Shopify

[User_is_Online]

Hi,

I am was wondering what peoples experience was with Shopify as an ecommerce solution ? Anyone using it here on the forum ?

Thanks

 

[webstore]

We are sure it must be very good since it runs on Ruby-on-Rails (which we use on some of our sites like http://MissingLostDogs.com ) and a lot of sites use RoR http://rubyonrails.org/applications

However, Shopify is a proprietary system and as such you will not have the same flexibility to customise compared with a free OpenSource solution such as OpenCart (easy to use) or Magento (more complex).

 

[amac]

Hi,

I am was wondering what peoples experience was with Shopify as an ecommerce solution ? Anyone using it here on the forum ?

Thanks

It's good for starting out, I use it. My aim is to eventually self-host e.g Magento, OpenCart etc but what Shopify does (and other hosted carts) is take away the hassle. They build in hosting, payments, inventory management, content management, ssl and more so you can focus on selling.

Try it, probably the best hosted ecommerce I've looked at and far better than third party marketplaces if you can build an audience. (i.e, you save on fees though remember you still have to pay Shopify/payment provider)

 

[Holopainen]

Hey there,

Shopify is a really good, I would even say perfect, solution for small business. It is simple, has everything you need to start a shop, design is gorgeous. Check this review for details.
But if you need a more complex and advanced solution I'd suggest to think about BigCommerce (in case if you need a hosted cart) or OpenCart/Magento (in case if you are interested in more flexible and scalable solution).

 

[lesliedocherty]

Shopify is a good system, not much between Shopify & Volusion

 

[Arronz]

I agree that Shopify is a good solution for SMEs if you don't have any experience dealing with e-commerce before. You can have enough flexibility if you use a properly designed theme.

 

[Andy777]

Shopify would be one of my top choices if not the added transaction fee for basic and professional accounts.

It's not like 1%/2% would break my business but I just can't understand the reasoning behind this and simply don't want to share my profits with the shopping cart company I'm working with.

And 2% is actually quite a lot. If you add PayPal's 20p+ 3.4%, on small purchases that's almost 6% in fees you're giving away...

 

[User_is_Online]

Hi and thanks for the feedback. Agree on the fees point, think I will give it a go as it seems pretty good to get started with.

 

[CalvinHarris]

We've been talking to developers about getting either Magento or OpenCart set up for our small bedding store, and they're all quoting about £5000.. that's 20 years worth of Shopify payments until we start to 'save money' which doesn't really make sense to us, is that what you guys have experienced?

We're currently trying to work out which payment gateway to use, these guys recommend Merchant Warehosue but I think that's US only? We really don't want to use Paypal..

 

[deniser]

We're using Shopify and are very happy with it.

They seem very happy to waive fees. We don't pay any transaction fees, just the fixed monthly fee - they just told us they were waiving them (they were 1%) - and we didn't complain!

 

[Johno10]

We're using shopify for one of our new websites and it's great for new stores - it is very basic though so if you need more complex features it won't suit.

If you've used other software in the past you may find it difficult to get used to, one quick example is the categories - you can't have sub-categories, just 'collections' instead.

 

[OnlineMenusCornwall]

£5k for an OpenCart seems alot but it depends on how much work they need to put into it. Custom themes, lots of products, payment gateway, SEO, etc.

I'm in the middle of setting an OpenCart site and it's time consuming, especially when you deviate away from the bog-standard theme/coding.

 

[AuroraDark]

Shopify would be one of my top choices if not the added transaction fee for basic and professional accounts.

It's not like 1%/2% would break my business but I just can't understand the reasoning behind this and simply don't want to share my profits with the shopping cart company I'm working with.

And 2% is actually quite a lot. If you add PayPal's 20p+ 3.4%, on small purchases that's almost 6% in fees you're giving away...

Your post is rather misleading.

You complain about Shopify charging transaction fees and say you don't want to share your profits with a shopping cart company. Well, virtually all other cart companies charge more per month than Shopify (roughly 40% more). Aren't you "sharing" your profits with them in this case? And what about the fact they all charge hosting fees once you go over your limit (Shopify offers unlimited hosting), aren't you also "sharing" your profits then?

To suggest that other shopping cart companies don't take away your profits is just a smokescreen marketing ploy that hides the fact they all charge more than Shopify in every other sense. If you're going to give your opinion at least be transparent about that.

As an added note, it's not uncommon for Shopify to waive transaction fees if you negotiate a custom deal with them.

 

[Oakleaf Studio UK]

Your post is rather misleading.

To suggest that other shopping cart companies don't take away your profits is just a smokescreen marketing ploy that hides the fact they all charge more than Shopify in every other sense. If you're going to give your opinion at least be transparent about that.

"..they all charge more than Shopify in every other sense"

This is way I made the site in my signature link. I don't agree with the fees nearly all hosted carts take.

 

[naturalinthemaking]

I have researched this and as I am brand new to this whole concept.. I am planning Spotify.

Not sure whether to start basic plan or go straight to proffessional plan ?? Any recommendations :|

 

[Oakleaf Studio UK]

I have researched this and as I am brand new to this whole concept.. I am planning Spotify.

Not sure whether to start basic plan or go straight to proffessional plan ?? Any recommendations :|

As with anything like this, start with the basic and upgrade to professional when you feel your store requires it.

 

[naturalinthemaking]

That was my original feeling, just hope its an easy process to upgrade and doesnt dissrupt the system. I have built up a good reputation for my knowledge and have many promises of purchases etc (I just dont want to do anything during start up that could hinder my future)