Need to create e-commerce website

BeadBlossoms · #1 2010-03-26, 1:05pm

I am ready to bring my shop from etsy to a real live website with e-commerce. I have a lot of items to list (200+) and need it to look like a professional online bead store. I have a love/hate relationship with computers and don't know where to start.

I've read a lot of the threads and still am confused where to begin - can anyone help or point me in the right direction? Is it worth the work of setting it up yourself vs paying someone to do it? I don't have time to learn a complicated software........

I need hosting and website creation suggestions - thanks so much!!!

born2snooze · #2 2010-03-26, 3:54pm

I can only do an information website with link to Ebay/Etsy store. I can set up the for sale page but there's no program so you have to know html to add items.

I think most host have a simple easy set it up yourself type of program for ecommerce site. I know Yahoo and Godaddy have it. Good luck!

Hayley · #3 2010-03-26, 4:37pm

There are a lot of e-commerce sites available with built-in shopping carts, design templates, inventory control, etc. etc. Fees vary and dependent on how much you sell.

Here are a few:

http://www.3dcart.com/
(I have used this for clients... as in all of them, it does take time poking around to figure stuff out.)

http://bigcartel.com/
(I know someone who uses this.)

http://www.volusion.com/

http://pappashop.com/

SunDoorBeads · #4 2010-03-26, 4:53pm

I use pappashop and am pretty happy with them- They offer free templates or ones for a nominal fee (like under $20.00) or you can have a designer create the webpage graphics and upload them to Pappashop they will do the rest. Now as far as knowing the ins and outs their customer service is really good and they helped me alot when I first started out now I am able to do everything myself. I pay less than $20.00 a month for the package I have and I am really happy with what I get for that. The shopping cart also comes preprogrammed to accept paypal the only thing you would need to set up is the shipping and discounts if you offer any. Just click on Hayleys link to see what they offer.

Cosmo · #5 2010-04-21, 11:31am

I have been using x-cart (www.x-cart.com) for a few years and am very happy. There is a one time fee, but no license charge or anything after that.

If you don't want to pay for one, I have also used Cube Cart in the past (www.cubecart.com) and it works well.

SteveWright · #6 2010-04-21, 2:54pm

I use Mal's eCommerce. It is free and I have a tutorial on setting it up.
http://www.websitetechnician.com/cart.html

I also have an HTML generator for free that sets up a compact table that includes images, descriptions and cart stuff.

Steve

Janelle Zorko · #7 2010-05-28, 10:51am

I vote for ZenCart or Magento - both very nice carts and technically free to use. Look at all costs including the costs to hire someone to install (if you can't do it yourself) and the overall cost of a "prepackaged" service that offers you templates and such. Often, the cost is the same and it just depends on what you need.

BeadBlossoms · #8 2010-08-10, 6:29am

Finally back to this thread - sorry for the delay - thanks so much to all of you!

So, if you had to pick one do-it-yourself option would you suggest godaddy or papashop?

Or pay someone to do it? If the cost was reasonable I'd be very willing to consider that!

Reenie · #9 2010-08-10, 10:14am

I'm with Janelle and pick Zen Cart but I have so many products.
You could use Pappashop which I did in the beginning but It was hard doing sales as you had to individually pick each item and when there's over 1000 items? Oy. Way too much work. Zen cart allows you to have more control over your website. I just built another one for jewelry and I almost went with Pappashop again. I love their premade templates and designs but they still charge $20 a month when all I have to pay is $4.95 a month and do it myself. So that's what I picked. That's saving me $180 a year.

Reenie · #10 2010-08-10, 10:16am

P.S. If you go with pappashop you are also limited to only taking paypal. That was another big decision for me as many people do not use paypal. They'd rather just throw in their credit card number and be done with it.

Cosmo · #11 2010-08-10, 12:08pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeadBlossoms

Finally back to this thread - sorry for the delay - thanks so much to all of you!

So, if you had to pick one do-it-yourself option would you suggest godaddy or papashop?

Or pay someone to do it? If the cost was reasonable I'd be very willing to consider that!

