Shopping Cart & Credit Card Processing?

Does anyone have any advise, suggestions, recommendations for a shopping cart? I have started looking for a shopping cart but I'm not certain which features to look for and which features to stay away from. While, of course, everyone would like a shopping cart that is easy to manage. Howvever, I would be willing to do some "homework" if it is worhtwhile to learn about a more complicated cart.

Also, does anyone have any advise, suggestions, recommendations for credit card processing? While PayPal is available, I feel that if it was the only method of payment, it might turn off "true credit card" shoppers. PayPal might be nice to offer as an alternative. Does anyone offer PayPal along with traditional credit card processig?

I have briefly looked at 2CheckOut. Does anyone ave any experiences that they would like to relate? Has anyone made the transition from 2CheckOut to a traditional credit card processor? Are there other "third-party" processors like 2CheckOut that should be considered?

What are some of the considerations when looking for a traditional credit card processor? What fees are involved? What are some things to look out for?

Any advise would be appreciated.

I like OScommerce. It's free, and once you get used to it, it's quite easy to install. We typically charge $2500 and up for creating an oscommerce site for someone, so you can either do it yourself, or pay out some cash to have it done professionally.

I recommend that you get a real merchant account. Your #1 concern should be the elimination of as many stopping points as possible. The last thing you want to do is lose a customer because they are transported to an unfamiliar site. With a good gateway like bluefin.com you should be able to automatically process your transactions in real time, and make the transition as smooth as possible.

I use them, they're great. (we also designed their site.)

Anyway... I'm biased, so check out the competition, but I still think you'll like these guys the best.

Tony

Tony, thanks for the post.

I have heard of OScommerce but have not looked into it yet. One of the best points that I have heard about OScommerce, as you mentioned, is that it is free. However, how complicated is it to program? If you charge $2500 and up, it sounds pretty complicated.

I think I agree with you about getting a real merchant account. Although it may be more expensive initially, it would aid in creditability.

Hey... we charge as much as we can get.. so don't be scared. I think our work is worth every penny due to the design, usability, and search engine marketing experience that we have. Frankly.. I try to get at least $5000 per shopping cart... but I'll take $2500.

Of course you could probably hire some kid to do it for $50 and a burger. You get what you pay for.

Anyone else have any comments on OScommerce or another shopping cart?

Any recommendations for a merchant account? What questions should be asked when considering a merchant account processor?

I have no experience with Oscommerce but from my perspective, before starting any serious work (i.e. excluding trialling) with any, you need to very carefully think through what your real requirements might be. I say "real" because many people think too much about the initial cart/catalog and not enough about cost and ease of:

updating product information
keeping stock levels accurate
incorporating additional features, further down the road eg email marketing, alternative freight options, bonuses/discounts based on $ order size or cumulative orders, upselling etc.
synchronizing accounting system data with shopping cart data
analyzing shopping cart data to maximize future sales
flexibility of the shopping cart database to cope with growth in transactions volume, additional future informational needs and future features
foibles of the shopping cart eg creation of file names that search engines will not index (eg contain SeesionIDs, too long etc.)

When you have thought those through, put them in a spreadshheet column along with your other requirements (preferably ranked in order of importance) then when you cheack out a cart, you can note down all the exceptions (i.e. don't bother marking down what each can do, just what requirements of yours they can't meet.

HTH.

Hey I've said this before but if you use paypal you're setting yourself up to get burned in the worst way.

Do you sell products to kids? If the answer is no, you don't need paypal.

I've heard a lot of people say Authorizenet.com is expensive, but they just lowered their prices this year. It's about $40 a month to have their service, plus the transaction fees.