eCommerce Tycoon

#1 (permalink)

hi guys,
i work for an institution that offers training materials and courses. we'd like to have a shopping cart feature so people can purchase items right away. the dilemma is:

• do we have it made from scratch by hiring a programmer or do we just go with one of the established services.
• what do you guys recommend?
• what have been your experiences with any shopping cart service?

it seems to be that going with a shopping cart service would be cheaper. especially if there is one out there that allows for customization. do you know of any such services? I would appreciate some names of companies you have used or know are good.

Thanks

#2 (permalink)

I'm going to give an answer I just gave earlier today: "It depends." How much customization are we talking about, and what specifically? Most "off-the-server" solutions tend to be rather rigid, inflexible, and subject to potential abuse.

I'm a big believer in DIY custom carts from scratch simply because they can be customized however the site owner wants with relative ease by a half-decent programmer, whereas the carts that exist tend to be a lot harder to work with in that regard.

The other advantage I find to DIY carts is payment processor integration. A scratch cart tends to be easier in that regard because you can build a few pages out to work with Authorize.Net or LinkPoint or BeanStream or Internet Secure or even (BLECH!!!!!!) Moneris and PrayPal.

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#3 (permalink)

Awesome! Thanks for your response.

it all boils down to our needs but flexibility is also a very important issue. We'll keep your feedback in mind.