Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Finding Off-the-Shelf Software

Before so many hosted shopping carts flooded the market, off-the-shelf software was your best bet for a quick, inexpensive solution. It was available from an Internet service provider (ISP), or you could license the product yourself.

An off-the-shelf shopping cart allows you to add the software to your own server. Many Web developers pursue this option and then become resellers of their particular shopping cart programs.

One big advantage for you, when you're using this type of shopping cart, is that you aren't tied to a specific Web host. In theory, that has always made managing your store easier if you switch service providers. However, with importing and exporting functions now a common tool in most shopping carts, where your site is hosted is less of a concern. Other advantages include control and price. For larger stores, the price issue is particularly important. Whereas you might pay $199 per month (or more) for a hosted shopping cart that supports 1,000 products, you might find that paying a little more up-front for an unlimited number of products makes it easier on you as your company grows.

If you want to get your hands on an off-the-shelf cart, you can approach it in two ways:

• Purchase: You can buy software outright. Depending on the shopping cart, the price can range anywhere from $499 for a basic program to more than $5,000 for a more dynamic software product.
• License: More often than not, software vendors require that you license the ...