Setting Up an ECommerce Ready Website

What's the most cost efficient way to set up a web site for a business that can take credit card orders for products and stuff like that? I've heard that certain isp's will give you a basic site if you're paying for their hosting. I guess there are also pre-packaged configurable web site kits for sale, but I don't know that much about any of this (despite the fact that I work in IT, I don't do web sites, just databases). What can one expect to pay to maintain an ecommerce ready site?

 

Most cost effective? Paypal. Otherwise you will need to get a secure site certificate (the thing that allows you to have the little yellow padlock on your site) which is a couple of hundred bucks as well as set up a merchant account with your bank (costs vary).

Paypal is real easy to set up. Only issue with it is that people that want to pay you have to register with paypal.

 

Whatchu selling Willis?

 

And a percentage of the cost goes to PayPal if you're a PayPal merchant. While it is a low cost, that is something to consider.

 

a percentage of every card transaction goes to the processor, I bet Paypal is higher though

 

A percentage of every credit card transaction goes to the merchant processor. Paypal's is slightly above the average but still reasonable.

 

I'm trying to get some options lined up for my Jiu Jitsu school. They have a site now, but it's not real pretty or graphics heavy, though you can buy stuff through there. I wonder if you can sort of sub out or redirect the commerce part of your site to a service that specializes in that.

So, assuming there's a budget to work with, what is the best way to get a nice website?

 

Unless you have large volume you could stick with Paypal so you don't have to pay set up or equipment fees. But what do we know about this anyway?

 

Sadic, if you decide to go through with this, I know someone that could help with setting up your merchant account and no it isn't me. Let me know.

 

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