AboutChristine Milot Expertise I can answer questions pertaining to web design, graphic design, e-marketing, social
marketing, search engine management and optimization, pay per click, affiliate marketing,
landing pages, content management systems, shopping cart systems, email marketing,
online video marketing, podcasting, list purchasing, link development, web analytics and
almost anything related to building an internet marketing strategy to effectively grow an
e-commerce or web business with success.
Experience Online and offline marketing. Web design, graphic design and e-marketing.
Education/Credentials MA in Design and MFA in Interactive Computer Design
I am a fellow expert in the plumbing category [trying to retire]. I've designed two parrot play-gyms that disassemble and go into a duffel bag for travel. A parrot store owner saw one and gave me a thumb's up. I have already stockpiled and pre-made parts, I'm now having my website designed, I have my business account and Fed tax ID.
I am really undecided about what online merchant to hook up with for my order form and payment processing. I'd almost settled on Paypal. Then I tried to pay for a custom-made item yesterday with the guy's Paypal invoice, and it just shut down on me when I entered a different shipping address. To me it was a sign to go elsewhere.
This will remain a small business. I hand-craft these perches in my home shop. I don't intend to work my butt off, I just like to keep busy and be creative. Do you have any suggestions about a realiable merchant provider for my scale of operation? Thanks!! Sharon
Answer Hi Sharon,
There are so many shopping cart packages available no wonder you are confused by this problem.
My first choice would have been PayPal for a small operation with one main product and a handful of parts. The monthly fees as well as the cost for development of other carts can be prohibitive when you are selling only a few products. I am not sure why you had a problem when ordering from another merchant via PayPal. The issue could have been anything from the browser, to a bug on your machine or how the other developer implemented the PayPal cart. PayPal is a very good solution. I would investigate the bug that occurred before I ruled out this option. I have implemented PayPal several times and have not had any issues.
On another note I have been investigating other shopping cart systems for a new client project and have come across a few options. Here is a site that can help you in your decision. http://ecommerce-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
The three that I have researched thoroughly are goEmerchant, 3DCart and Volusion. They are good options. My only concern is the ability to customize the design. ECommerce Software at this price range all have templates that you need to follow and are also confined to their own feature set. The next level would be a system where there is a base product and you are hiring a development team to customize it for you.
I hope this information is helpful to you. Please let me know if you have additional questions.
