I am nearing point of giving up...

Pheebs · 30-01-2009, 13:47

... seriously. OScommerce can properly die in the face.

Getting to the point where I know I'm going to struggle to get it to look good because it's SO COMPLETELY RUBBISH!!

Hehehe.

Basically, if anyone knows of anybody willing to make a few bob on the side to help me set it up and actually look decent and operate properly, I would appreciate a nudge!

Thank you people.

*goes back to playing with it's ridiculous layout*

*sigh*

Kell_ee001 · 30-01-2009, 13:52

I'd happy help but I know nothing

Hope someone here does though hun!

Blighter · 30-01-2009, 13:59

I would help by my experience in OSCommerce also bought the same opinion... It's utter s***.

Tell me what you need and I'll have a play around over the next few days as I'll be sitting at home twiddling my thumbs (no internet but have a local web server so can use that).

iCraig · 30-01-2009, 14:01

Pheebs, if you need any advice with e-commerce and payment gateways and what not just give me a shout. I do it every day. I've actually got my head inside a website selling turf at the moment.

I haven't seen OScommerce before, but if it's like other off the shelf packages they're alright as a starter but soon run out of steam when you eventually ask it to do more complicated things like special offers, specifications, variants, minimum order quantity, delivery options etc etc etc

Sometimes it's worth investing in a bespoke package if you're in this for the foreseeable future but it obviously depends on your budget and the scale of stuff you're selling?

Pheebs · 30-01-2009, 14:40

Hey hey

I have asked around for bespoke stuff and I would be looking at forking out £1500 bare minimum for a company to do it! I just... I can't afford that! For selling greeting cards... It's just not economic. I wouldn't make that back through the website at all at the moment. I really canny justify those prices

It's heart breaking - I've read up SOoooooooOOo much on bloody oscommerce threads and forums and I just cannot get on with it

And annoyingly there are SO many people asking where they can buy my cards online and I have no where

I've been playing around here:

AKOF shop thingy

It's such a mess to deal with. Nothing is clear cut and the instance I change fonts/images everything just splurges out into random places!!

In an ideal world I would *love* something as neat as this webby:

Ellecarte

I just... I hate the "standard" borders you're given, the square boxes (it's taken me a life time to figure out how to get rounded corners on the "New Products" box at the bottom) and chunky text.

Nightmare!

If anyones willing to help though - even help me to figure out round corner boxes with a black outline (SO simple! You'd think

) I would be incredibly grateful.

Blighter · 30-01-2009, 14:49

Pheebs, have you ever thought of expanding into different product markets? I reckon you could make an awesome alternative to a David & Goliath-like store

And I'd buy loads more t-shirts then I would cards online.

Pheebs · 30-01-2009, 14:59

Yep! Sure have!

Tshirt wise though, it's a bit of a pain in the backside. I would have to go through an already set up tshirt printing shop to be able to produce tshirts and make some form of profit. To buy in tshirts with designs on and set sizes and then stock them here is a mahooooooosive risk!

Little steps first for me

Greeting cards and then the expansion onto tshirts/mugs etc.

Davey_Pitch · 30-01-2009, 15:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pheebs

Greeting cards and then the expansion onto tshirts/mugs etc.

Then.....the WORLD Mwuahahahahahah!

Sorry

Pheebs · 30-01-2009, 15:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davey_Pitch

Then.....the WORLD Mwuahahahahahah!

Sorry

LOL!

But it's so true!!

iCraig · 30-01-2009, 15:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pheebs

Hey hey

I have asked around for bespoke stuff and I would be looking at forking out £1500 bare minimum for a company to do it! I just... I can't afford that! For selling greeting cards... It's just not economic. I wouldn't make that back through the website at all at the moment. I really canny justify those prices

You're in the same boat as hundreds of other start-ups. They need to start selling, but to do that, you need to lay down the cash to create the method to sell. There's no easy way around it. You can sometimes get away with a crap shop for a while and hope that can deal with what you need it for and then invest at a later date. Or, as most do, bite the bullet and pay and wait for the sales to eventually pay for the site. It's risky, obviously, but who said business is always safe and easy?

If successful though it pays many times over. One client of ours who sells baths and showers is doing great. His website cost £3,000 to get up and running. He's now averaging £800-1500 per day in sales. Suffice to say it's paid for itself many times over.

It's with anything, you get out what you put in and it's not easy to break into. The few and fortunate make money online without paying for the right gear, and it's why off the shelf DIY packages are cheap, or even free, and why the bespoke ones hold a premium. They're just lightyears apart in terms of what they can do and how flexible they are to just getting your products online in a presentable way and pursuading customers to part with their cash for them.

