Thread: ALLRIGHTY, I need to make a decision here..

and I'm not looking forward to it, darn. I set up my site to accept pymt thru Paypal but the tax and shipping part doesn't look "user" or "ME" reasonable...i.e. I think I have to put shipping in each and every button...and still haven't figured out how to do tax addition if needed.

SOOOO- after bouncing around the thought, I am now thinking it might be time well- spent to set up someone else for a cart..and still use Paypal to process payments. This I believe means I'll have to change all of my buttons. ugh. (and I looked at MALS, eeks it looks complex) but I don't see how I can go without something that will AT THE END of someone's purchase, calculate the shipping/taxes, as you see most stores show once a customer has input all items he/she wants to purchase. I hope I am making sense here, been working on the site too long...

I've seen a couple sites use "BEST WAY" shipping where they say shipping is manually input at the end. Anyone know of this? But tax wouldn't be included... Otherwise my question is this:

WHAT is the absolute easiest cart to use- to SET UP- that will let me price things and at the end of sale, add in shipping and taxes after a customer chooses all he wants and has added it to his cart...I may want to discount items at times or offer gift certs or a voucher as well. Please let me know what works for you. I'll stumble my way through it..I hope.

Sorry I've been so "IFFY" about what to do here...just seems complex to me.

Leeza

Originally Posted by Leeza

and I'm not looking forward to it, darn. I set up my site to accept pymt thru Paypal but the tax and shipping part doesn't look "user" or "ME" reasonable...i.e. I think I have to put shipping in each and every button...and still haven't figured out how to do tax addition if needed.

SOOOO- after bouncing around the thought, I am now thinking it might be time well- spent to set up someone else for a cart..and still use Paypal to process payments. This I believe means I'll have to change all of my buttons. ugh. (and I looked at MALS, eeks it looks complex) but I don't see how I can go without something that will AT THE END of someone's purchase, calculate the shipping/taxes, as you see most stores show once a customer has input all items he/she wants to purchase. I hope I am making sense here, been working on the site too long...

I've seen a couple sites use "BEST WAY" shipping where they say shipping is manually input at the end. Anyone know of this? But tax wouldn't be included... Otherwise my question is this:

WHAT is the absolute easiest cart to use- to SET UP- that will let me price things and at the end of sale, add in shipping and taxes after a customer chooses all he wants and has added it to his cart...I may want to discount items at times or offer gift certs or a voucher as well. Please let me know what works for you. I'll stumble my way through it..I hope.

Sorry I've been so "IFFY" about what to do here...just seems complex to me.

Leeza

...unless you know a way I can still use my Paypal buttons and add a separate program for shipping and taxes....

Have you seen soholaunch?

Leeza, you'll have to set-up the tax and shipping no matter WHAT method you choose, and look closely at Soho if you're interested, as I don't think it can do what you need for taxes in Florida who are more difficult with taxes than many states.

These are going to be a pain no matter what method you go with.

The easiest way around using PayPal to is to state all prices either including minimum shipping without FL Tax (which is the text way of applying "best way"), and have a declaratory add-on charge to FL deliveries, or to have 2 sets of payment in Paypal (two sets of BUY buttons): one for FL and one for everyone else. Both are "universal" solutions.

Soholaunch does have the ability to add multiple payment regions, but does not accomodate the unique FL tax schedule: in Pinellas county, for example (you're in Holiday, if I remember correctly, right?), the tax rate is 7%, but amounts over $5,000 are taxed at a lesser rate making figuring the proper total sale difficult for even experienced sales teams. And, in FL, the tax rate county-by-county is not only different, but the "luxury discount" is also, or even not applicable.
>> It's easiest for my group to simply charge tax straight across the board according to the county my Corporate Offices are in as would any other State require (on a $10,000 sale it's only a difference of about $25.00, and that in truth covers the additional FedEx Priority insured shipping costs due to fuel surcharges. No one has a right to get bent up about that...).

