eCommerce recommendations?

[Bob Barr]

One of my website clients wants to add internet ordering to her site. I anticipate a fairly low level of transactions, probably in the range of dozens of orders per month but possibly higher.

Rather than spending a lot of time to research all seven ecommerce packages available through SimpleScripts, I was wondering if I could get some general recommendations regarding them. Are any of them particularly easy to learn? (I've never dealt with ecommerce before.) Should any of them be avoided like the plague?

Once I've narrowed down the list to two or three candidates, I'll do the necessary digging to make my final choice. I'd just like a little help whittling down the list.

The seven packages available are:

Paymerica Merchant Services

ShopSite

Magento

CubeCart

ZenCart

OSCommerce

OpenCart

[bobdog]

Zen cart. The best. And the support forum is excellent.

[farcaster]

@bobdog,

I have some clients that need a good hosting site, and since I have been using BH for quite a while, I will be getting them to move here.

One of their requirements will be a good ecommerce package, and I have spent quite a bit of time researching both commercial and open source packages. I had initially keyed in on Zen Cart, but then a visit to their forums showed quite a few people complaining about being hacked. I noticed in other posts that you have set up quite a few. Have you had any problems securing Zen Cart from this type of activity.

I would be setting them up with dedicated, and getting them to purchase SSL certificates - not shared certs.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Barry

[Bob Barr]

@bobdog,

I have some clients that need a good hosting site, and since I have been using BH for quite a while, I will be getting them to move here.

One of their requirements will be a good ecommerce package, and I have spent quite a bit of time researching both commercial and open source packages. I had initially keyed in on Zen Cart, but then a visit to their forums showed quite a few people complaining about being hacked. I noticed in other posts that you have set up quite a few. Have you had any problems securing Zen Cart from this type of activity.

I would be setting them up with dedicated, and getting them to purchase SSL certificates - not shared certs.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Barry

I haven't chosen a package yet. I've gotten some good recommendations on another forum that I frequent and am still doing research at this point.

[farcaster]

Hi Bob,

My question was more for bobdog. I am in the tail end of the research mode, and I have looked at the packages you have listed, plus a few others. Zen Cart is looking good for both the setup of the store, and designing the look.

I just need to know if it can be made secure.

Thanks,
Barry

[Bob Barr]

My question was more for bobdog.

Sorry, I thought your post was directed to me.

[farcaster]

Sorry, I thought your post was directed to me.

Hi - not trying to hijack this thread, just trying to get some "value added".


Barry

[Bob Barr]

Hi - not trying to hijack this thread, just trying to get some "value added".


Barry

Not a problem at all. I appreciate any input that can help me sort things out.

[farcaster]

Bob, one of the things I did was install some into my area and then I looked at them online, especially the admin area. I discarded a few right off the bat. I then set up a different password for the admin for the ones that made that cut and had my client login and take a look. It ended up that we both landed on Zen Cart, but after creating an account on their forums, I saw way too many reports of Zen Cart being hacked. Some of these were simply careless installations by the user(s), and I didn't really see resolutions on some of the others. There seemed to be a lot of finger pointing the other way by the people on the ZC forums. I would suggest that you, or anyone, looking at a package do the same on their forums. There was one or two of them (not ones supplied by BH in SimpleScripts or Fantastico) that wouldn't even let you see the forums until you bought their package. Needless to say those went to the discard pile.

Good luck in your testing. If I can determine that ZC can be secured, then I will recommend that one. Otherwise it looks like I will be looking at a commercial package.

Barry

[andrasan]

Try out http://www.zeuscart.com - It's open source ecommerce software. Highly security shopping cart software to fulfill all your needs.They provide good support also.