e-Commerce Options for Blogs Suck

Hi B.L.,

I use a private lable of 1ShoppingCart (http://snipurl.com/Ecomincs) that I feel answers all your wants except for the relational database that tells buyers who bought other similar products. It's web based, customizable, extremely robust as a database marketing system (adtrackers, unlimited autoresponders, affiliate program, digital product delivery, broadcasting, shopping cart, of course, tell-a-friend, create custom forms, etc.). I think it's the best on the market and can be integrated on any site/blog. I sell from my blog using this system.

Hope that helps.
Denise

Hey, B.L., your blog rejected my ping for "questionable content." I'm hurt. ;-)

Do you mean a trackback or a comment?
Moveable Type's spam/blacklist feature is quirky as hell.
Sorry!

Thanks Denise. I'm familiar with 1Shoppingcart. Better than most, but far from great IMO.

It is expensive and I consider the relational database to be extremely important. Without it, you leave a lot of money on the table.

And I didn't find it customizable enough.

One of these days someone will do this right. I hope.
BL

I suppose that, for every version of blogging 101 for us, there was going to be an e-commerce 101 for bloggers. And I'm not going to complain about stuff that swells the ranks of the nation's online microbusinesses even further.

(And a cheery shout-out to B.L. Ochman, who provided a heads up on the article in the midst of a rant at Santa's programming elves.)

It's here: http://www.microenterprisejournal.com/JournalBlog/archives/2005/12/ecommerce_for_b.html

Editor/Publisher
The MicroEnterprise Journal

It;s not just a blog problem. I've been trying to figure out an e-commerce solution for my three websites for two years! I'm not asking for the moon--just the ability to track affiliate coIt's not just a blog problem. I've been trying to figure out an e-commerce solution for my three websites for two years! I'm not asking for the moon--just the ability to track affiliate commissions at different rates for different products/quantities, handle both digital and hard goods (and ideally, ship the digital ones automatically), and cost no more than $20 per month. And allow the choice of shipping rate for digital, Media Mail, Priority Mail, and overseas. Oh yes, and ask how the customer learned about me.

We've started to implement and had to abandon a whole bunch of systems, among them 2CO and Payloadz. At the moment, we're about to try two different copies of Mal's cart--one for ebooks, and one for pbooks--but if someone chooses to order a mix of e- and p-books, it means filling out the order form twice (for those rare individuals, I throw in a free report to make up for the inconvenience). And the other problem is it mens manually sending the download instructions.

I can't believe I'm the first person who ever wanted this particular set of features!
mmissions at different rates for different products/quantities, handle both digital and hard goods (and ideally, ship the digital ones automatically), and cost no more than $20 per month. And allow the choice of shipping rate for digital, Media Mail, Priority Mail, and overseas. Oh yes, and ask how the customer learned about me.

We've started to implement and had to abandon a whole bunch of systems, among them 2CO and Payloadz. At the moment, we're trying two different copies of Mal's cart--one for ebooks, and one for pbooks--but if someone chooses to order a mix of e- and p-boks, it means filling out the order form twice (for those rare individuals, I throw in a free report to make up for the inconvenience). And manually sending the downloand instructions.

So, B.L., that begs the big question. What e-commerce system do you use?

someone let me know when this happens because I have been sitting in front of my computer all day trying to find an easy to use storefront/shopping cart for my blog!!!!

I think that would be overwhelming. Why sell on blogs if you have so many e-commerce sites that are specialized on selling?