I want to add a shopping system on my current Postnuke site but since I don't have any experience with this I was wondering if someone of the more experienced users/webmasters could help me out.

It would off course be interesting if I just could add it to my current Postnuke site by installing an extra module or something. That way I can keep using my existing theme/layout and there is only an extra block. (at least this is how I think it works, correct me if I am wrong)

On my search for shops I found these:

Pncommerce:
This can be added to my existing website just like an extra module.
I can keep my current theme and it would integrate perfect.
This package is free.

Cmsmerchant:
This can be added to my existing website just like an extra module.
I can keep my current theme and it would integrate perfect.
This package is not free.

Oscommerce:
If I am correct this is a stand alone application that runs seperately from my current Postnuke site and should be viewed as an extra site.
This package is free.

I believe Pncommerce or Cmsmerchant will be the better choices because they can be fully integrated in the current Postnuke site.
Anybody has an idea of wich one is the better? Cmsmerchant isn't expensive and maybe worth buying if it is better than Pncommerce.
If anybody has some experiences with these packages and or other that I am not aware of, I would appreciate it if they could guide me in my choice.

If I make some thinking errors, please correct them, any help is welcome.

You might want to also have a look at PayPalCart. Do a search for that in this forum and you will find a huge thread about it.... great module! I use it on two sites, http://www.dynawerx.com and http://www.bobplumb.com.

Write to the cmsMerchant folks, they've given me a free time-limited trial, I'm pleased with it for my needs (I'm setting up multiple subscription options for an eLearning site, with a limited shopping cart for downloadable archived materials; and am looking into doing subscriptions for an eJournal, with shopping cart for past issues).
Depends on how extensive your shopping site will be - Oscommerce is a bigger tool, may be more than you need?
Pncommerce looks nice, but is no longer supported.
I tried them all out - would advise you to extend your good initial research in to these, give them each a spin to see how each addresses your needs.

Wendell and wtaylor both make good points and I think they'll agree that you need to determine your needs precisely before picking out a cart. Once you know your needs, its just a matter of due diligence but be warned...you'll probably need to prioritize because it's unlikely that you'll find a cart that will meet all your needs.

For example, if selling clothing (different sizes and colors of the same item), check out your options because that is not something universally accomodated.

How do you want to collect payment? Just PayPal or do you want to use other forms or perhaps even offer you customers a menu of payment options? What kind of volume are you going to handle? Will you be charging tax, if so, what kinds of tax and to whome? You might want to check for shipping options as well as handling options.

How about coupons and specials? Do you see that in your future? Some carts can't handle that.

Oh and don't forget accounting! If you're going to sell something, you're going to have returns, chargebacks, and reversals. You need to have a good way to keep up with your business. It also helps for you to be able to monitor inventory and see what's selling and what's not...but that's another discussion.

Slugger

Slugger is right, PayPalCart is obviously geared specifically for PayPal, so it is wise to explore all of them. But it's definitely a contender! :D Note also that MirageLabs sells a PayPal IPN trigger for PayPalCart....

I don't think I have really big needs.

Right now people just fill in a PHP form that is sent to me. I kept it very simple so they don't need to create a user account or need paypal accounts etc... The more administrative work people have to do before placing the actual order, the higher the chances they quit before placing it.

Once they send me the order I confirm with an automatic reply that we have received the order and that they will soon (24hr) will receive the instructions to perform the wire transfer.

I only work with wire transfer so no need for all those other paying systems.

I guess I only need a script that displays a thumb of the product with the price and a add to cart button where you can specify the quantity you need. If people press on the thumb and see a larger picture of the product with a description, that would be great. (No need for different options like sizes or so per product, only the quantity of the product is needed)

Important to me is that it can be well integrated into my existing site.

@wtaylor: can you give me the URL of your site so I can see your shop?

Not up yet, still trialing the cmsMerchant and configuring it - but if you write to the cmsMerchant folks, they can have users contact you with their site info so you can review those.

OSCommerce is a darn nice package, IMHO. Plus, the AutoThemes module now works with it!

In terms of the commerce arena I'd have to agree. Oscommerce is the best of breed. PostNuke is a CMS and, while I'd love to see a decent bridge with oscommerce, it's not so bad as is.

