eCommerce? You want to do eCommerce? Ok. I got suggestions.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

I picked up a website that is going to have eCommerce on it. When I got there, I discovered a mess. The site was an abomination: a Joomla site that had a text rendition of some professional convention appearance dates on the front, some products in pages that were made in the editor(the shitstain who preceeded me did not even know how to setup JCE), Virtuemart, poorly setup, and a few other things that generally sucked. Oh, and the template was...how can we put this... an abomination. Oh lawdy, it was butt-ugly. Further note: the clowny-clown-clown-clown who did this work signed a contract for $1500, took $750, left this mess and split.

Well, in working on this, I discovered two things:

1. Virtuemart, which I had been teaching at a local adult continuing-education school, sucks. In it's present release, it has a number of features that require upgrades. Those upgrades require programatic and database hacking. Are you gonna let n00bZ do that? No. Virtuemart may be free, but it ain't ready for primetime, especially in shipping and taxes.

2.iXXoCart.

iXXo is a cart component for Joomla 1.5. Yes, it does cost $295.00, but that is a small cost in light of the fact that eCommerce sites do make money, and the fact that iXXo is designed for real people to get up and running easily, and then make it look nice. It is delightfully simple to administrate, plugs into QuickBooks, the pictures are easy to work with...everything about it is a joy.

I heartily recommend this as a first-timer eCommerce experience. I am changing my next eCommerce class over to iXXo. That is how much I think it is happening.

[RoyGBiv]

1. Geezus ... I'm in the wrong business ...

I set up and maintained two websites last semester for a professor that turned out to be something of a pain in the ass due to some of the detail that wasn't explained in the beginning when I interviewed the person wanting it so I'd know how to set it up. It turned into a game of "Don't give me what I asked for; give me what I want ... or will want ... or might want."

I got paid lunch.

Ahem ... sorry. Just venting.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. I have something I use to keep that from happening:

I call it "a contract". I also know how to gently tell the client that they are getting more than a little off the reservation, and that they are entering the realm of added charges.

Your professor friend is a user of others to his own ends. I have been down that road and know it when I see it.

I have one simple rule: I decide when I will hand out the lagniappe. No one else does.

But the client always gets lagniappe.

[RoyGBiv]

3. I'm way too old school ...

... and by that I mean "stupid" school.

I do stuff for people on a handshake, mostly because I think of computer stuff as a hobby rather than a profession ... which it is since I rarely get paid for it.

Anyway ... it's my fault it went where it went, but you're right that the professor friend is a user of others.

Live and learn ... or not.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. Well, in my family, we have an old tradition:

We like to eat food at least once a day and not live in a dumpster. There are those who will denegrate your talents and knowledge, stuff they do not have, while charging top dollar for theirs. When they get to the point of expecting me to give away my talents and capabilities, my question to them is "Do you work for free?". It generally is a teaching moment.

Don't give it away unless you WANT to give it away and there are plenty of good, sustainable reasons for doing so. In all other cases, use "tough love" and clearly explain to them that your abilities have a quantifiable expense, in hours spent learning and honing them, and thus, it is not unrealistic to expect a return on your investment.

Otherwise, give them a copy of Kompozer and wish them well.

[Shardik]

5. What would you recommend for a non-Joomla site?

HTML/CSS/Php/

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

6. One of two:

Either iXXoCart Standalone, at $595.00 and likely worth every penny, or Magento, which is free and open source.

[Shardik]

7. Thanks!

[hunter]

8. How do you handle money?

DU uses paypal (hold nose, click "yes").

Have you any experience with other services?

Google Checkout is charging 2% + $0.20 per transaction, or less if you use AdWords.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

9. All the online pay services charge. Goes with the territory.

You have to price that in.

[hunter]

10. Thats what I tell people...

They often want to know why they can't use their shop accounts.

I tell them they don't want their online stores to go anywhere near a credit card number. Let the big guys handle security.

I've seen home-made sites that ask for a customer credit card number on a simple form and send it off in an email.

:scared:

I don't like PayPal, but it's easy.