Thread: You guys told me to ask questions, so here it is

Yahoo stores are somewhat limited in function compared to other solutions but they do bring in traffic from Yahoo's shopping network which is where their real value lies.

Most online services revolve around PHP tied into MySQL databases to run the actual functions of the site with HTML and CSS to control the appearance and interaction with the web browser.

I've built many successful sites and I know very little HTML, CSS or PHP. I can hack out a few lines here or there but mostly I've realized that for simple things there is almost always a commercially available solution out there, and for complex things I'm in over my head and need to hire a pro.

Having the skills are good though because if you (for example) hire a programmer to create a solution you will be able to make small changes without having to pay someone else to do it.

Just don't get "feature creep" where you feel that there is always one more thing you need to add or learn before you start running with your ideas.

Don't mean to get off topic but I have never heard of Yahoo Stores before. I feel rather clueless.

Well now I got another source for selling items. Sweet.

About 4 years ago I had a Yahoo store for a few months. Back then I knew absolutely nothing about SEO, finding good niches, or website development. I advertised using yahoo's merchant ad service (I don't recall what it is right now) and it generated a few sales a week. I would say that it works for someone with no background in ecommerce, but you have a unique opportunity here to learn how to build a much better system. I agree that the templates are (or at least were) limiting but adequate for my skill level at the time.

Have you read through Bio's threads? There are other members here that do e-stores, you just have to dig.

Now consider, are you creating a system or a job? I'm not discouraging you, just trying to encourage you to plan 5 years down the road. I'm struggling through this myself. Good luck.

Originally Posted by littlekingaz

Hey guys,

I am starting an e commerce business with supplies for dorms and greek life at university.

I have already been learning Html 5 and I am getting pretty sold at regular HTML and CSS, and ultimately I want to learn PHP and C++.

Here is where I am stuck:

1.I want to start an online store, and was wondering if anyone on here has ever started from scratch? If you have, how long did it take you? Is this the best way to go for starting an online store? (biophase please see this, brother).

2. Is yahoo merchants actually good? I find that most "build-it-yourself" websites come out looking tacky and generic, so if anyone has any suggestions on how they got started ie, if you built it from scratch, used a program, hired someone, etc...I am just looking for failure and experience right now so that when my MAIN idea needs to be implemented, I will know the ins and outs.

3. What computer language do online stores/e-commerce websites use?

4. MJ, what coding did you learn when you were getting started and how did you practice? did you do a few filler sites or just start from scratch and learned as you went?

Hi Ryan,

I saw some of these questions on your progress thread, and at the time there were a few other similiar threads discussing the same topics so I thought maybe you noticed them.

Some answers to your questions can be found here:

http://www.thefastlaneforum.com/web-...s-concept.html

About starting from scratch:

It is not necessairy - many CMS programs will enable you to get an e-commerce website up and running without even programming one line of code.
On the other hand, If you plan on running an internet business and using a website as your main business tool, knowing how things work and having the ability to customize things is very importent. Otherwise you will depend on others - which will cost you time and money.


CMS that are usually used for E-commerce:

Joomla, Magneto, Drupal - there are many more, but these are the ones I´ve had experience with/heard good things about. Check them out.

Programing languages that are very commonly used are:

Html and CSS (foundation + styling), PHP and JavaScript (getting more complex things done - dynamic data, scripts etc) , and Mysql (Databases).

I've built many successful sites and I know very little HTML, CSS or PHP. I can hack out a few lines here or there but mostly I've realized that for simple things there is almost always a commercially available solution out there, and for complex things I'm in over my head and need to hire a pro.

The thing is, in the long run, I WANT to be that pro. I want to be that tech-savvy guy that fix anything computer related, as I feel in the long run if I learned to be like that, there will be no stopping me. Right now, I have a big idea--but I am just looking to get my feet wet and start basically a "test website" where I can become acclimated to HOW these websites work, so that when I DO launch my big site, I'll know exactly what to do. I just want practice I guess right now, while I am learning the languages.

Seems like CMS is the way to go, but in the long run, if a site does fail, I want it to be no big deal and then on to the next one..I want to be able to create websites like it's absolutely nothing, I just need the starting point.

Now consider, are you creating a system or a job? I'm not discouraging you, just trying to encourage you to plan 5 years down the road. I'm struggling through this myself. Good luck

Not to worry about the system vs job thing. I have a big idea that will end up being a system, but I just need a practice site just to learn how e commerce works and what problems I will face.Making money is not the concern right now, I am just looking to make mistakes and learn how to fix them. I am not going to just launch my idea at the risk of it failing terribly, someone taking the idea, and then giving me the middle finger while I would be kicking myself for not being patient. Think of it as a basketball game. I want to practice with Junior Varsity for a little bit, just until I get the hang of my shot, and then when I find my rhythm,thennnn it's time to be a star on Varsity.

CMS that are usually used for E-commerce:

Joomla, Magneto, Drupal - there are many more, but these are the ones I´ve had experience with/heard good things about. Check them out.

Thank you very much! I think I am going to start with Drupal, I am just nervous that I will get to inclined to use it too often.


As a side note, keep in mind I have A LOT of time. I just turned 20, have a light course load in school, don't have to worry about any kids or wives or any of that. I am not on a time crunch. I am going to try and learn as many languages as proficiently as possible, but I just need some action. I am so excited about developing my site and I can already see it in my head, but I am skeptical about hiring someone because if the site does go down, I am out 2000 dollars and will have to rebuild from scratch. By learning everything, if something goes wrong, oh well, I'll make a new website tomorrow.

Does that change anything now? Time is not a factor at this point, I just need to know what's best for the long run!


Thanks again for all your guy's responses, you guys are amazing. Sorry for the long post as well

Hey guys, I have some new questions. I asked David the same question in a PM, but it never hurts to have more than one feedback.

The idea we have is a fraternity/greek life online store, and we are working on creating a brand similar to totalfratmove except much better. We have found a lot of holes in their website and store. This store will be used to fund our big idea that's going to take a lot of capital to fund.

I bought a website domain and hosting on drupal, and from what I know a CMS is free. I believe it is already on the drupal site. We have the under construction page set up, and now I am just stuck. I have been watching tutorials but none of them have been targeted to my exact question.

So here are some new questions:

-How do I begin customizing the website? The cpanel is having me feeling totally lost

-I downloaded a bunch of files including drupal 7.0, eclipse, and UC views, but how do I add them to my website functionality?

-Do you need to pay to have ecommerce software, or is the drupal CMS already a part of that?

Thank you guys in advance!

My suggestion - write up a detailed description of the project and post the project on elance for developers to bid on it. Only hire Americans / Canadians, regardless of the price the Indian companies quote the job.

Kwerner, thank you very much for the response.

I'm not looking to outsource this as it's a fairly easy concept. An online store for fraternity members. That's all. I was told that CMS was super easy. I have all the files needed such as OsCommerce, Drupal 7, UberCart,.....but they are all on my computer. I have no idea where to upload them so I can start customizing and using a simple template and add a shopping cart function.

Where do I put these files? Public_ftp? Do I upload them to the Cpanel? I bought all the hosting off of Drupal and thought the CMS was already built in.

Where do I start? Do I need to buy a software? Shopify.com? My site is www.fraturalresources.com so I have the domain name and hosting, just don't know what my next steps are, I am extremely frustrated. Been watching online tutorials where none have answered my question.

Confused. Thanks again guys! I appreciate this