Online Shop

Tango34uk · 02-11-2007, 10:58 AM

Right here goes, Im sorry if its in the wrong place, but im new here

I see that a lot of people in here ask about online shops and I for one, while being computer ish ok, still don't understand the finer points of OSC, so I for one use the following company for my shop:-

http://www.vstore.ca/ It is 100% FREE but has adverts in it, I then pay the little bit extra (via Paypal) and get the advert FREE version.

The above link WILL NOT make me any money, I would rather help other users on this forum, then make a few pounds off them.

Well I hope that helps.

Regards
Tango

**Pete** · 02-11-2007, 12:40 PM

They may have changed, but the last time I checked them out you only got a sub-domain under them, not your own "real domain". That's not a good way to go online.

I've had many US clients that left them and came with me since they felt the $ 5 a month for my stand alone type stores was better for them, since it was really "their store" under their domain.

May have changed. I know that a lot of people start off with them and then move on.

What are you paying a month?

And is your store under your domain or is it a sub-domain like "yourstore.vstore.ca" or "vstore.ca/yourstore"?

Tango34uk · 02-11-2007, 12:51 PM

sub domain, but I always point my customers to my own domain name, and then mask it ontowards the sub domain.

**Pete** · 02-11-2007, 02:11 PM

Yeah, that's what I thought. What's the cost?

**MustHaveMobiles** · 02-11-2007, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tango34uk

sub domain, but I always point my customers to my own domain name, and then mask it ontowards the sub domain.

Why? would you not prefer to run your own? Any work you do towards that in terms of traffic/SEO will be lost if they change policies/go offline etc etc..

**Pete** · 02-11-2007, 08:45 PM

not saying they won't shut down tomorrow, but they've been around for quite some time. I've known many to use them (but not for long) since 2002 or 03.

You did hit the nail on the head, though. Your fate is in someone elses' hands. To me the major reward in being in business for yourself is the independence of it. I want my store to be MY STORE!

No wage-earner, I.

anotheruser · 03-11-2007, 01:34 AM

What do they charge and how do they charge it, T34uk? Cash or commission? How many adverts and how obtrusive did you find them in the "free" version? Sorry, but their site goes through too much obfuscation of the real question - money - for my taste.

Tango34uk · 03-11-2007, 10:15 AM

They charge approx £9.00 a month for the FREE version. As for the adverts well I sell military equipment, and on the left of the shop used to appear google adverts for others selling the items I was offering! So it didn't seam a lot to get rid of it.

I agree it would be great to have my "own" shop, but my programming skills arn't amazing, I use Frontpage for web design, and this works for me.

If anyone can let me know about a better option, that works in the UK, lets me sell worldwide, and accepts "out of the box" paypal and google payments, then Im happy to have a look at it!

Yoy pay your fees via PayPal, they don't charge any commission, I would say grab a free shop have a look with a smaple of 5 objects in it and see if its for you. remember it will cost you ZERO to do this.

Also have a look in thier forums and see what others have done with their shops, its great!
Regards

**Pete** · 03-11-2007, 02:16 PM

Tango,

There very home-grown in the UK CubeCart will do that, except for the Google Checkout. If that is important to you, there is an add-on in the £10.00 (one time) range.

Other than that, it is one of the most international carts I know of, with out of the box capabilities to display products in over 10 currencies.

That is for the free version. There is a new $ 129 version that includes Google Checkout and additional features. I'd suggest the free, and then move up if you desire.

I'm going to give you a link to the "back room" of a cart. You can jump right to the front end by clicking Store Home on the left menu. There are hundreds of designes available, so free, some paid for.

The best part? it's free. You can install it yourself on any server, you can get it in a one-click kind of installation is you hook up with any hosting company that offers cPanel / Fantastico or you can host with me for the grand total of $ 53.88 per YEAR and I will install it for you at no charge.

Yes, $ 53.88 for a year of hosting and the cart is installed free.

Here's the link, be sure and check out Countries and Currencies - http://smallbusinesshoster.com/cubecart/admin/index.php User is - admin Password is - password

Check it out.