# Wix? Volusion? Storenvy? Shopify? Etc?



## someoneshero (Jun 26, 2011)

I just wanted to start a thread dedicated to asking what e commerce building software has been working best for other retailers.

I am currently using Volusion for my site, but have used Wix for my other sites. Does anyone have a good experience with something else? Some of the fees associated with some of these can be high. They get you with a basic template, while the more dynamic ones can be hundreds of dollars. 

Does it matter if I use PayPal on my site or has anyone seen a difference using the SSL secure pay on site options?
Is there another website building platform out there that is easy, yet affordable that I am unaware of?

Thanks!


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## VolusionMolly (Jul 11, 2011)

Hi Aaron,

I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Molly and I work at Volusion. I just wanted to see if there is anything we can do here to make it easier for you to sell your t-shirts on our platform. We recently released some great new features (many of them social media features) to help you spread the word about your store. Have you been able to incorporate those?

We also recently put out quite a few new FREE templates that you can choose from in the back end of your store. Make sure to check them out! 

Again, please let us know what we can do to make selling online easier and more successful for you!

Best,
Molly


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## Eclipseprint (Nov 8, 2010)

Give Eclipse Internet a try. You can choose 3 different package levels, they have many different payment and delivery methods.

There Ecommerce Stores are called E-Stores. Take a look, i think you get 30 days free trial too.

Just google: Eclipse Internet

And you will see what i mean.


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## someoneshero (Jun 26, 2011)

VolusionMolly said:


> Hi Aaron,
> 
> I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Molly and I work at Volusion. I just wanted to see if there is anything we can do here to make it easier for you to sell your t-shirts on our platform. We recently released some great new features (many of them social media features) to help you spread the word about your store. Have you been able to incorporate those?
> 
> ...


Molly,
I like Volusion's platform, however to get the more dynamic sites shown as examples, I need to spend an extra $500+ just for the template. Other website building platforms offer dynamic sites for just the monthly fees, which are the same as Volusion's.
Thank you for your input.


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## funkytshirts (Jul 26, 2010)

IMO all these sort of pre built sites are no good..
They are so hard to SEO


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## Iano (Jul 5, 2011)

Firstly it depends how complex of a site you want to build.
If you are happy to go with a generic style site (save for a bit of color changing and adding you logo then Big Cartel or Shopify will do perfect. Shopify is well supported but I left for some niggling complaints I had. For instance (last I checked anyway) you can't offer coupons without upgrading your package at a cost of $30 dollars extra a month. Plus they take a commission on sale. This was a bit rich to me.

If you are a small retailer you might consider using a wordpress based solution. WPEC is good but very buggy and a pain to setup. I just looked at Shopp yesterday and it really seems nice. Everything is easy, coupons, shipping etc. Might be a good choice but agin you'll have to buy a template and do a little customization. Plus they have a big re-build of the software coming so you might want to wait a month or so. These solutions are easy to plug into PayPal. And Shopp have an number of optional payment gateways at $25 bucks each.

As for other eCom software like Magento - I find these are overkill for small shops. This are aimed at big electronic retailers etc. Way to much going on.

I don't have experience with any other systems save DotNetNuke (Don't go there!) but remember keep it small and simple. Really if you are selling shirts you need a pretty simple solution.

OH and as for SEO - most Wordpress sites are easy to get fine tuned. There are good plugins that can help with this.


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## funkytshirts (Jul 26, 2010)

I agree wordpress is fantastic for seo
This is what my site is built with.. However I wouldn't consider this a pre fab site!


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## EMTPL (Apr 1, 2013)

From my point of view. Volusion is the best. We are working on Volusion since 2005. 

We are Volusion Template Design Company, provides Volusion Design and Development services. After designed more than 200 stores we can say volusion is the best for the online shopping cart.


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## SdShadab (Apr 3, 2013)

Although, if you are looking for something with more features, you might want to check out shopping cart elite.


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## ThreadPrints (Jan 19, 2014)

I have used Etsy for years and with the new brand i have created I refuse to sell on there. It seems there are a lot of snakes on there who steal your designs/ideas if they see you have had luck selling them and then price them for less to steal your business. It's pretty shady. I'm sure that can happen anywhere but I've had it happen too often on etsy. Plus you can see a lot of the stores sell the same stuff as each other.

I'm thinking of using storenvy for my new brand.. Has anyone had success or will it be like etsy all over again? Can anyone recommend a good web builder if they don't recommend storenvy? I have a domain name purchase and my brand is ready to be sold.

Thanks


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

ThreadPrints said:


> I have used Etsy for years and with the new brand i have created I refuse to sell on there. It seems there are a lot of snakes on there who steal your designs/ideas if they see you have had luck selling them and then price them for less to steal your business. It's pretty shady. I'm sure that can happen anywhere but I've had it happen too often on etsy. Plus you can see a lot of the stores sell the same stuff as each other.
> 
> I'm thinking of using storenvy for my new brand.. Has anyone had success or will it be like etsy all over again? Can anyone recommend a good web builder if they don't recommend storenvy? I have a domain name purchase and my brand is ready to be sold.
> 
> Thanks


Sorry to say but thieves operate everywhere.....Both the upside and downside of your own website will be reduced visibility.....It may be harder for the thieves to find you but also harder for your customers to find you...


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## ThreadPrints (Jan 19, 2014)

Would you recommend store envy? I am interested in using them for the fact that you can use your own domain


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## someoneshero (Jun 26, 2011)

ThreadPrints,

I would go ahead and give Storenvy a try. They have come a long way since I opened my store there. Last December I had one sale, but that could be attributed to the basic and blah site I had set up with them. I spent yesterday redoing my site and you can see it here Home · Someone's Hero · Online Store Powered by Storenvy. 

The cost is very low and it will get you into the process of selling online, shipping, and promoting. As you grow you could look into more advanced sites.

Best of luck!


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

someoneshero said:


> Last December I had one sale, but that could be attributed to the basic and blah site I had set up with them.


I understand you wanting to be charitable.....But it makes your shirts higher priced that they would be without the donation......IMO it is your high prices most cause your lack of sales....

PS....At the end of the day, most e-commerce services are similar enough that picking one over another does not really come down to which one is better.....Just pick one and get started.....If you do, you will be ahead of most folks that "over analyze" things and never get started.....


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## someoneshero (Jun 26, 2011)

Royster13,

I agree with your last paragraph. Just going forward with it puts you ahead of most.

I've actually had great sales on my real site, supportmyhero.com, and at events. My designs are now in several retail locations and I was able to donate $1300 to local non-profits from my sales last year. 2014 is already shaping up to be even better! I just setup Storenvy and basically did nothing with it for over a year as I worked on my own site.

Thanks,


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