How does osCommerce work?

[debdemoe]

Hello,

 

I'm new to osCommerce and to eCommmerce in general, I searched for some more descriptive information about how osCOmmerce works, but I could not find answers to a few questions... hope somebody will have the patience to help me out.

 

1) osCommerce list several forms of payment... I can understand PayPal, as it redirects you to their secure web site, and then redirect you back. All you have to do is register with paypal and then you're fine. How doe sit work if you want to process the cc manually (a little shop that has a credit card machine). Do you need to have an ssl certificate, as I presume the cc info will be stored somewhere in the mySql?

 

2) How do I know when I sell something? Does osCommerce send me an email like "you have a new order", and then I need to log somewhere to process it?

 

3) Authorize.net: Is that something like paypal? A redirection to another secure site, then back? And if so, how much it cost?

 

4) Can I sell a gift certificate that can be printed on line? I'm afraid this is not possible, as I cannot see how to prevent the user of printing 3-4 gift certificates... suggestions are welcome!

 

Well, this is it for now, thanks in advance!

 

Debora

[Andrew Yuen]

1) Yes an SSL certificate is needed when processing cc info manually unless you want to put your customers information at risk.

 

2) Yes, osCommerce emails you when their is a new order.

 

3) Authorize.net is a gateway which makes online credit card processing possible. You must go through a authorize.net reseller for prices.

 

4) There is a gift certificate contribution: http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contri...26+Gift+Voucher

 

If you have further questions feel free to PM me.

[anbbang]

do you know the difference between a merchant account and credit card authorization service? do you need both?

 

do authorize.net fees vary depending on reseller or are they generally the same?

[debdemoe]

Thanks for your anwer, so Authorize.net works like PayPal? If I use Authorize, do I still need the ssl?

 

Thanks in advance. I'm just trying to figure out a way to make a small shop sell it's products online without huge expenses.

 

Thanks again.

 

Debora

[Jack_mcs]

You will probably not want to use authorize.net then. They charge around $20/month plus a statment fee plus per item fees. Some resellers charge an application fee too so don't use one of those. On top of that, they generally won't let you use them if you are not grossing around $1,000/month. Paypal Pro is similar to authorize.net but does not cost as much and there is no monthly gross requirement. For new shops, or shops that have a low monthly gross, the best way is to use paypal IPN. More and more people are recognizing Paypal and are trusting it. You will get people telling you differently but those are mostly shop owners who see the other side of paypal. For regular web surfers, it is very well thought of.

 

Jack

[debdemoe]

Thanks for answering that... the process is getting clear...

 

What if I want to run the cards manually (using my shop cc machine)? Does osCommerce allow me to do that?

 

I was thinking that I need to store the cc number in the db, and then login to see the number and process it... but to do that I need the ssl certificate, right? (around 20$/mo).

 

Anyway I can do it without the ssl?

 

Thanks

[jasonabc]

What if I want to run the cards manually (using my shop cc machine)? Does osCommerce allow me to do that?

Yes - the Credit Card module allows you to do this but storing credit card numbers is highly risky and should be avoided at all costs. You need far, far more than SSL. The numbers are not stored securely in the database and if you are hacked you are in big trouble. The fine print of your merchant account will also usually have a condition in there that says you are not allowed to store CC numbers online.

[Jack_mcs]

There is a credit card module included that will work good for you if you have your own terminal. You would be responsible for complete fraud checking though. And you should certainly use an ssl certificate. Many customers simply won't use a site that doesn't have one. Plus you would be making the credit card number easily available. The good news is that an ssl certificate is only $20/year, not a month. But if you don't want to spend that, ask your host if they have a shared ssl. Most do and it is 100 times better than none at all.

 

Jack