What do you all think of this cart?

[theherbalnook]

Hi,

I am building my own website business. Just wanted to ask amateur users of the osCommerce shopping cart what you think of it. Since they offer no tech support, I am leary, but it is free!! Is it easy to use for a beginner? Important features I must be able to use are quantity/stock countdown with "out of stock" shown to customers when quantity reaches zero, and USPS shipping quotes by product weights AND postal zone. Could other beginners (or anyone) let me know if this cart is user-friendly? Thanks so much!

The Herbal Nook

[cyberbizco]

Oscommerce is very powerful and user friendly. It has all the features that you are looking for and more. I'm not a PHP programmer but I find it very to follow. If you spend a little time reading about PHP to cover the basics, it should not be a problem.

 

Yes, Oscommerce is free open source and of course no tech support. however, you can get most of your questions answered using the forums and knowledge base.

 

This is my first time building a website with Oscommerce shopping cart. After 3 weeks of configurations and design, my site will go live.

 

Oscommerce rocks!

[Guest]

I think this is great, i wrote our website last year and it was the pits(got a hosted cart costs piles of dough) But this one is brilliant even for a PHP beginner, OK you are gonna get moments when you want to throw the PC in the trash but i get like that about building them, driving allsorts of things..

 

The people on this board are so helpful it really makes it easy to get a really powerful site up and running

 

Steve

[Sincraft]

Yes, the admin panel will make things easy for a technically savy person. However, it is not user friendly to the 'lay' person. There are contributions out there that augment the product attributes, which is the hardest part for a non tech savy person. There also are I believe, contributions out there so that a person can change the intro text etc. I spent about 50 man hours trying different contribs (trying to get them to work mostly), configuring OSC and tweaking things out to my liking. Many more hours also, just reading about this and that..and trying to figure out this and that.

I'd say for the average person, this is a BIG NO. For someone in the 'industry', a big YES YES! It has many different options and is not as stodgy and clotted with useless information like most open source projects. Basically if you have HTML skills, you can pick much of the php 'ways' pretty quickly. HOwever the best thing is, you can ask a question here and many people may have already done it so you don't have to if oyu are unsure of your abilites. I am about to post on how to add a picture to the 'intro' area below the welcome guest thing. I'm pretty sure I could do it, but I am sure someone has already done this - the right way, and I bet there is even a contrib to have this more dynamic..but I dont need one as this is a one time shot for example.

 

Anyway - to answer your question ehhe - yes this is a great piece of software, but no - the average person is going to struggle greatly with it.

 

S

[♥Vger]

Disagree Scott. I had never touched php or osCommerce 9 months ago. I'm in my mid fifties, so no spring chicken, just used html previously, and now I answer about 20-30 questions a day on the forum trying to help others to get their sites working. If I can do it anyone can!

 

Vger

[WiseWombat]

Disagree Scott.  I had never touched php or osCommerce 9 months ago.  I'm in my mid fifties, so no spring chicken, just used html previously, and now I answer about 20-30 questions a day on the forum trying to help others to get their sites working.  If I can do it anyone can!

 

Vger

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree Vger, If you know how to view and edit a page in html then oscommerce is worth a go. I spent 4 hours at a local community centre as an introdution into html and that was enough for me to advance further.

With the help of the community members of oscommerce, they're a great help :D

[developer_x]

Disagree Scott.  I had never touched php or osCommerce 9 months ago.  I'm in my mid fifties, so no spring chicken, just used html previously, and now I answer about 20-30 questions a day on the forum trying to help others to get their sites working.  If I can do it anyone can!

 

Vger

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

To customize the backend fucntionality of oscommerce (such as adding a new shipping or payment module) you will need :

 

1. a ready made module

you can use it if u use atlleast the basics of php n mysql

 

2. make your own module

you have to be quite goood at php n mysql in such a case.

 

But desing n layout changes for people having no know-how of php n mysql.

[Nanda]

Well, I must say I think it is very hard.

At first I wasn't able to install all of it and now I am having real problems with an error at my header, and I can't do anything till that is fixed. (my whole index.php is white with that error)

So I think you must have some computer skils to be able to use this.

 

Nanda

[ozcsys]

Well, I must say I think it is very hard.