Take a look at what PayPal offer by the way. I read an article a while ago about how PayPal Business were attempting to shorten the casm between a standard website and an e-commerce one. They might have come up with an idea to get your website selling stuff easily.

30-01-2009, 13:47	#1
Pheebs Deep Throat Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6,512	I am nearing point of giving up... ... seriously. OScommerce can properly die in the face. Getting to the point where I know I'm going to struggle to get it to look good because it's SO COMPLETELY RUBBISH!! Hehehe. Basically, if anyone knows of anybody willing to make a few bob on the side to help me set it up and actually look decent and operate properly, I would appreciate a nudge! Thank you people. goes back to playing with it's ridiculous layout sigh __________________ http://www.spiffingdesigns.co.uk

30-01-2009, 13:52	#2
Kell_ee001 Wants Big Meat Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newcastle Posts: 6,478	I'd happy help but I know nothing Hope someone here does though hun! __________________

30-01-2009, 13:59	#3
Blighter Dubious Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Northampton Posts: 1,571	I would help by my experience in OSCommerce also bought the same opinion... It's utter s***. Tell me what you need and I'll have a play around over the next few days as I'll be sitting at home twiddling my thumbs (no internet but have a local web server so can use that). __________________ Look at your signature, now back to mine, now back to yours, now back to mine. Sadly, yours isn't mine. But if you stopped writing about other things and made this your signature, yours could be like mine. Look down, back up. Where are you? You're on Boat Drinks, reading the signature your signature could be like. I'm on a computer. My Blog \| More Outdoors \| MSN \| Email \| Call Me

30-01-2009, 14:01	#4
iCraig iCustom User Title Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,250	Pheebs, if you need any advice with e-commerce and payment gateways and what not just give me a shout. I do it every day. I've actually got my head inside a website selling turf at the moment. I haven't seen OScommerce before, but if it's like other off the shelf packages they're alright as a starter but soon run out of steam when you eventually ask it to do more complicated things like special offers, specifications, variants, minimum order quantity, delivery options etc etc etc Sometimes it's worth investing in a bespoke package if you're in this for the foreseeable future but it obviously depends on your budget and the scale of stuff you're selling? __________________

30-01-2009, 14:40	#5
Pheebs Deep Throat Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6,512	Hey hey I have asked around for bespoke stuff and I would be looking at forking out £1500 bare minimum for a company to do it! I just... I can't afford that! For selling greeting cards... It's just not economic. I wouldn't make that back through the website at all at the moment. I really canny justify those prices It's heart breaking - I've read up SOoooooooOOo much on bloody oscommerce threads and forums and I just cannot get on with it And annoyingly there are SO many people asking where they can buy my cards online and I have no where I've been playing around here: AKOF shop thingy It's such a mess to deal with. Nothing is clear cut and the instance I change fonts/images everything just splurges out into random places!! In an ideal world I would love something as neat as this webby: Ellecarte I just... I hate the "standard" borders you're given, the square boxes (it's taken me a life time to figure out how to get rounded corners on the "New Products" box at the bottom) and chunky text. Nightmare! If anyones willing to help though - even help me to figure out round corner boxes with a black outline (SO simple! You'd think ) I would be incredibly grateful. __________________ http://www.spiffingdesigns.co.uk

30-01-2009, 14:49	#6
Blighter Dubious Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Northampton Posts: 1,571	Pheebs, have you ever thought of expanding into different product markets? I reckon you could make an awesome alternative to a David & Goliath-like store And I'd buy loads more t-shirts then I would cards online. __________________ Look at your signature, now back to mine, now back to yours, now back to mine. Sadly, yours isn't mine. But if you stopped writing about other things and made this your signature, yours could be like mine. Look down, back up. Where are you? You're on Boat Drinks, reading the signature your signature could be like. I'm on a computer. My Blog \| More Outdoors \| MSN \| Email \| Call Me

30-01-2009, 14:59	#7
Pheebs Deep Throat Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6,512	Yep! Sure have! Tshirt wise though, it's a bit of a pain in the backside. I would have to go through an already set up tshirt printing shop to be able to produce tshirts and make some form of profit. To buy in tshirts with designs on and set sizes and then stock them here is a mahooooooosive risk! Little steps first for me Greeting cards and then the expansion onto tshirts/mugs etc. __________________ http://www.spiffingdesigns.co.uk