| Forum Home | ||||
| Press F1 | ||||
| Thread ID: 84391 | 2007-11-03 21:58:00 | PHP, ASP.. needing help with a new project | pixeldust (6619) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 608155 | 2007-11-03 21:58:00 | Hi all, long time no whinge! I'm here for some input and suggestions on a project which I am currently undertaking. I've located a gap in the market for a trading site for a specific item in New Zealand, which does not currently fit into the TradeMe market, and has done well overseas being sold independently of online auctions. Basically, what I want to create is an ecommerce site where people can sign up and sell these products, so have their own account where they can log in to check the status of the items, change prices, add info etc. The front end would look pretty much like a standard shop site. Kind of like a virtual mall, IYKWIM? I've done some research and haven't had much luck finding ecommerce software which does what I want it to do, well - not without a high price tag or ongoing cost. I'm sure there must be a better way, so have come up with a few alternatives. a. I figure out how to do it myself. I'm pretty much completely inept at these things, I do know HTML (like every 12 year old out there), and I'm a fast learner. But I also have a 20 hour a week DBA job and a 1.5 year old to look after, so dunno if I have the time, unless it's doable. b. Get someone else to do it for me. Obviously this means finding someone capable. Thing is, I don't know what I'm after! I have no idea how long it would take or how much effort. Is it PHP which is important? Or ASP? Or neither? c. Give up and sell Avon for a living. Any suggestions on which path to take would be appreciated. I am really excited about getting this up and running, I already have people lining up to use the service so don't think there is much chance of failure. It's just the technical side which is letting me down :) Cheers |
pixeldust (6619) | ||
| 608156 | 2007-11-03 22:23:00 | Have you looked at Oscommerce? | Erayd (23) | ||
| 608157 | 2007-11-03 22:25:00 | My sister in Aussie (she sells her clothing designs profitably at markets - but customers, from USA are requesting that she has a website) has asked for similar advice, and I suggested for ecommerce start with paypal. It's easy to setup, popular, and they do the work for you. After time you can then opt out and find others, that may be cheaper - but perhaps require more manual input, security measures, etc. You may want to create forms for contact, feedback, etc. And perhaps a newsletter for subscriptions to inform of updates, changes, etc. You may need a sql database to store email names, info, etc. I suggest you evaluate sites similar, not only in content, but importantly format and structure. I have suggested this NZ site (http://www.rosesarered.co.nz/) (online store of flowers, goods, etc) to my sister, because I like the overall format. As for PHP not sure about that yet. Perhaps start of with a free HTML editor, and host for a website, but ideally you need a suitable paid for domain name and reliable host with good features. Then importantly you need to promote your site... |
kahawai chaser (3545) | ||
| 608158 | 2007-11-03 23:20:00 | My sister in Aussie (she sells her clothing designs profitably at markets - but customers, from USA are requesting that she has a website) has asked for similar advice, and I suggested for ecommerce start with paypal . It's easy to setup, popular, and they do the work for you . After time you can then opt out and find others, that may be cheaper - but perhaps require more manual input, security measures, etc . Paypal isn't really an issue . The payment side of thing will be via bank/credit card . Perhaps it is easier if I draw comparisons with TradeMe? Think of it as TradeMe, without the auctions . You may want to create forms for contact, feedback, etc . And perhaps a newsletter for subscriptions to inform of updates, changes, etc . You may need a sql database to store email names, info, etc . I suggest you evaluate sites similar, not only in content, but importantly format and structure . I have suggested this NZ site (http://www . rosesarered . co . nz/) (online store of flowers, goods, etc) to my sister, because I like the overall format . As for PHP not sure about that yet . The form side isn't an issue either, all that stuff I can do and isn't really relevant to my question . Perhaps start of with a free HTML editor, and host for a website, but ideally you need a suitable paid for domain name and reliable host with good features . Then importantly you need to promote your site . . . I have a domain through MyHost already, it is configured and active, built through Dreamweaver, but is currently serving as a forum only running PHPBB 2 . 0 . Site promotion is not an issue as I have already got interest from multiple sources . MyHost do support CubeCart, OSCommerce and Zencart, but as far as I can see, none of these packages support this multi storefront requirement of mine . The only website I have found which is close and basic enough for what I need is www . craftmall . com . That should show you what I'm looking for - the ability to have many people signing in and monitoring their personal products, but overall being managed by one larger overall administrator (myself) . Hope that better explains my issue . |
pixeldust (6619) | ||
| 608159 | 2007-11-03 23:21:00 | Have you looked at Oscommerce? I have looked at OSCommerce.. the closest I could find is this, but it doesn't really do what I want it to do: www.oscommerce.com I have quite a specific idea of how I want the site to work which is why I'm not even sure about using a prepacked software unless it is going to cover all of my exact needs. |
pixeldust (6619) | ||
| 608160 | 2007-11-04 01:03:00 | Maybe have a look at scriptaty net (www.scriptaty.net), which has dozens of ecommerce listings, including freeware. Also has dozens of categories (and listings) for ASP/PHP scripts... | kahawai chaser (3545) | ||
| 608161 | 2007-11-04 04:01:00 | Hi all, long time no whinge! I'm here for some input and suggestions on a project which I am currently undertaking. I've located a gap in the market for a trading site for a specific item in New Zealand, which does not currently fit into the TradeMe market, and has done well overseas being sold independently of online auctions. Basically, what I want to create is an ecommerce site where people can sign up and sell these products, so have their own account where they can log in to check the status of the items, change prices, add info et c. The front end would look pretty much like a standard shop site. Kind of like a virtual mall, IYKWIM? I've done some research and haven't had much luck finding ecommerce software which does what I want it to do, well - not without a high price tag or ongoing cost. I'm sure there must be a better way, so have come up with a few alternatives. a. I figure out how to do it myself. I'm pretty much completely inept at these things, I do know HTML (like every 12 year old out there), and I'm a fast learner. But I also have a 20 hour a week DBA job and a 1.5 year old to look after, so dunno if I have the time, unless it's doable. b. Get someone else to do it for me. Obviously this means finding someone capable. Thing is, I don't know what I'm after! I have no idea how long it would take or how much effort. Is it PHP which is important? Or ASP? Or neither? c. Give up and sell Avon for a living. Any suggestions on which path to take would be appreciated. I am really excited about getting this up and running, I already have people lining up to use the service so don't think there is much chance of failure. It's just the technical side which is letting me down :) Cheers I think you will find php the way to go, as there is a lot of open source software. I think that you will need to learn how to do it yourself, or perhaps go into business with a programmer. Otherwise you may have to pay to get it all setup for you. Have you prepared a business plan and feasibility study as to whether it is profitable, as you maybe able to get a loan from a bank to pay for geting a programmer to set it all up. Also you could get it setup by an Indian company which may be cheaper than local programmers, but from my experience it wasn't successful, and ended up being more expensive than hiring a local developer. |
robbyp (2751) | ||
| 608162 | 2007-11-04 18:43:00 | Well, I got there in the end - have found a package called X-Cart Pro which seems to do what I want, and at less than I thought US$500 + add-ons. Thanks for the suggestions! | pixeldust (6619) | ||
| 1 | |||||