Yesterday, I visited a postnuke site via link. They were selling all sorts of mods for Postnuke. Some looked pretty neat but you had to register just to demo them! Was I going to register just to demo? Nope! Was I going to buy without a demo? Nope. So, if selling modules is a goal, how smart was that?

That site is an extreme case but your community and your store do not have to, and probably should not, operate as one. Instead, give your community members a discount at your store and let your customers know they can get special offers, even earn rewards, if they register with and participate in your community.

I encourage you to leverage each to cross sell the other.

Slugger

OSC=code<vomit i="i" tried="tried" the="the" at="at" for="for" a="a" bit="bit" hacky="hacky" with="with" javascript="javascript" but="but" thought="thought" it="it" was="was" went="went" hard="hard" way="way" about="about" installed="installed" over="over" heavily="heavily" modded="modded" shop="shop" few="few" eventually="eventually" reverted="reverted" alex="alex" and="and" sams="sams" osc="osc" port="port" is="is" looking="looking" really="really" zencart="zencart" my="my" choice="choice" app="app" until="until" ck="ck" matures="matures"></vomit>

Maybe I should've checked out CK and ZC...before spouting off about OSC being best of breed. Like OSC, they are not integrated with PostNuke so they probably won't change my mind that, regardless of which solution, one should focus on qualities more than integration.

Slugger

haha.. CastleKart was just made available, so you're off the hook on that one.. :) I've watched ZenCart for quite a while, since it's initial fork. They've done quite a bit with it, integrated a ton of really good mods, added a "theme engine" (still rough), and moved a lot of files around (whatever that means ) .. they're not even on the same field as OSC when it comes to contributions.. they do have a "diff" manual (i think), to show how to "port" OSC contribs to ZC.. but I've found ZC to have most everything I need (and then some) out-of-the-box.. CastleKart is insane.. an entirely new breed already (in beta).. far superior (imo) to either ZC or OSC, but not yet tested enough to suggest it's production use.

I did use OSC recently for a project.. mostly out of familiarity and when the client said things like "can it do this" all I had to do was search the contribs and say "yes".. that made it the easy choice for me.

:)

I can't disagree that the code of OSC is poorly designed. The theming system is abominable (although AT will help considerably in that department). Nevertheless, it is the best solution that I have seen to date.

it's real hard to say.. AT makes a poopy app less poopy, but it's still poopy :? .. ZenCart has a theme system, but it's pretty well hacked up too.. coming to grips with it reminded me of a dog chasing its tail..ending up in the very spot you started from .. CK? the theme system is based on.. yep. Smarty.. YUM, YUM, YUM.

They've lept off on the right foot.. give it some time and it'll bury the others.

You're a strange bird...in a good way...but strange.

Slugger

hahaha.. I try to be "docile", but sometimes it doesn't work out the way I want it to.

Just to throw another option out there, check out cpCommerce. If you are selling downloable goods and want something templated, very easy to use, very simple to setup, and very easy to administrate then you should give it a look. Its not integrated either, but I use it at pnflashgames.com for our store and it works really great. I'll probably be moving to X-Cart Pro because of our wierd business structure eventually, but for now its doing well.

Since there isn't a integrated solution available (CMSmerchant will stop developing for PN and Pncommerce isn't supported anymore as someone already told here) I think only 2 solutions remain:

-pay a programmer and make a custom shopping module for my PN site
-maybe try mambo as they seem to have a great integrated shopping module

Solution 1 will cost me about 350 euro. (including an admin panel for adding/editing/deleting/uploading thumbs/checkout/product description etc...)

Solution 2 will cost me nothing except for the fact that I will have to move away from PN wich I rather don't want to do as I am VERY pleased about this software and teh support that comes with it.

Need a couple of nights to think about it....

If you can get the job done for 350 euros, then you should jump at it. I'd say that would be pretty reasonable.

..well, I know that it's an interest of a lot of devs to create an integrated shop.. but they've all got reasons for not doing it.. or not releasing it. mine being "hoopla" .. I don't have the time, patience or energy to deal with the static. I probably will at some point.. just not any time soon. I've never used pnCommerce as a live shop, but when I see it used it always looks pretty good. I fiddled with it about a year ago and what I remember was that it had massive configuration potential and a templated output.. it really makes me wonder why it's not the solution everyone's looking for and if there are reasons, maybe they should be fed to the current team over there and see if something can't be done about it.