# Free Hosting vs paid hosting and shopping cart



## manna1111 (Mar 17, 2008)

what are the major drawbacks/differences between having a site hosted through a free host vs a paid host ( freewebs.com instead of lunarpages for example)?..oh yeah or big cartel premier? Is big cartel’s only shopping cart paypal and that would be the drawback, is that correct?


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## Pwear (Mar 7, 2008)

I use GoDaddy, it's ridiculously cheap per month. For my cart I use Cubecart which is free if you use version 3, about 150 bucks or so if you use version 4. Customers use the cart in Cubecart, and final payment is via paypal.


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## manna1111 (Mar 17, 2008)

Thanks, I used godaddy as well just for domain. As a host I was thinking lunarpages also cheap per month but I read in another post that someone used free web hosting. I was just wondering the drawbacks of using freewebs.com would be. ALso I have been to cube cart 10 times today and cannot figure out how to download for free!!???Any suggestions?

Do you use cube cart for your shopping cart because its more user freindly than paypal? The way your cart is set up the customers only see paypal at the end to pay? and can they simply use credit without signing up for a paypal account? Basically does paypal take the place of your merchant account?
Thanks again for your reply


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## Pwear (Mar 7, 2008)

I personally like GoDaddy because they make it easy to access your account online, upload files, set up databases, etc. Plus the 24/7 customer service has saved me dozens of times as I learned web design. As long as you're comfortable with your free web host and they don't stick advertisements all over your website, there's no real reason to switch to someone else.

I use cubecart because it is more powerful than the paypal cart, has more features and generally appears more professional to the customer than paypal (in my opinion). Customers only see the paypal screen after they click "checkout" on the cubecart shopping cart. If they have paypal already they can log in and pay that way, or they can use a credit card.

I tried other merchant accounts (which would allow credit processing right on my site), but most have high monthly fees for a small business, plus they take a percentage of every sale. Paypal takes 1.5% of every sale but there are no monthly fees, and it's fairly easy to integrate with cubecart. Paypal does take the place of a merchant account - they actually are the merchant account in my case.

Here's the download for cubecart V3:
https://support.cubecart.com/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=view&parentcategoryid=1&pcid=5&nav=0,5

Click on the first one: "CubeCart_3.0.18.zip"

V4 has more features but you pay for it. I've used both and I would recommend either one. V3 is more than suitable, V4 just has more "bling".


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## manna1111 (Mar 17, 2008)

Thank you very much! I have downloaded and realized it doesn't look like I can do anything with cube cart until I have a host 

Can i ask what account you use for paypal? business or premier? and what type of "payment solution do you use? "website payments" or "payflow gateway". DO you use SSL on any part of your site? Do customers log in?
ALso, just to verify pay pal will take anyones credit card even if they do not have a pay pal account correct?


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## Pwear (Mar 7, 2008)

Yup, anyone can use paypal even if they're not a member. 

For the host, you just need to make sure your hosting account satisfies the minimum requirements for cubecart.

There's info out there on the web that has info on exactly how to integrate paypal and cubecart, here's some links that should help you find it:

Here's a free download from my absolute favorite cubecart customizer explaining how to use paypal and cubecart V3:

http://cubecart.expandingbrain.com/...ctions-for-setting-up-paypal-ipn/prod_54.html

There are also a couple of threads about it at the forums listed below (do a search for "paypal ipn"):

CubeCart Forums (official forums)
CubeCart Unofficial Third-Party Services - CubeCartForums.org Forum ("aftermarket" forum - place for modifications, general support, customizers, etc.)

I use a business account with paypal. The first link above will tell you what type of gateway to use. I do not use SSL on my site. When a customer makes a purchase, they register an account on the site so that they can log in at a later date to view order history or place a new order. This happens during the checkout process. In V4 creating an account is optional.


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## manna1111 (Mar 17, 2008)

Great information thank you so much Ill check out the links
Amanda


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## lburton3 (Aug 14, 2008)

DO NOT USE FREE WEB HOSTING. BOTTOM LINE.

You will not be taken seriously with free web hosting because it shows that you don't have confidence in your own company/products, so why should somebody else? Just get the paid hosting. It's better in so many different ways, and it's not even very expensive. It'll pay for itself in like 5 sales, for a whole year lol.


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

Amanda,
You can down load wamp if on a pc and use that for your local server which is not online, you can design your cube cart the way you want on your computer and then upload to your host.


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## lindsayanng (Oct 3, 2008)

hey.. You said you downloaded Cube Cart but you think you cant do anything without a host.. well, its HALF right. Cube cart is php based, which means you need a server to view the site as it would look to a customer.. HOWEVER< you can turn your computer into a server by downloading XAMPP. It basically runs a database AND a local server from your computer so you can do all sorts of editing and view it in a browser so you can see your changes take place WITHOUT a server. 

