the_anarch
07-26-2008, 01:07 AM
Hello, to start off- thanks for all the good information I've already found here. I'm a web designer who hosts (through Idologic) a few small websites I've built for clients, strictly info sites, no dynamic stuff or databases and certainly no e-commerce sites. Until now. I have a client who does custom woodworking stuff, but they want to be able to sell a small number of pre-built items online.
Not having done any of this before, I've managed to figure out that we need...
a host (check- I'm it)
an SSL (check, Idologic provides it free)
a shopping cart (check, either Idologic's or we're considering PinnacleCart)
a gateway
a merchant account (maybe check)
My client has told me they either are currently using, or plan to be using, CostCo for their merchant account (the regular kind, not yet the online/MOTO kind). The logic is that apparently by going through CostCo, they're going to be able to sell some products through their catalog service (?? I have no idea what he means).
At any rate, after reading some of the bad things that have been said about CostCo, some of the good things about Authorize.Net, and some of the comments that in some situations (especially people who are new to this), it's good to use one provide for both the merchant account and the gateway, I'm thinking I need to recommend to them that they pick someone other than CostCo for their online merchant account. And I'm thinking Authorize.Net, again because of the positive comments here, and because it plugs directly into PinnacleCart apparently.
So I'm basically looking for any feedback, advice or suggestions anyone might have on how I should proceed, whether or not my thinking is good, if anyone has any alternate or better ideas, etc etc. If I've left any important details out, just ask in your reply, I'll be checking this thread constantly over the weekend. Looking to be able to tell the client whatever my plan or recommendation is first of next week. Thanks again everybody.
Not having done any of this before, I've managed to figure out that we need...
a host (check- I'm it)
an SSL (check, Idologic provides it free)
a shopping cart (check, either Idologic's or we're considering PinnacleCart)
a gateway
a merchant account (maybe check)
My client has told me they either are currently using, or plan to be using, CostCo for their merchant account (the regular kind, not yet the online/MOTO kind). The logic is that apparently by going through CostCo, they're going to be able to sell some products through their catalog service (?? I have no idea what he means).
At any rate, after reading some of the bad things that have been said about CostCo, some of the good things about Authorize.Net, and some of the comments that in some situations (especially people who are new to this), it's good to use one provide for both the merchant account and the gateway, I'm thinking I need to recommend to them that they pick someone other than CostCo for their online merchant account. And I'm thinking Authorize.Net, again because of the positive comments here, and because it plugs directly into PinnacleCart apparently.
So I'm basically looking for any feedback, advice or suggestions anyone might have on how I should proceed, whether or not my thinking is good, if anyone has any alternate or better ideas, etc etc. If I've left any important details out, just ask in your reply, I'll be checking this thread constantly over the weekend. Looking to be able to tell the client whatever my plan or recommendation is first of next week. Thanks again everybody.