There are four main approaches to e-commerce
Simply use the Ebay and Amazon framework. They get commission but you get their massive reach and a bullet-proof security system. Payment and money in general is handled by the company’s (Ebay and Amazon) systems.
A managed environment where you add products to your shop using the e-commerce company’s framework. The e-commerce company HOST the platform so you pay them by the number of products you have on their system. Typical companies are Volusion, Actinic and Shopify. Usually these companies employ PAYMENT GATEWAYS to handle the money side of things. Most now work on mobiles (small screens) and integrate with Social Media and Ebay, Amazon.
Scratch website. You install, build and maintain an e-commerce platform on your own hosting (server) and integrate a payment gateway. Typical solutions are OS Commerce, Agora, Zen Cart, Presta, Tomato Cart. These are all free frameworks and are very popular with budget operations – however if the shop breaks or stops working you will need to fix it in a hurry. All these shops are available from Calco UK on the 1-click install platform free* of charge. (individual companies may charge for advanced features).
Established E-Commerce software such as Sellerdeck and WooCommerce can look expensive when compared to free alternatives, however they have a support infrastructure which YOU WILL EVENTUALLY CALL UPON! Its good to know there is a safety net out there to get your shop up and running again in as short a time as possible.
Questions to ask yourself and the software vendor :-
Does the software handle well… coupons, shipping, tax, ad hoc discounts, laser scanners & point of sale electronics, printing, stock management, QR Codes, Payment Gateway Integration.