Why I like ClickCartPro

...and why I'm dumping them

[enchant]

My first ecommerce software was Dansie. It was easy to set up and to use, but for the most part, it's all but abandonware. The owner will be glad to take your money if you want to buy it, but they haven't made any improvements beyond serious bug fixes in many years.

I looked around a bit and decided on ClickCartPro. It's childs play to get running, and it can be extremely configurable. Also, it's fairly inexpensive at $80/domain (after the first three). But I have a couple of problems with it.

The documentation only covers the standard configuration issues and there is nothing about where to look or what file to edit to do any of the advanced configuration. There is a forum, but the author doesn't seem to check in very often, and you don't get much help from the others either. And the forum is the primary form of tech support.

ClickCartPro is heavily based toward the sort of storefront that is database driven. Configure it to look and act like you want, upload your database of 20,000 items, and you're in business.

Thing is, the vast majority of my customers don't want that. They've got only a handful of items, or perhaps only ONE.

So here's what I'm looking for: Something that isn't terribly expensive. Carts that can handle a thousand categories and a billion products are of no use to me. I'm not designing a website for OfficeMax.

Also, I need something that can be easily modified to do odd things if I need it. It would be really nice if there was some sort of active forum available for the occasional stupid question.

Is anything like that out there?

[CernyM]

X-cart?

They have a variety of precanned templates. Opening simple stores is fairly simple and there is a very active 3 party developer system as well as user-supported forums.

The X-cart developers will do custom work to meet your needs, and the charges are very reasonable.

[enchant]

> X-cart

Let me take a look at it, and thanks for the pointer!

[Mall23]

For a single product or a handful of products it might be cheaper to just make static HTML pages and have them go to PayPal. I've seen that on a couple sites and it works fine for small operations with a limited budget.

Funny thing is I've even see web development "companies" touting their "eCommerce Solution"...you go to the sites in their portfolio, and that's what you get. Cutting-edge. :)

[enchant]

Thanks, but I don't think PayPal will be a good solution.

For one thing, I need software that will calculate shipping via multiple carriers, tax based on location, track inventory, accept coupons or gift certificates to apply discounts, etc., etc.

Also, PayPal isn't considered a "professional" credit card processor by *everyone*. Being the person in my circle of friends who "knows the Internet", I often get asked if PayPal is really safe. And some of my web site clients ask me if the general public (or other businesses) will take them seriously if they only offer PayPal rather than a "real" cc processor. Just the name "PayPal" sounds a little silly, like "Credit 'R' Us", or "My First Storefront".

Now before you wave the PayPal banner and argue these issues, it doesn't really matter how I fee about it. The point is that some faction of the general population feels better about using traditional credit card methods (not PayPal), and I have to respect my clients' opinions.

[Mall23]

I agree with you about PayPal. It's definately ghetto and if you can afford it, go for the full merchant/gateway/ssl combo.

I got the impression the client you were making the site for was starting out, and in that case, the cheapest way is PayPal.

[well_read]

PayPal, whether it's for you or otherwise is a billion dollar business. Trashing PayPal and calling it "ghetto", doesn't really serve the purpose for which this forum exists.

Based on my reasearch, there are millions of people who look for that PayPal logo. <snip>

Stick to what you know.

[edited by: lorax at 12:29 pm (utc) on Sep. 6, 2005]

[Mall23]

I understand the impression most customers have when they go to a website that only takes PayPal payments. That impression is -- "cheap site". (I could say the same about Template Monster cookie-cutter sites.) And it is a cheap site. The bigger, more crediable companies use merchant account/gateways, and maybe, maybe, PayPal as one in several payment method options. Do not take a customer off their site to any third party sites (talk to your marketing department about this one). Once PayPal's transparent gateway (can't remember it's name) is more prevalent then it will no longer matter.

Another reason legitimate and successful companies hesitate to use PayPal is because it also leaves the customer with the impression that the company may not be so honest (same reason companies sometimes hesitate to get incorporated in NV now days). With PayPal, companies (or, most likely individuals) are able to receive all their payments "under the table" - so to say. Your PayPal account is more easily hidden from the government. All funds received can be spent transparently. And, in addition to that, people who cannot get bank accounts (they've been blacklisted or have really poor credit), can get PayPal "bank" accounts. So sometimes you are working with a more shady crowd.

Do not read more into what I said about PayPal. Do not read into my message that I said their SSL is insecure (where did you get that?). Do not think your book "research" and reading "in-the-know" articles on CNet is more reliable than my "experience". But, hell, I can trash whatever company I like, and yes it is definately appropriate for this forum.

[edited by: lorax at 12:30 pm (utc) on Sep. 6, 2005]

[etrader]

Hi, just my 2 cents, I really like Paypal for transactions outside my country - because the merchant does not get hold of my credit card number - a big plus point to me.