Can't find the right shopping cart...Help!

[ChocolateFanatic]

Hello!

Well, I've downloaded OSCommerce and have gotten it to work. However, there was something specific I needed that I can't seem to find in OSCommerce.

As you can tell from my name, I'll be selling chocolates. ;) Part of selling them is that they can add additions to their product...for instance, flavors or fillings.

I need to have these additions on the same page as the starter item.

For example:

You click on a link to a certain type of chocolate. On this page you see, of course, the picture of the product you want. You are able to specify the quanity. But below this you can also specify (with checkboxes or option boxes, whichever) the flavor you'd like, any fillings you'd like, etc. When you press the "add to cart" button it will add these additional charges and information to this one item. Also any specific comments you wanted to add about this product.

In the checkout and in the order sheet it will send to me it should say something like

Chocolate001 (price)
raspberry flav (+price)
almond fill (+price)
subtotal (subtotal price)

Additional comments: "Blah blah blah"

----------------------------------

Chocolate001 (price)
cherry flav (+price)
coconut top (+price)
customization: Name of "John" (+price)
subtotal (subtotal price)

---------------------------------

Total Price (Total price)



And so on. So basically I need this mystery cart to be able to add things to one product on its singular page and make it all "one order" when adding it into the cart, so each customization they want for each order is detailed like above but already added in when they press the "add to cart button."


Okay, I may be asking for a bit much, but its what I need!! =)

I've been looking around at various carts and havent been able to find anything yet. Does someone have a suggestion? Know of any cart with these features? Any help would be MUCH appreciated.


Thanks in advance!!


Mrs. Whitt
The Chocolate Fanatic!

[Karen Mac]

Re: Can't find the right shopping cart...Help!

Mrs Whitt

That would be called a variation and oscommerce should be able to handle that. I cant tell you specifically how.. but it should be an option in the builder, im positive.

Karen

[ChocolateFanatic]

Re: Can't find the right shopping cart...Help!

Karen,

Thanks for letting me know! :) I've found a cart that provides these but of course it costs a monthly charge. I've also looked on the OSCommerce forums a bit, but have only seen people posting the same question without answer so far.

However I'll look even more diligently and will surely find it now that I know its positively there.

Once I find the solution I'll post the answer if there's anyone else interested in the same question here on the BV forums.

Thanks again for your help! =D

Mrs. Whitt,
The Chocolate Fanatic!

[pioneerVicki]

Re: Can't find the right shopping cart...Help!

Look at a Mals Cart & see if that suits you. It is free. You can do a drop-down box with a number of options. They give several examples on their site. eg. cardigans in several colours & combining sizes & colours in cardigans & there is one with additions you can make to the basic products. Try these two links:- http://www.mals-e.com/home.php and also http://www.wsdh.net/mals/ Hope this helps.

[Karen Mac]

Re: Can't find the right shopping cart...Help!

Mals wont be compatible with OSC shed have to start over.

Soholaunch will do variations like you want, and they now have real time shipping addons so you can do more on that end of things as well. No monthly fee. Xcart will do what you want, I have two sites with Ecommerce Templates, and that will do what you want no problem. XCart does have a fee but not monthly and ECT you buy also.

Always remember that anything free comes with a price tag. Usually its limits in working with it. Soho comes with voda but if it didnt you would have to buy it as well.

Karen

[ChocolateFanatic]

Re: Can't find the right shopping cart...Help!

Oh goodness I didn't see these replies until just now!

They're both very helpful and I intend to look into them right away.

I found a while ago that paypal has a shopping cart, and buttons they can generate. It seemed to be my answer, until I realized one thing: I needed the customer to agree to a disclaimer before they followed through with their purchase.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem that I can edit the Paypal generated buttons. Which was a real pity, I thought I had it there. I've been searching through code and installing what seems like a hundred different things to find a solution. The only thing I'm getting is a giant headache! Hehe.

Thanks again to you both, and I'm sorry int he late response. I'll let you know the progress once I figure something of those out.


Thanks again!


Mrs. Whitt

[ChocolateFanatic]

Re: Can't find the right shopping cart...Help!

I can't tell you how relieved I am!

I checked out Mal's shopping cart, and at first turned away. This was simply because it's getting late and I was tired. I realized this and went back to check it out again.

So far it's everything that I need! Yes, it leads to a different page other than my website. But ya know what, so did Paypal, which is what I was going to use!

Also it has one of the most important things that I need: you can enable the option that requires them to agree to a terms of service!

Im sure it has some downfalls, and I'll probably run into them. I'm a veteran of downfalls by now! Hehe.

I may just be overly tired and as such overly excited, however, I'd just like to say thank you pioneerVicki! I can now go to sleep and wake up tomorrow knowing I'll have something solid -- and free -- to work with!

Hey, you can't blame me for being a penny pincher, at least for now! ;)

[pioneerVicki]

Re: Can't find the right shopping cart...Help!

My pleasure! I noticed yesterday you're getting some great help from the Mals forum as well. If we can find something that's free, why not use it? There can be plenty of expenses when you're just setting up shop & it can be difficult to know how successful we will be until later. Also there can be valid reasons for not wanting to sign up for something you have to pay for. In my case, I'm still getting merchant banking sorted out, so don't want to spend money on a cart that may not work with the bank I go with. Mals supports most, so I should be able to stay with them, but at least if I do change in the future, it will just be time I've wasted not money. And using Mals has forced me to upgrade my html knowledge which has been a side benefit.