which is better - a cheap hosting plan with oscommerce or a boxed solution

oscar_98 · #1 04-13-2008

I should start out by saying I am programming challenged.
Is it ok to use one of those boxed solutions like instantestore? Their price is reasonable at 50.00 a month for unlimited products and they have an impressive list of features. They also seem to have a good reputation, but it feels like I am putting the future of my business in someone else's hands. If they go under and disappear I'm pretty sure my site would go with them.

I tried using a cheaper host with oscommerce, but I found it all very confusing??? I'm just getting started and just don't have the money to hire someone to set it up for me.

Should I be going out of my way to learn to host the site myself with a cheap web hosting company or is it ok to stick with a subscription service?

thanks in advance for any advice.

mantisinc · #2 04-13-2008

Oscar, I can most certainly reccomend getting your own hosting and setup oscommerce. It's actually really easy to use once you get used to it. I've been using it for years, and it's a fantastic script.

I'm not sure what instantestore actually offers, but with your own platform you can do what you like with it. And it's all good experience to.

And when you've sussed oscom, you could probably move onto something a little more professional such as CScart.

**aspkin** · #3 04-13-2008

Hostgator is something I just started out with, and they're pretty nice. They're hosted at The Planet, which is where this server is hosted. Give them a shot if you're going shared. I have two accounts with them and over 50 websites on those accounts, paying only $40 a month total. Good stuff!

oscar_98 · #4 04-13-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by aspkin

Hostgator is something I just started out with, and they're pretty nice.

They are actually who I signed up with when I first decided to start my own site. At the time they had fantastico which made installing oscommerce very simple. It was the "now that I have it, what do I do with it" that confused me.

I really like instantestore, great customer service and great features. But like I said above, it really scares me to think that I could put a huge amount of work into this and have it disappear over night if something happened to them. I have already devoted an enormous amount time to the site but maybe I should can it before I get too deep.

If I go back to hostgator, once I install the oscommerce, is there a way for me to back-up my site if hostgator goes awol or I decide to change servers?

mantisinc · #5 04-14-2008

Oscommerce has it's own backup function in the admin panel, which is easy enough. If you are looking to backup your modded oscommerce files, just simply FTP them to your PC.

jscan · #6 04-14-2008

intresting post, oscommerce looks good.

oscar_98 · #7 04-14-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by mantisinc

Oscommerce has it's own backup function in the admin panel, which is easy enough. If you are looking to backup your modded oscommerce files, just simply FTP them to your PC.

Cool. I think before I put any more work into my site with instantestore I will check out hostgator again and see if I can figure this all out. Oscommerce does have a pretty big forum so hopefully there will be someone there willing to hold my hand on things I can figure out. lol

I did speak with instantestore and they say that they do regular back ups and that in the unlikely event that they should close shop they would provide me with the code to move my site to a new server. These guys have been VERY helpful, their customer service is amazing and they have every feature I was looking for. Also, when I switched to the authorize.net gateway I lost the custom ebay payment form that came with my other gateway. When I realized I would have to pay another 25 a month for AuctionCheckout, I said no way. The good folks at instantestore created a custom form for me that is ten times better than the one I had before and charged me next to nothing to do it. For as little as they charged I was very impressed with the end result.

However, despite how great they are, I'm too much of a control freak to let my success depend on someone else's success.

oscar_98 · #8 04-14-2008

I am considering taking a couple programming classes at the local community college. What would be the best things to learn in order to be able to run my own site and have it look professional. I have a basic understanding of html and that is it.

mantisinc · #9 04-14-2008

Oscar, if you have problems, feel free to PM me and I'l help you out

Been using it for years as I said. And yea, the forum can be very helpful indeed.

oscar_98 · #10 04-14-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by mantisinc

Oscar, if you have problems, feel free to PM me and I'l help you out

Been using it for years as I said. And yea, the forum can be very helpful indeed.

Thank you for the offer, if I run into problems and can't find an answer I may take you up on it.

HateEbay · #11 05-19-2008

I am going to start my own website and looking at GoDaddy. I am looking at Economy Plan and the Deluxe plan.

The Economy Plan is $4.29/month and provides 10GB space and 300gb transfer.

The Deluxe plan is $6.99/month and provides 150GB and 1500gb transfer and also unlimited websites.

Which plan should I take? I don't know if my items will sell or not, etc.

Any suggestions?

mantisinc · #12 05-20-2008

When I had hosting with godaddy in the early days, was the biggest mistake of my life.

If you want value for money hosting with outstanding customer service, go with bluehost.

There is nothing above those guys in the world of cheap hosting.

jscan · #13 05-20-2008

bluehost's value seems quite good and you get free google and yahoo credits on some of there plans too

mantisinc · #14 05-20-2008

Yea, exactly. Their live support, from my experience, is flawless as well. I'd happily pay extra for hosting with the support Bluehost gives, but seems they just throw that in for free!

Junkymail · #15 05-20-2008

Hello! Just speaking from experience, I use oscommerce and absolutely love how versatile it is, not to mention the fact that it is free

You can download many free tools (called contributions) to add to your site too. The support group and forums are pretty active so if you need help, msg people there.

My first website was with Bluehost and I loved their customer service and their online knowledgebase. A few years ago I switched to hostfor2bucks because they had a special promotion going on. Hostfor2bucks is good for their prices, but their customer service and online help doesn't compare to Bluehost's, especially if you're not very technical.

Luckily, I studied web design so the savings from hostfor2bucks were worth it for me

2eXclusiive · #16 05-20-2008

i recommend oscommerce, dont trust someone with your site, would you trust someone with you pin number to your bank aco****?

im currently using oscommerce, give it a try, whats the worst that can happen? nothing you'll actually learn to do things on your own and if you need help, then well thats why were here...
=)

Junkymail · #17 05-20-2008

I forgot to mention, there are tons of osCommerce templates that you can buy. So if you still don't feel comfortable doing the whole design thing on your own, you can buy a template. It will have step-by-step instructions for you to upload and integrate it to your domain.

Try this site - osCommerce Templates | osCommerce Skins | osCommerce Themes | Template Monster
They have really good customer service too.

And if you search online, you'll find tons of sites that let you download templates for free. Just make sure they are meant for osCommerce.

2eXclusiive · #18 05-20-2008

can you upload flash templates for oscommerce?

HateEbay · #19 05-23-2008

If I use bluehost, should I get the free domain name from them also or should i buy a domain name separately from GoDaddy for $1.99 per year. I mean, just in case I don't want to host with them, I still want to keep my domain?

What is the difference between CS-Cart and OS commerce in terms of programming? I don't know much about website building even though I have some HTML books and Dreamweaver software. What is a boxed solution? Where should I start? Very confused.

Appreciate suggestions. Thank you.