To do E-Commerce, I need right?

[WhatTheF]

Hi:

I really didn't think this would be so confusing. Can you verify my checklist of what I think I need?

1. Shopping Cart
2. Payment Gateway
3. Merchant Account
4. SSL Certificate

A. What else do I need here? What don't I need here?

B. I have a free shopping cart, Zen Cart. I know I could use trustcommerce.com or authorize.net, but where do I get *just* the merchant account.

C. Most of the sites seem to offer only partial deals. Maybe a gateway & processing and a cart. So the processing and gateway fees are payed monthly? Do you have to pay for the merchant account monthly *as well*?

D. If I wanted to ditch the 'do-it-all-yourself' method, is 2checkout.com, worldpay.com & paysystems.com the only choices I have? User reviews don't bode too well for any of them. Is it true they don't have fully customizable interfaces?

E. Is there not one bloody service provider who covers the whole process?

I'm really stressing questions A, B, C and D.

Thanks for any help whatsoever.

M

[stymiee]

A. What else do I need here? What don't I need here?

Those are the big ones.

B. I have a free shopping cart, Zen Cart. I know I could use trustcommerce.com or authorize.net, but where do I get *just* the merchant account.

There are lots of companies that can provide a merchant account for you. Just do a search for "merchants services" and start comparing programs. Rates can vary widely so shop around. Read this for more info.

C. Most of the sites seem to offer only partial deals. Maybe a gateway & processing and a cart. So the processing and gateway fees are payed monthly? Do you have to pay for the merchant account monthly *as well*?

Merchant account do have monthly charges associated with them. So do processing gateways.

D. If I wanted to ditch the 'do-it-all-yourself' method, is 2checkout.com, worldpay.com & paysystems.com the only choices I have? User reviews don't bode too well for any of them. Is it true they don't have fully customizable interfaces?

They are third party processors so you're stuck with whatever they feel like offering. If you plan on doing more then $1000 a month don't bother with them as they'll cost you more anyways. If you plan on doing less then $1000 you might find them to be worthwhile since they will cost you less. But in return you get less flexability.

E. Is there not one bloody service provider who covers the whole process?

There are plenty of companies that can assist with the whole process. Just be ready to pay for it.

[jaiem]

Most companies that provide merchant accounts have a package that includes a gateway. You don't necesserily have to get one on your own.

With that said, a gateway is for online real-time processing. You may not want to charge the customer immediately depending on the items you sell. Many e-commerce sites charge the customer off-line when the order is ready to be shipped. There are a number of off-line options for processing such as touch tone or a virtual terminal (a secure web page). Again, depends on the needs of your business and the merchant processor you go with.

[petertdavis]

You might want to consider going with a hosting company that is experienced with ecommerce sites, they should be able to offer you guidance on getting your shop going.

[jonathanbriggs]

I think these are the basics but to create good e-commerce you need rather more. You need to make sure that your shopping cart supports a smooth buying experience, you need to integrate your payment well and you need to have set up the processes to handle shipping and returns. You will also need to convey a sense of trust and support in the design and messages on your site.

[jaiem]

Have you thought out (and written down) all the factors of selling?

Things like shipping method and shipping costs, packaging, billing, accepting refunds/returns, etc?