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Need help building an online shopping site?
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- KO
- Elite Rocketeer
- Posts: 681
- Thanks: 3
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Hello,
I thought I'd asked the RT community about this because right now I'm thinking of having an online shopping site and the joomla extensions page is down.
The problem is is that I don't know where to begin or what I need to have to build and online shopping site.
I don't plan to sell physical items but I do plan to sell pictures, subscription plans, and etc...
Out of curiosity, what is rockettheme.com using when we pay for our membership? Is RT using virtuemart? I believe it's paypal almost a year ago but I can't recall. But if it is, how did RT integrate paypal with the site. I believe there are additional expenses for using Paypal's services but would that be better than using virtuemart? Actually I don't know how virtuemart works so sorry for my blabbering of questions?
Can someone help please. Thank you for your time.
KO
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- prim
- Preeminent Rocketeer
- Posts: 17290
- Thanks: 217
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"Is RT using virtuemart?"
No, RT is using RokClub which is an "in-house" product which cannot be downloaded.
I can't really answer the other questions though but i'm sure someone else will answer them shortly
- Please reply with a direct link to the issue & create a new thread for each new issue.
A template is only as good as the content that goes into it
- DanG
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- Ragdata
- Elite Rocketeer
- Posts: 614
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- Software Engineer
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I may not be popular for this reply - but then again, I'm used to copping a bit of flak for my forum activites (I'm so much less blunt than I used to be though).
Don't know where to start? Then you definately don't want to be setting up your own shop from scratch. Give yourself the benefit of running an online store so that you know what to expect before you get yourself into a nice, steamy pile of deep doo-doo ...
EMPLOY A PROFESSIONAL ... failing that, set up a 1shoppingcart.com account or something similar ... failing that, read ALL the documentation you can get your hands on at PayPal (there's plenty there) and don't attempt to start work on your site until you know what IPN stands for and feel supremely confident about being able to implement it for yourself.
Truth is, you can do it all with PayPal and a little HTML and PHP - if you can't read code, it's time to reconsider 1shoppingcart.com - Ragdata's Rubber Duck
www.ragdata.net/
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- Ragdata
- Elite Rocketeer
- Posts: 614
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- Software Engineer
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There seem to be 2 popular shopping cart systems for Joomla - one of them I haven't used (IXXO), and the other is a dog of a thing (Virtuemart). Virtuemart CAN be beaten into submission with a sledgehammer if you know what you're doing - but I really don't think it's a "beginner's" system.
The hairiest thing you need to deal with is your payments bridge - and especially when you're talking about providing 'virtual' products. If you really want to do a bit of learning and make certain that you understand what's happening at each stage of the process you should get into that PayPal documentation I told you about earlier and brush up your PHP skills so that you can do the IPN implementation.
For instance - at a site I did YONKS ago as a comp for a family friend - www.detox-asecret.com (which uses the Mobius RT template btw) we sell an e-book without a shopping cart anywhere in sight. It's done with a PayPal 'Buy Now' button, a custom PHP IPN script, plus a tricky little layer that not only serves the e-book from OUTSIDE the web-root, it also 'cloaks' those PDF and FLASH files to the extent where they are 'streamed' to the purchaser upon download so that there's an extra layer of security (for us).
That's the kind of thing you're looking at. Remember - there's ALWAYS someone out there who's just that little bit more clever than you, and they WILL rip you off. Fortunately, many people in your position remain blissfully unaware once they HAVE been ripped off - you may or may not see that as an advantage. - Ragdata's Rubber Duck
www.ragdata.net/
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- KO
- Elite Rocketeer
- Posts: 681
- Thanks: 3
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Ragdata,
Thanks for providing me with a big picture! Hmmm... I do have some experience with html and php. Just a few hours ago, I checked out VM and it seems ok. Maybe a few more hours and I hope I get used to it. As far as I know, I think VM cannot operate without the use of a third party online transaction system e.g. paypal or versign, but correct me if I'm wrong.
