Hey guys, I work for a company that distributes environmental products. They want to set up a website that lists their products w/ descriptions etc...

They also want to sell them online, so I was wondering where I could find out information on software packages that could help me with this or maybe an online resource that can guide me through the process or give me more information.

Thanks in advance

Welcome to the forums Engaging!

It all depends on where the business is located and how much volume you anticipate

Hi,

Putting together an e-commerce site usually requires a combination of a lot of software packages and technologies. My company sells software (Lampshade) and services (Authorize.Net Merchant Account, GeoTrust SSL) that could get the job done, but you should definitely take a look around before purchasing anything and do some research.

It might also be helpful to post any kinds of requirements you have, such as running on Windows, Linux, how many products will be in the database, etc. That will help narrow down exactly what you need.

Good luck,

Aaron

Keep in mind that authorizenet.com is not a merchant account provider, it is only an electronic payment gateway. You would need a merchant account that supports authorizenet.com to complete that protocol.

it wouldn't generate too much volume... we would be selling to businesses & local/state governments mainly.

thanks for the help guys.

Corey,

Just so you know, certain Authorize.Net accounts (Wells Fargo IPS, which is what we use) do come with a merchant account, so you don't already have to have one. They're not mandatory, though.

Aaron

Hello Engaging,
I'd suggest an open source store script, or even a paid, full featured online store/cart application.

Searching www.hotscripts.com will pull up a variety of options. You can also browse by category and type.

Best of luck! :)

You are correct Aaron, but authorize.net itself is only an electronic payment gateway like LinkPoint, and Verisign's Payflow - not a merchant account provider. You usually get both from an authorized reseller of Authorize.net, etc but they are two totally different things.

Engaging - you might look in gateways that support Level 2 & Level 3 credit cards as well. Some gateways do not support them and they might be used in your type of business.

If you are doing more than $1,000 a month, a merchant account in the United States is usually feasible and easier for you

Hello thinkcomp,

The componants you need to pull this off are the following:

Web Hosting
Shopping Cart
Payment Gateway
Merchant Account
SSL Certificate
+ Presumably some sort of help setting up, maintaining and designing your shopping cart

There are really 2 ways to approach this: a) 1 stop shop (companies that can accomodate all of these requirements) and b) piece mealing the componants off to several vendors (may save you money, may not)

Hope this helps...