Basic Cart/Checkout Shopping System

[gamestriker]

How do I go about making a simple Cart/Checkout shopping system on a website? I'm helping a friend get her hobby business get started, and she asked me if I could make a simple site for her.

What's the best (and hopefully, simplest) way of implementing the cart and checkout system?

I apprieciate the help.

 

[wrc fan]

Try osCommerce. It's a free php/mysql based shopping cart system.

 

[Blackheart]

If you have to ask the question, I definitely recommend not trying to write your own. A quick google search turns up some online commerce software that you could look into using.

The big thing is security, the last thing you want is for your customers' personal information to be stolen. If I were you, I'd recommend you research around for a good e-commerce solution. If you pay for software, rather than using some free solution, you will receive better service (and should expect it). From my experiences with other software (not e-commerce) good service and support is worth the extra upfront cost of the software.

Anywho, my 2 cents.

Hopefully some members have first-hand experience with some of this stuff.

 

[superbovine]

if you have to ask how to make a shopping cart system you shouldn't be doing because you don't have the basic skills to make it secure.

http://sourceforge.net and search for shopping cart

there will be a lot. i'd recommend you use osCommernce as well.

 

[jalagl]

A lot of hosting services include a shopping cart in the hosting package, such as MIVA Merchant or osCommerce. It is worth checking out if your hosting service uses one of these products, or find a hosting solution that does.

 

[gamestriker]

How do I make sure its secure? This is my first time messing with e-Commerce stuff...I think I will use osCommerce.

making sites its one thing...starting an online business is another


Can anyone recommend any good really cheap hosting (free if possible, but I'm not holding my breath ) where osCommerce can run well and securely?

Again, I appreciate the help.

 

[superbovine]

well, i don't think you know how to make the acutally shopping cart. the shopping is the first step to figure out. after that make it secure.

 

[Detlev]

How do I make sure its secure? This is my first time messing with e-Commerce stuff...I think I will use osCommerce.

Making it secure means you need to have a SSL certificate. You can purchase them or if you find a decent hosting company they may have packages where they include one. The certificates are not cheap so it might benefit you to find a hosting company that offers them or at least an ecommerce package. Earthlink has a nice little ecommerce package where you can list up to 50 items and have a secure cart. PayPal also has a package that is a good deal. Other options include a Yahoo store, an Amazon affiliate store, or an eBay store. I do not use them, I just know of them.

Some things to consider:

1. Do you want to or are you equipped to handle credit card transactions?
2. Do you want to or are you equipped to handle inventory?
3. Are you selling downloads?
4. Can you provide the minimum service requirements of affiliate stores (see Amazon suggestion above)?
5. Will this be the only outlet (or do you have a brick and morter store)?

There are many more questions to answer before moving on.

I am presently trying to set up the osCommerce on my sight but am running into problems (I am not up to date when it comes to PHP or MySQL—I built our store from the ground up using html and we still get 4,000 hits daily).

 

[tjwett]

I agree, don't take this on yourself. If you want something easy, cheap and quick to set up yourself you can consider going the PayPal route. One worry-free option is something like MadMerch, who handle EVERYTHING for you. From payment processing to inventory to shipping. You send them the goods and they do the rest, for a small fee of course. I recommend one of the above two methods for starting out, for one simple reason, MERCHANT ACCOUNT. If you want to accept credit cards in anyway on your own, whether it be through a Yahoo store or a custom solution, you will be required to become a licensed merchant. This can be a long and arduous process and many people/businesses will not even be approved. It costs money just to apply, along with an annual (sometimes monthly) fee, along with the fees you will still have to pay your processing service. For many small businesses the headache of trying to setup a merchant account just doesn't pay off. I recommend you consider a DIY solution (PayPal) or a full-service (MadMerch) solution, at least until your friend can see that her business is even going to make it. As a small business owner who has looked into all the options and gone through the steps, I advise making this as painless as possible for yourself.

 

[superbovine]

Making it secure means you need to have a SSL certificate. You can purchase them or if you find a decent hosting company they may have packages where they include one. The certificates are not cheap so it might benefit you to find a hosting company that offers them or at least an ecommerce package. Earthlink has a nice little ecommerce package where you can list up to 50 items and have a secure cart. PayPal also has a package that is a good deal. Other options include a Yahoo store, an Amazon affiliate store, or an eBay store. I do not use them, I just know of them.

Some things to consider:

1. Do you want to or are you equipped to handle credit card transactions?
2. Do you want to or are you equipped to handle inventory?
3. Are you selling downloads?
4. Can you provide the minimum service requirements of affiliate stores (see Amazon suggestion above)?
5. Will this be the only outlet (or do you have a brick and morter store)?

there also checking for things like sql injection holes or similar things in your code which why he should download someone else's.

 

[ITASOR]

Try CubeCart. Make sure to download the lastest version of 2 because 3 is really buggy.

It's great.