Your story about your friends site and adding a bit of security to make sure no one rips you off is quite clever to know. But now, I'm thinking if I really do need VM.
In your friend's situation, your friend offers immediate services right after a transaction is completed.
In my case, I plan to make custom logos for possible clients and before a customer pays, they put in an order on what they want, and once their logo is completed they pay me. There are options that I add and if a customer wants them, they pay extra. In the past I have been instructing my customers to send payment via bank transfer direct to my account... which means they have to drive all the way to a bank to send me money for what I make for them. I just want to make it convenient for my customers by adding a professional touch by using technology and adding an online transaction security to my site. As long as security is tip top everyone feels safe and happy.
So my question is, do I need VM? Maybe just go direct with paypal. I just want my customers to be able to pay online without going to the bank to pay.
My previous question about RT using paypal a year ago comes to attention because I recall pushing a button to buy membership. It was simple... I think I would like to do that. The only problem is that the country I'm in doesn't really use paypal.. Verisign seems to be the mark of trust so I'm still figuring things out on what I really need to make this happen.
Anyways, thanks for all the help and if you have any advice, let me know please.
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- Ragdata
- Elite Rocketeer
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- Software Engineer
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KO wrote:
Ragdata,
In my case, I plan to make custom logos for possible clients and before a customer pays, they put in an order on what they want, and once their logo is completed they pay me. There are options that I add and if a customer wants them, they pay extra. In the past I have been instructing my customers to send payment via bank transfer direct to my account... which means they have to drive all the way to a bank to send me money for what I make for them. I just want to make it convenient for my customers by adding a professional touch by using technology and adding an online transaction security to my site. As long as security is tip top everyone feels safe and happy.
So my question is, do I need VM? Maybe just go direct with paypal.
BINGO !! You got it in that last sentence. If you don't need to provide anything virtual - then don't complicate things. You don't even need a PayPal "Buy Now" button on your site. Send your clients an email invoice from Paypal ... fast ... secure ... and no need for any sort of shopping cart or confusing apparatus to speak of.
Do it through your contact form.
Mind you ... I think you're heading for a world of trouble by doing the work BEFORE your customer pays you in full - but go ahead and knock yourself out. - Ragdata's Rubber Duck
www.ragdata.net/
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- Ragdata
- Elite Rocketeer
- Posts: 614
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- Software Engineer
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:shock:
We are talking financial details here, aren't we? If you didn't know that PayPal offers Email Invoices - WHY THE HELL ARE YOU FINDING OUT IN A JOOMLA TEMPLATES FORUM?!!?
Seriously ... think about that for a moment.
You just gave these people your credit card details. Why don't you know EXACTLY what they intend to do with them? 'Full-time' has absolutely nothing to do with this situation. A sense of self-preservation most certainly should.
(told you at the beginning I wouldn't be popular for my answer). - Ragdata's Rubber Duck
www.ragdata.net/
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- KO
- Elite Rocketeer
- Posts: 681
- Thanks: 3
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It's alright! I appreciate the bluntness, but if you say that a bar, there'd be trouble!!! :cheesy: LOL
As for why I ask such :naive" questions on RT forums, to me it saves time to ask on the RT forums than to spend hours and hours again looking over what something can do and can't do and then possibly end up being confused about it. I usually confirm the information personally after I hear about something and that saves a lot of time for a person who doesn't do IT full-time, like you as I presume. That is why I asked to and for main reasons to learn something new. To me its my way of being efficient. Hope that answers yourWHY THE HELL ARE YOU FINDING OUT IN A JOOMLA TEMPLATES FORUM?!!?
FYI, at the time I didn't know that paypal offered such services. But after doing extensive research for detail information on paypal upon hearing the info from you, there are things that work out and things that don't for me. However, I do appreciate your time to offer me some useful advice to e-commerce and how to start and will continue to learn how to run an e-commerce sites despite the number of challenges that confront me. We all have to get our feet wet to learn how to swim buddy. I'm pretty sure you had hard times before learning something new.
Thanks for your insight and your time.
KO
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