And i have to agree.. If you want to look even the least bit professional, DO NOT GO WITH A FREE WEB HOST. With free hosts, you dont get your own domain, so you would have to have yourcompany.freewebs.com instead of yourcompany.com 

You also dont have complete access and PROBABLY cant run a full php cart. 

Also, be careful in choosing a host. Some can be VERY sneaky. Cheaper isnt always better. I made the mistake and signed up for GLOBAT. they had php capabilities, mysql, and all that.. they were CHEAP. Now i know why.

They ended up sending loads of emails to me saying "if you do not respond to this email, we will automatically upgrade your account for $49.99 a month" 

Well, since it went into my SPAM folder, they upgraded me like, 10 times, and it was paying them HUNDREDS a month. I caught it and reported the,, but i could NOT get the money back. 

Now i use hostmonster. I love them and they have teh BEST 24 hour phone support thgat i have ever used. ITS AWESOME


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## jkruse (Oct 10, 2008)

You get what you pay for. I use to use godaddy but their customer service is terrible. It doesn't matter that they have 24/7 tech support if they can't solve your problems.

I switched over to dreamhost and couldn't be happier. I found a coupon online so it wasn't that expensive. They have a wiki page about how to do everything and their tech support is top notch. I would highly recommend them.


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## lindsayanng (Oct 3, 2008)

hostmonster is the "e-commerce" retailer of bluehost servers i believe.. so yes, bluehost is a good one. I just chose hostmonster because of their phone support AND their prices.. Not to mention unlimited space.


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

Thats right lindsayanng I use WAMP, or xampp either one will give you a localhost a lot of folks don't know this but it is in my opinion the only way to first develop your website before you upload to your server. Free service is no way to go,, no service if you run into a problem and not all hosts are equal on the support side so be carefull


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## manna1111 (Mar 17, 2008)

thanks for the info I just downloaded xampp (wamp did not download correctly for me) and am in need of some more forums! I have no clue what im doing! lol

I'm trying to choose between lunarpages, dreamhost, hostmonster...just because these are often mentioned by happy customers on these forums. I did not realize that people were even able to see if a site recieves free hosting??


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## kevinrys (Dec 22, 2008)

Most free web hosts will give you a domain such as username.freehost.com (a big red flag to possible consumers). While it is possible to sometimes hide this domain with url forwarders such as tinyurl.com, any competent web surfer will be able to determine the source of the website.

Having worked with godaddy before, it is not my favorite company. The lack of FTP support (non-browser file uploading) is one problem I have with them. Godaddy is made for the first time web site owner, not the established business.

Bluehost, hostmonster, and hostgator are hosts I would recommend. Great support, great prices, and full command over your website. They also offer free shopping carts which can be installed with the click of a button (many which include paypal capabilities).

Overall, as said before, its all about credibility. If the company can't afford to shell out $5/month for some decent web hosting, I can't imagine they would be very reliable in terms of service, shipping, product, or in general. A large number of consumers won't even purchase from a site without an SSL certificate, so a website on a free host with paypal would be at the bottom of my list of credible companies.

Choosing a web host can be a daunting task, but there are plenty of reviews out there on the larger companies. Many of them offer money back gaurentees for 30 days so if it doesnt work out you dont have to lose anything. The other great thing about paid web hosts...they back up your files daily, so if something goes wrong, you don't have to worry about losing client information or orders.

In summary...get yourself some real hosting, you'll save yourself some heartache.


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## lindsayanng (Oct 3, 2008)

awesome post kevin. i have to agree with you abotu the whole GoDaddy thing. i actually am doing a website for someone and i asked that they PLEASE open a new hosting account with hostmonster because GoDaddy was just such a PITA!

I like hostmonster, i use them for everything.. and yea, they have one click install of zen cart AND oscommerce. Both of which are full functioning shopping carts.


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

I use apthost because they have ffmpeg hosting standard, on one site I have over 100 videos, they have been really good to me fast support etc, also will install programs for you for free if you like.


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

I have recently parted company with Apthost, afer malicious software was once again put on their servers, which tampered with three of my sites. Their site openly admits they had to dismiss an employee earlier this year, for the very same thing.

Point being made here, is that all of our sites can be compromised by a whole variety of factors, so its best to check out their integrity and operation on a regular basis. Your lack of orders in your email, can quite possibly be down to an inoperative site.

I've now gone with magmahost as I found they had some really good prices. As with all hosting, shop around as some prices vary by a factor of ten for exactly the same thing. Wherever possible, try to seek out independent reviews of the hosting companies from existing, or past customers.


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## pdpatch (Aug 30, 2009)

From past experience:

Free web site hosing = Hacked e-commerce web site.

There are many Host who can get you started for around $9.00 a month or so. They are much better the the free host. Usually with the Host as you grow you can upgrade what hosting package you have.

Tom


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## jdaniels68 (Jul 15, 2010)

Have you encountered any problems with Godaddy?


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

I have since moved from apthost also for the same reason


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