At first I wasn't able to install all of it and now I am having real problems with an error at my header, and I can't do anything till that is fixed. (my whole index.php is white with that error)

So I think you must have some computer skils to be able to use this.

 

Nanda

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

There is a learning curve with osC but it somewhat depends on what you want to do. You can use it pretty much out of the box with few modifications and if you do that then it is pretty easy to use. If all you want to do is use it as a store then you can pay someone to make the modifications for you and worry about running your business. So there are two areas to look at running your business and making changes to the code and they are not really related. If you look at the cart options out there that cost money to buy you will see they are not cheap and most do not have the functions of osC even if you paid someone to do your osC work you would still be better off going with osC in most cases.

 

If you want to get your hands dirty and do your own code work it helps if you are familiar with html (frontpage does not count). You will need a good php editor and ftp program also.

 

If you have not done any html or programming work before then you probably will find it a hard going. Not impossible but yes the learning curve is much higher.

[iainshaw]

You're likely to get a mixture of answers to this question - just as you have.

 

I think it's fair to say it's not simple, it requires some thought and research upfront and it also requires some planning. Having said that I'd never touched PHP before and I had a very successful Christmas selling toys and games from my site.

 

If you want to do it and you're prepared to work at it you'll find it falling into place.

 

So let's assume you're going to do it - Here are the things I wish I'd known when I started with my first site.

 

Understand what contributions you're going to use and how they might interract with each other

 

Don't see this as a competition to have the most contribution loaded store

 

Set up a development store that isn't your live store. that way you can build the store over time, test new tweaks and contributions and migrate the code to your live store when you're happy it works OK

 

Get a decent PHP editor and good FTP programme

 

Get a decent code comparison programme if you are going to be using contributions - I use BeyondCompare2 on Windows but there are others out there

 

Always back up files before you modify them

 

Always back up your DB before you run anything on it

 

Once you've a stable store that does a lot of the things you want, make sure you've got a complete backup - all files and modded DB. If you do need to rollback you'll find it slightly less painful rolling back to something that is most of the way there than going back to stock osC

 

Learn how to use phpMyAdmin

 

Read a lot in the forums and the Knowledge base, search the forums in case of problems - often the total knowledge in the threads is the thing that will help you figure something out rather than a correct but terse reply like "use 644"

 

Document what you've done........cos you'll forget.

 

And don't make any modifications to your live store without going through some make change, test, migrate process.

 

hope this helps and if you do go with it, good luck

[iainshaw]

Just reread that and realised it focuses just on developing / tweaking your store ;)

 

So on the other stuff - this is just a quick list

 

Understand the time you'll spend on marketing and getting yourself found

 

Understand what you need to get done to get the Search Engines finding you

 

You're going to need good quality links to you - do you know how you are going to get them.

 

You've going to need good quality content on your site. Both your customers and the Search Engines want it.

 

Understand how web images work - make sure you've got a reasonable image editor and know how to use it. Whether you make your own thumbnails or use a thumbnail contribution, you've got to have good quality, fast loading thumbnail images or your site will flop.

 

Work out your policies - returns, shipping, privacy - and make sure they're robust.

 

good luck again

Iain

[AXM]

OSCommerce is definately the best e-commerce program out there that I found. There are a couple of flaws (most of which are improved or corrected in MS3), but otherwise just great.

 

Its easy enough to work with out of the box to fulfill a lot of peoples' needs and there is plenty of contributions to customize your store to suit. Adding contributions can be easy and others can be a pain in the @ss. Just be careful. In the beginning I started adding contribution after contribution and ended up making OSC slower and slower and doing so much customizing I ended up breaking the store :( LOL.

 

There are a couple contributions out there that are really well thoughtout and coded and others are a nightmare and need to be overhauled. So when it comes to contributions, I'd recommend searching for ones you'd like and then look for the support post and see what people say. Ask around.

 

The best thing OSC has going for it is the community. You have a lot of newbies and lots of "osc heros" that don't mind taking the time out to help people new to OSC.

 

Good luck with it.

[AXM]

Also...if you don't have a lot of computer knowledge I'd definately leave the customizing OSC part to experienced professionals. Installing it is moderately easy for a newbie...and most hosts can do it for you if you ask nicely...some even have automated scripts that will load OSC and a bunch of other programs on your website for you.

