).

So far, I have gotten quite a good grasp on what people are willing to supply, and what they aren't (Credit Cards Numbers, for istance)

I'll do most of the things in php, with a database (probably mysql) in the background.

- So, when building an E-Commerce site aimed (mainly) at the consumer, what are the pitfalls, what do i have to look out for?

- Except for Yahoo, where should I spend money registering it?

- Are there any alternatives to faxback and credic card details over a secure (ssl) form?

yours

Skirril

[Mike_Mackin]

Suggest you include:
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Conditions of Use
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[TallTroll]

A terms and conditions page specifying returns policy, shipping policy, any locations you don't accept orders from, etc. etc is good too

>> Conditions of Use

Might be what Mr Mackin meant here, not sure. Is that US terminology?

I've found that people ARE willing to enter the c/c details, if you can reassure them that it is secure (so maybe a security policy as well), and they have off-line channels available to complain to. A phone number and postal address goes a long way to establishing credibility

[physics]

I started out the same way you are... but realized that re-inventing the wheel is only fun for a little while. You may want to consider using open source solutions like osCommerce, a PHP solution with mySql database, or Interchange if you like perl more. In either case find a web host who offers these as features. For current discussions here see:
RedHat Akopia Interchange vs. osCommerce: osCommerce easy / RedHat a pain but better? [webmasterworld.com]

[Mike_Mackin]

Conditions of Use
[amazon.com...]
at the BOTTOM

I'd use that as an example
[the url is goofy]