# zen cart vs shopify etc.?



## withindustries (Aug 2, 2007)

ive been looking over zen cart and am wondering y anyone would use another shopping cart? what would something like shopify have that i would need to PAY for over a FREE program like zen cart?

thx


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## queerrep (Jul 18, 2006)

Hi Mike:

I use ZenCart and I like it just fine. It's got lots of great features and best of all (like you mentioned) it's free.


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## withindustries (Aug 2, 2007)

but y is it that everyone doesnt use it? that is the confusing part...lol


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

Probably because there are other free carts available.


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## BSApparel (Nov 6, 2007)

I use CubeCart and I see no reason to switch to something else. It is also free.


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## ep (Jan 9, 2007)

It isn't free, but have you looked at ecommerse templates? lots of features addons and tech support.


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## Titchimp (Nov 30, 2006)

I use shopify, they handle the hsoitng, SSL, software upgrades etc and i pass on 3% of my sales to them


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## LjD (Nov 11, 2006)

does shopify also give you email accounts? like [email protected]


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

I love Zen-Cart, but it's not for the website newbie. You need to have a very good handle of HTML, CSS, and PHP to modify it to suit your company, and there's a LOT of setup time involved when you first set up your shop.

I think that's one of the main reasons that so many people use Cube Cart. It's much easier to set up and template.

That said, I'll be sticking with Zen.


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## goodtease (Nov 29, 2006)

zencart is great if you need to get something up and running fast. It also adds the ability to customize it using templates that are already made. The only reason you might use something else is if you don't have the time to mess with hosting and setting up all the other parts on the backend...that can be a nightmare if you don't know what you are doing.

Zencart is great and if you need a hosting company you should look to find a hosting company with Fantastico. Fantastico is just a program that makes it easy to install. This is offered from hosting companys. I know bluehost.com has this and I am pretty sure more people have this now.

And there are also 100's of sites using zencart. Most of them are highly customized....so you might not recognize them. 

Hope this helps!


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## queerrep (Jul 18, 2006)

Chani is right. It takes some time to get set up and you have to know what you're doing to modify it.

There are some ZenCart demo sites where you can log into the admin area and upload products and mess around with things. That way you can see what's involved. Here's one:

front page: Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce
admin area: Zen Cart!

(log–in info for the admin area)
username: admin
password: demo


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## Titchimp (Nov 30, 2006)

LjD said:


> does shopify also give you email accounts? like [email protected]


All domains etc are handled by the shop owner, they do not supply any email things. It is great software for small stores but i would not use it if i was going to be doing anything major


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