[AXM]

One more...I wouldn't recommend you start with one of the loaded OSC setups (an OSC-based cart that has a bunch of frequently used contributions already loaded).

 

I tried one of the more popular versions and its eminent server death. I can't believe how messy the customization code was and a whopping 173 database queries on the homepage is ridiculous.

[cmbyrne]

I didn't even know what PHP was when I started this about 2-3 months ago, and I managed to change the look of the site and get it up and running all by myself :D

 

It's pretty easy, I just recommend you come into this installation/configuration and the general support forums on a daily basis and read what other people have asked/said and you can learn some interesting and helpful things.

 

Christina

[SunnyWales]

I started using OSCommerce at the beginning of December without PHP or HTML knowledge. With the help of the lovely people on this forum I've managed to produce a workable shop and change the colours etc. The technical side is a bit difficult but with a lot of patience and a tiny bit of weeping and wailing ( :D ) you'll get it working.

 

Actually adding the products etc is reasonably easy (even for me).

 

I work full time, and do this on the weekends and evening.

 

Yes it's fun and really exciting when you see the store working, but it can get a bit frustrating. When you get to these times, take some time out to think and get back to it after a break.

 

You'll get there with lots of encouragement from others.

 

I wish you the best of luck with your store.

 

Wendy

[Sincraft]

Well, I am a rather technicaly savy person. On ALL aspects of technology, except one little area..PROGRAMMING! hehe. That said, I think it's just a matter of, how much do you want to do with OSC. Do you not like the initial way OSC looks and runs? If you don't like I didn't then you have much work ahead of you. The contribution system in my opinion, needs revamped. As it stands, most of the stuff out there is buggy, and requires mayn users to followup revisions to get the thing working properly. So just the hours spent there trying to get the right versions for you are painstaking and VERY timely. Worse, many of the revisions aren't complete revisions, just amendements to the recent version from the orignal poster OR from the third revision. Which one? You have to read and find out, and cross your fingers. Then if something doesn't work, you have to do it all again to ensure it isn't on your end of the spectrum causing the issue (white spaces etc)

 

OSC is very powerfull, and YES the average person COULD possibly muttle through it. But what do you want to do? In my opinion, what the average person asks to have in the cart - will not be produced in a timely and cost effective manner with OSC. Only a seasoned techy could produce this. If you have time on your hands, a nact for picking up new things, and a low budget..OSC is the best thing on earth!

 

There are a few companies out there that sell OSC with about 30+ contributions already packaged and ready to go, working and bug free. If I would have known about them earlier, I would have happily shelled out a few bucks. I don't have any links, nor does it really go with the 'flow' of Open Source in my opinion...but I would have gone for it :)

 

 

I'd have to say my experience with OSC was frustrating to start, and much better as things come along now. I am very happy with it and learning what does what more as I piddle around. I hope I can cash in on it some day as I setup things for others in a timely and cost effective fashion.

 

I'd have to say overall, OSC is the only way to go. I really don't like the rigid cart 'rentals' out there that force you to use certain features. I think OSC will only grow more and more. The only drawback I see is, EVERYONE and their grandmother is trying to put up a commerce site. I see so many old posts from people that have dead links now as they obviously didn't find it worth their time and energy to keep a commerce site going. Much of the success of a commerce site is, on the business side of things. If someone expects to put up a commerce site, sit back and watch the $$ coming rolling in, unless they have the market cornered on something...they are going to be in for a rude awakening, but not too rude as well..it is OSC...it is FREE...and really the only thing lost is time! You can't beat that right!?

 

Vger - as for you, you ...obviously... are a genius. :) DO you doubt me? You are one of the best posters on these forums, and you should be paid for all the well earned respect you are gaining in these forums!

 

 

BTW - whoever is reading this as an amateur user, take a look here. http://www.b2services.com/oscommerce_tutorials.htm This is a very helpful link that will get you going and get you setup. This will definetely take you to the next step. If you want a basic setup of OSC up and running, this is priceless. It won't help you much in getting your OSC tweaked out however...that will require much time and learning..and of course, the help of great people like VGER. :D

 

 

S

[SunnyWales]

Vger - as for you, you ...obviously... are a genius. :)  DO you doubt me? You are one of the best posters on these forums, and you should be paid for all the well earned respect you are gaining in these forums!

 

S

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I completely agree! One of the more patient experts!

 

Wendy