Static Ecommerce Package

Is this too expensive

[is300]

i found a complete end-to-end static ecommerce kit that does everything. it looks flawless, however they charge $149/month. I have to host it on their servers and i'm allowed 3GB bandwith per month. They charge $5 per additional GB, and I figure I'd need at least 20GB transfer. Does this sound like too much? Payment gateway and all is included in this.

[webtress]

is300, First let me say everyone's needs and requirements are different. For $149.00 you can purchase a template whereby you now own the site - www.ecommercetemplates.com (1 time expense). Hosting can range anywhere from free upwards, estimated average hosting cost 10-20 monthly. Merchant accounts can be opened very inexpensivly from free Paypal to services like 2Checkout (no monthly fees). From reading several posting here you need to read the terms and conditions for the merchant account some compaines charge hefty fees for chargebacks. Now according to my math, the additional saving per year (1200 est.) can be used for advertising (adwords). I would run from this company.

[minnapple]

I think the amount is fair.

If you are doing serveral k a month in sales it is really small a amount if they offer good backend services such as order management and roi reporting.

I work with alot of ecom sites, it is my has been by expertise for the last four years.

When you hit sales volume, it is all about reducing internal admin costs and having a good feel for your ad spending.

Sticky me if you want.

M i n n a p p le

[gazza]

For that price you could get a co-located server. So I personally think it is far too expensive esp. if your just starting out. You can always upgrade your hosting once the money to support the bills is coming in.

On the other hand, if you don't have the necessary web skills to DIY some or all then you might want to go for it.

[danieljean]

If you don't want to worry about technical aspects and are willing to pay that kind of money, you could also consider Yahoo.

One thing to consider is how easy or difficult it will be to change shopping cart providers. Will you have access to all logs? Can you get a db dump with all your products, orders, etc?

$149 sounds like a lot if you're used to freebie open-source, however OSS may take longer to set-up and maintain. Also, a store with the automated functionality you need may save you more money than that, so I wouldn't worry too much about the sticker price.

[rsia23]

If you were a startup and want a very minimal cost , and you have minimal knowledge on web design. whats an appropriate fee, to choose from?