OSC vs iBiz10

[Guest]

Does anyone out there have any experience with a Commerce solution called iBiz10? It's an computer industry specific commerce solution that integrates over XML with various computer distributors. I'm using it now for a backend (no webstore yet) and am not sure I'm all that happy with it.

 

It's great with getting product info, prices, categorizing products and stock availability on mass amounts of products (100,000+) and even imports from many different suppliers, matches manufacturer part numbers and allows you to compare costs to make buying decisions.

 

However, it isn't very flexible and doesn't offer near the modules I see listed here on OSC. It's a canned system they sell to many resellers and thus can't be all that flexible as they have to appease all the clients with any changes they make....and of course they charge me every month...and want more if I want a webstore.

 

I'm new to OSC. I just installed the base install but started looking thru the contributions and it's tough to wade thru it all. My question is, is it feasible to get OSC to do the things I mentioned above? I'm not too worried about the XML integration as placing orders over XML and seeing up to the second stock levels isn't a big deal. As long as OSC can generate POs somehow that I could email to suppliers to enter in their system.

 

BUT, can OSC say look to an FTP folder and grab a price list (daily) and import product descriptions, manufacture part numbers, costs and stock levels, apply a markup and present prices online? And is there a back end to compare different supplier costs and assist with the purchasing process by showing who has the best price and/or stock levels?

 

And is there a backend that you can create quotes for clients and email them? Or is OSC just a store-front for the public to use?

 

It may be a lot to ask...or it may be simple...but without this core part of it being automated, OSC may not work for me. I must say iBiz10 is working OK on the back-end now but I want to look at extending it to a live store front.

 

I do have experience with Drupal CMS so I am comfortable with installing OSC and dealing with MySQL...but I am no programmer at all so I'd have to rely on contributions working, or of course reliable support from the community.

 

Many thanks for some insight into what OSC can and cannot do. I just don't want to jump too far in and find out it can't possibly suit my needs.

[♥toyicebear]

Does anyone out there have any experience with a Commerce solution called iBiz10? It's an computer industry specific commerce solution that integrates over XML with various computer distributors. I'm using it now for a backend (no webstore yet) and am not sure I'm all that happy with it.

 

It's great with getting product info, prices, categorizing products and stock availability on mass amounts of products (100,000+) and even imports from many different suppliers, matches manufacturer part numbers and allows you to compare costs to make buying decisions.

 

However, it isn't very flexible and doesn't offer near the modules I see listed here on OSC. It's a canned system they sell to many resellers and thus can't be all that flexible as they have to appease all the clients with any changes they make....and of course they charge me every month...and want more if I want a webstore.

 

I'm new to OSC. I just installed the base install but started looking thru the contributions and it's tough to wade thru it all. My question is, is it feasible to get OSC to do the things I mentioned above? I'm not too worried about the XML integration as placing orders over XML and seeing up to the second stock levels isn't a big deal. As long as OSC can generate POs somehow that I could email to suppliers to enter in their system.

 

BUT, can OSC say look to an FTP folder and grab a price list (daily) and import product descriptions, manufacture part numbers, costs and stock levels, apply a markup and present prices online? And is there a back end to compare different supplier costs and assist with the purchasing process by showing who has the best price and/or stock levels?

 

And is there a backend that you can create quotes for clients and email them? Or is OSC just a store-front for the public to use?

 

It may be a lot to ask...or it may be simple...but without this core part of it being automated, OSC may not work for me. I must say iBiz10 is working OK on the back-end now but I want to look at extending it to a live store front.

 

I do have experience with Drupal CMS so I am comfortable with installing OSC and dealing with MySQL...but I am no programmer at all so I'd have to rely on contributions working, or of course reliable support from the community.

 

Many thanks for some insight into what OSC can and cannot do. I just don't want to jump too far in and find out it can't possibly suit my needs.

 

 

osCommerce is very flexible and can be modded to do it but it does not do what you want straight out of the box...

 

There are some add-ons/contributions which can help you with parts of it...

 

 

For the rest you will have to rely on custom coding, if you can not do it yourself you might look to hire someone to do it for you.

[Guest]

I knew it was unreasonable to expect it to do all that out of the box...hiring is certainly not out of the question. Where would I look to hire someone?

[scsf]

RE: iBiz10

 

 

OUR EXPERIENCE:

 

We signed up for a trial implementation of this e-commerce solution for our computer retail store, and it was a unmitigated disaster. The iBiz10 product was extremely unpolished - it was marketed as a solution for Apple resellers - but our iBiz10 store was essentially unusable with the Safari web browser! In addition, their servers were quite unreliable (our store wouldn't even load a significant portion of the time). We tried to work with iBiz10.com and Technoplanet Productions to address these issues, but they were never able to resolve them, and the many other issues, to our satisfaction. To add insult to financial injury, after paying them $200 per month for more than a year and investing many hours of personnel time at our end, they refused to refund us anything, instead offering free months of (still non-functional) service going forward.

 

OUR ADVICE:

 

Avoid this e-commerce product and company. Or at the very least, don't pay them until their "solution" is working properly for your business, or get it in writing that you can cancel for a full refund. Caveat emptor!

 

PS. As of today, their web site (ibiz10 dot com) still doesn't load. You have to type in the full address (www dot ibiz10 dot com). A small detail perhaps, but symptomatic of the bigger picture...

 

Cheers,

Simon