I need some help / advice

[Guest]

I am looking for a few solutions for our oscommerce website.

 

We currently sell items on the site but we also do custom items out of our shop. I would like to find a way to put those on the website so the customer can configure them and then we can negotiate a price before checkout.

 

The point where I am stuck is I can’t seem to figure out how to configure a separate checkout method for these items. I am not worried about customers buying regular items and these custom items at the same time. I will deal with that. I am more concerned with how to accomplish one of the following (or another solution that will work).

 

1) If there could be an additional payment option created called “quote” that would skip any payment information and go straight to confirmation email. The only stipulation would be that this payment option would ONLY be available for the selected categories (the custom items) and also that it was the ONLY payment option available when in said categories.

I have seen a few contributions for oscommerce that would compliment this option well. But I have been unable to find any method to actually implement the special payment option.

 

or

 

2) Any orders that contain items from the custom items category would not be able to complete the payment step of checkout and instead an email would be sent to the customer and to our shop with the contents of the cart. Once there was a price negotiated then we could “confirm” the cart and check out could be completed.

If anyone has any input or has seen any contributions that might help me I would really appreciate the help. I have spend quite some time on this forum (and found a TON of things I want on my site) but am still unable to get this problem solved on my own.

 

Thanks

[lindsayanng]

there is a contribution called CALL FOR PRICE go to addons.oscommerce.com and search call for price.. i might also search price quote too just to see.

[satish]

Make a category Named cutom.

Let all Your custom products bein this.

 

Add a payment module say Quote.

It should be enabled only if cart has items from custom category.For this You will have to write acode that colloect product id and then cheks the db for any of this product being in the custom category.

 

Satish

[lindsayanng]

here you go.. if you set your custom items price to $0.00 instead of showing a price, it will show a CONTACT FOR QUOTE (or whatever you want to say) and then they click on that button which brings them to an email form that already has the product details in it, they can add their own information, and send it to you. Then you get an email with the product that they are interested in, and you can set up a price for them and sell them an individual item which you can put on your site just for them...

 

Call for pricing/negotiate price contribution

[Guest]

Thank you all for such fast replies.

 

I looked into the Call for pricing/negotiate price contribution but unfortunately I do want the item to still have a price before negotiation. Basically these items have 12-15 configurable options that slowly raise the price and then there are 2-3 items that are custom (engraving, precious metals per oz…) that have to be quoted out based on character in engraving and such.

 

Satish ‘s recommendation is close to what I’m looking for. But I would like to be able to log in as an admin once the order has been negotiated with the client and use the ORDERS EDITOR to adjust the pricing and then allow the customer to check out with any of the other payment options.

 

I am currently reading up on creating a payment module here: http://www.oscommerce.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=187772 Am I on the right track? Or is there a more simple method to just create a “placeholder” payment module since I really don’t need it to do anything.

[lindsayanng]

well, the configurable options can simply be attributes and you can make those attributes radio buttons, check boxes, a drop down menu, or a custom field text box. Use attributes type contribution.

 

The engraving attributes would just be a radio box where they choose engrave and type in what they want engraved, you can have a price attached and you can use attributes QTY so they can put in how many letters in the engraving and it will add that amount of money to the price of the item.

 

Same with the precious metals per OZ. but then again, does the customer really know how many oz. that item will use of prescious metals? i would think that would be a static price that you can put a price on.

 

This way there is no quote.. So i want a Widget with the following addons:

Widget Costs $5.00

Presious metal instead of aluminum +$3

Extra Gems +20

Custom Engraving $1 per letter

 

I would just check the ones that i wanted, put the quantity of letters in a box that will be created by attributes QTY, and the text in the attribute text field.

 

It will then mutiply the price accordingly and there is no need for a quote. the website adds it all up for you

[Guest]

Thank you for the reply, it’s nice to know people watch these forums.

 

Unfortunately the engraving cost fluctuates so much between letters that there is no way for me to set the prices in the system. The difference between an “E” and an “e” is almost $200 and then that’s just if it’s a standard font.

 

Also we have to send all the “requests” to the master engraver in the UK who then gets back to us with a firm quote. Therefore I have no real way of hard coding a price in. I already have the shop setup to use radio buttons and text fields (awesome addition to oscommerce). But I am still trying to work all the options out.

 

I like the idea of having a quote only payment option. But then I’m stuck with trying to figure out how to have the other payment options become available once the quote is finalized and accepted by the customer.

 

I think at this point to try and get everything online I will continue to research setting up custom payment options (unless someone knows an easier method than the one linked in my previous post). That way I can at least get the quotes online, and then have the customers call our local office to arrange payment over the phone.

 

If anyone has any other suggestions that would be great! :)

[satish]

Use attributes.

 

Satish

[Guest]

Use attributes.

 

Satish

 

Hey Satish,

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

I had considered doing an option where there was an attribute called "status" with two options: "pending" and "accepted". Does anyone know if there is a method of filtering payment options based off of the value of an attribute? Also is there a way to make the attribute only visible to the administrator?

 

That way I could have the customer go through the checkout process with the only payment option available being quote. And once i had reviewed the cart I could update the "status" from pending to accepted and then the "quote" payment option would be gone and all other forms of payment would be available.

 

I assume that with decent knowledge of PHP this could easily be done at the code level. But since I lack said skills I was wondering if anyone else had a solution along those lines.

 

- Brian

[satish]

Use master password contrib in used side.

 

create a dummy product with additional to be viewed by admin only.

 

in your code now place a code that will add the dummy product attrib when logged in thru master password.

 

Satish