OsC has all the variable functions (that's why I went with it for my major sites - still setting up), but it can be somewhat intimidating. I have been fascinated with ZEN and Cube carts, and enjoy entertaining their simplicity of management and payment systems along with their crisp layouts for my next venture.
Point is, with the many available Free options for eCommerce solutions with VH, even though it seems like a gargantuan task to "re-do a site" it needs doing only once to allow you the freedom to grow and continue your success.

I agree with Vasili.

However I don't include shipping as on many of my products as it would put the smaller end products out of the range of people before they realize that it's not if they check everyone else's shipping cost. More expensive items this is more usual. But doing a flat rate or table shipping plan is not difficult in most of them after the challenge of initially setting it up. (Again, Soho wouldn't allow me to have more than one pricing option on products - this might have changed since I was building in it) Once you have that figured, and save it where it's easy for you to copy and paste when necessary, if necessry - it's not daunting.

Right, beth.....I have been extremely tardy finishing up my Soho site just because of that one main issue: shipping (even with a custom script). Adding a flat rate - say UPS 3Day for everything under $200, which was my policy's in-house coverage - was adding too much to the price of the products for this site, having originally been intended for "street bling", for kids and stuff. So, I have actually been forced to upgrade the entire site to a different market and pricier product.....and have been eyeballing ZEN and Cube for another "simple" site where a flat rate for shipping makes sense: if the price is right, people will just have to wait for the single shipping method to deliver the product, especially if told that it is the way we keep prices down overall!

Originally Posted by Vasili

The easiest way around using PayPal to is to state all prices either including minimum shipping without FL Tax (which is the text way of applying "best way"), and have a declaratory add-on charge to FL deliveries, or to have 2 sets of payment in Paypal (two sets of BUY buttons): one for FL and one for everyone else. Both are "universal" solutions.

Soholaunch does have the ability to add multiple payment regions, but does not accomodate the unique FL tax schedule: in Pinellas county, for example (you're in Holiday, if I remember correctly, right?), the tax rate is 7%, but amounts over $5,000 are taxed at a lesser rate making figuring the proper total sale difficult for even experienced sales teams. And, in FL, the tax rate county-by-county is not only different, but the "luxury discount" is also, or even not applicable.
>> It's easiest for my group to simply charge tax straight across the board according to the county my Corporate Offices are in as would any other State require (on a $10,000 sale it's only a difference of about $25.00, and that in truth covers the additional FedEx Priority insured shipping costs due to fuel surcharges. No one has a right to get bent up about that...).

OsC has all the variable functions (that's why I went with it for my major sites - still setting up), but it can be somewhat intimidating. I have been fascinated with ZEN and Cube carts, and enjoy entertaining their simplicity of management and payment systems along with their crisp layouts for my next venture.
Point is, with the many available Free options for eCommerce solutions with VH, even though it seems like a gargantuan task to "re-do a site" it needs doing only once to allow you the freedom to grow and continue your success.

Thanks! I REALLY like he idea of SIMPLY using the tax based on your county (yes I'm in Pinellas- Safety Harbor) vs. trying to figure it all out over 1% or so- especially since my items are mostly under $25.00!

I looked at Cube Cart and Zen- still confused me- but then looked at Cart Manager- and a lightbulb went off saying "hey, I can figure THIS out!" so I'm going with CM- but I thank you for your ideas!

I also have a personal question- looked at your website, (very nice) and I am quite interested in something written there. Can I reach you another way other than thru this forum?

Thanks much,
Leeza

I am suffering email melt-down right now, but this still works....or you can call the toll-free number anytime...it's actually still a "727" number, but it's better not to post it I suppose.....

I'm afraid that somehow my email won't work for that link you gave me. I don't know an 800 number...would it be ok to call the 866 number?

and lol I BET you've got email meltdown!!! popular man, you are...

Leeza