Honestly, I'd go with your own hosting and do it that way. I just started a company doing web design and graphic design. If you need help, don't hesitate to ask. Cost is very reasonable...

jaychantell · #12 2010-11-26, 8:57pm

We do have 12.95 per month plans and if you have a merchant account you can accept credit cards.

AKDesigns · #13 2010-11-26, 9:28pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaychantell

We do have 12.95 per month plans and if you have a merchant account you can accept credit cards.

Donna, I'd read this thread before making any decisions to go with Pappashop:
http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177065

BeadBlossoms · #14 2010-11-26, 10:22pm

Thanks for everyone's input, I really appreciate it! The site I need is for my supply business currently on etsy and artfire. I have hundreds of items - and I've tried several times to do it with templates, etc, but I'm hopelessly computer illiterate. Pretty much makes me want to torch my computer, and make it into a computer bead. I'll keep poking around and try to figure out godaddy again....grrr. Dumb as a post with computer stuff

As for the thread below - wow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKDesigns

Donna, I'd read this thread before making any decisions to go with Pappashop:
http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177065

SuzyQ · #15 2010-11-27, 9:24am

I have a Pappashop site and for hundreds of listings it is very cumbersome. I gave up. You can only upload one picture so in order to show more views you need to create a montage to load as one.

I'll be watching this thread because I think I need to find something different for my silver beads. I hate relying on other venues, ya know?

BeadBlossoms · #16 2010-11-27, 9:27am

Exactly! I think I'm going to bite the bullet and pay for godaddy by the month as a trial. I have over 100 items, but I'll start with their 100 item choice due to the price. If it works I can always upgrad? Is their any way to have a trial on godaddy to see what it will be before you purchase???

gmkcpa · #17 2010-11-27, 12:20pm

BeadBlossoms -
Back on 09/17/2010 I signed up with GoDaddy. Here is the deal I made with them:
WebSite Tonight Economy - 5 page website for 1 year $ 40.41
Quick Shopping Cart-Deluxe edition for 1 year 256.41
Standard (Turbo)SSL for 1 year 37.49
4 domain names @ $2.17 for 1st year 8.68
Search Engine Visibility for 1 year 22.49
Site Analytics for 12 months 26.91

My total fee for the first year: $392.39

For this I got the ability to build my own website with a shopping cart. This is a step above their basic package because: I wanted more than one web page, I wanted a shopping cart that can handle up to 100 products, and I wanted to be able to show 5 views of each of my marbles (I feel that showing 5 views of a marble is mandatory-let the buyer see what he is getting). So I paid my one year fee and started working on my site. The frustration is incredible. Yes, I am computer literate, but do not know 'html', I'm not very good with Excel, and I've never done anything like this before.
I went through their templates and did not find any I liked (maybe I just didn't understand them) so I picked a 'blank' template and tried to figure out where to begin.
I could not figure out a 'block' or a 'box' - how to use them, how to move them.. so I called up GoDaddy and basically was told that not all of the functions worked well with Internet Explorer, so I downloaded Firefox and got back to work. Since then I have learned that some functions work only with Internet Explorer and some only work with Firefox. Some things I must have tried 100 times in frustration before switching browsers or trying something else. And the bulk of their support is not to tell you how each building block of their website program works, but rather to tell you if their program is working as designed or not. But I kept at it, and occasionally I did get a tech at GoDaddy to provide me with useful information. It took about a month for me to get enough of my website done to publish it. It is definitely not complete. I want to put more pictures on my home page. I want to add a page about me, with pictures. I have to post a lot more product that I have laying around here. I need more links, etc., etc. I can see where this can be a lifetime project (which is fine with me, once all the frustration is gone). BUT, I'm at the point now where I can go in and change any wording that I want, both on a webpage and in a shopping cart product description; I can take pictures of my product, resize it so that it fits into the program but still has enough pixels that if you click on it you get a much bigger picture (the first 3-4 marbles and bracelets do not enlarge, but the last few in the shopping cart enlarge just great!). So, to make a long story short(er), I'm still working on it but I'm comfortable enough with my site to say "take a look, and I'm open to constructive criticism":
www.stonepillowglass.com