AuctionBytes Guide to Ecommerce Shopping Carts

In response to readers' requests for more coverage of shopping carts to help them set up their own ecommerce websites, AuctionBytes interviewed the founders of many popular solutions last year, including 3Dcart, BigCommerce, GoECart, Magento, PrestoStore, Volusion, ZenCart and Zoovy. We also interviewed the founders of Main Street Mall Online and Webstore.com, which are hybrid storefront services. Scott Smigler of Exclusive Concepts also explained the benefits of setting up a Yahoo Store.

To provide a framework for understanding how to go about evaluating shopping cart solutions, AuctionBytes Contributing Editor Greg Holden spoke to consultant Mark Baartse of Shopping-Cart-Reviews.com and provides four tips for selecting an ecommerce shopping cart. We also spoke to Mark and Robin Le Vine of Bubblefast to get their tips on selecting shopping carts and web designers based on their own experiences.

Many small online sellers get their start on eBay, Etsy, Amazon and other marketplaces, but as they grow and become more comfortable with ecommerce, decide to launch their own websites. This can provide merchants with more control over policies and payment methods, and the cost savings can be used to market their business.

While the sheer number of shopping carts available to sellers can be overwhelming, the following roundup should help you get started. And watch for more reviews and interviews with shopping cart and storefront providers in future issues of AuctionBytes Update!

Getting Started - Tips on Selecting a Shopping Cart Solution

Four Tips for Selecting an Ecommerce Shopping Cart By Greg Holden (June 6, 2010)
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Bubblefast's Tips on Selecting Shopping Carts and Web Designers By Ina Steiner (June 6, 2010)
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Shopping Cart Solutions

3DCart Brings Ecommerce to Startups on a Budget By Greg Holden (July 25, 2010)
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Interspire, BigCommerce Bring Transparency to Ecommerce By Greg Holden (November 07, 2010)
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GoECart Provides Shopping Cart Solution for Serious Ecommerce Businesses By Greg Holden (August 08, 2010)
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Shopping Cart from Magento Helps Entrepreneurs Launch Ecommerce Websites By Greg Holden (July 11, 2010)
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Note: Magento announced a new solution that will be available in several weeks, and also recently revealed that eBay had acquired a 49% stake in the company - learn more in this February 11th article.

To Market, to Market, with Help from PrestoStore By Greg Holden (December 19, 2010)
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Volusion Offers Flexible Full-Featured Ecommerce Platform By Greg Holden (September 12, 2010)
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Yahoo Stores for Retailers of All Sizes By Scott Smigler (November 07, 2010)
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Setting up Your Yahoo Store By Scott Smigler (November 21, 2010)
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ZenCart Helps You Build Your Own Store Online By Greg Holden (June 20, 2010)
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Zoovy Platform: For Online Retailers on the Brink of Growth (By Greg Holden) October 24, 2010 Link to article

Storefront Hybrids

Main Street Mall Online Offers a Homey Place to Sell Online By Greg Holden (May 16, 2010)
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Webstore.com Strives to Be Robin Hood of Online Marketplaces By Greg Holden (February 07, 2010)
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Staying Up-to-Date

You can keep up with news about ecommerce solutions by subscribing to the AuctionBytes Newsflash newsletter (published daily to the AuctionBytes homepage and sent to your inbox three times/week).