# Sell home roasted beans



## JohnnieWalker

Being a newbie I had no idea that there was so much interest in roasting your own coffee.

Although I doubt I would ever find the time to roast just for my own consumption, it may seem like the next logical step for some to not only roast for yourself, but maybe to sell to others.

I don't want to look like I'm advertising, but if anyone is considering setting up an online shop then I'm able to help as I'm a web designer and often setup ecommerce sites.

I won't link to my website ( unless requested! ) but just want to offer my services to anyone thinking of selling online, even if that's just some free advice.


----------



## jimrobo

What's your preferred script? Last time I did an ecommerce script I used cubecart but that was a long time ago. I'm guessing things have moved on since then!

Is it worth using a standalone script or is it just better to go with a cms like joomla/wordpress sort of set up for the flexibility of adding stuff onto it?


----------



## JohnnieWalker

Well I only ever use PrestaShop, it's open source, simple to install and setup and has some beautiful themes.

There are a couple of paid solutions, however unless you expected vast amounts of sales then they're not really cost effective.

People think it costs hundreds or thousands of pounds, but I can install, setup and host an ecommerce site starting from around £100.


----------



## CoffeeMagic

You may just have timed that post to perfection







I have probably spent the last few weeks pondering which ecommerce application will cut the mustard for me.

Currently setting up a micro-roaster business in Norflok and need some expertise in that area of web design and ecommerce. There are probably a few areas where I also need some advice. We can either do it via the forum for others to benefit & chip in or by PM (if others find it ho-hum







).


----------



## JohnnieWalker

Well it would be great to create a site for someone with genuine passion and interest in what they were selling.

I don't mind either way!

Although maybe it's best via email, and if others have any specific questions they can still post them here?

I can pm you my email address.


----------



## MikeHag

I'd be interested in seeing the end result.


----------



## JohnnieWalker

CoffeeMagic, I've sent you a PM.

Mike, yeah, and I get a real buzz creating new sites/shops, it's very rewarding seeing something I've created online for the world to see.


----------



## CoffeeMagic

Thanks. Prestashop looks cool, though I have noticed a few adverse reviews regarding the need for (expensive) addons to make it viable. Do you have a list of the essential information that needs to be included on an ecommerce site?


----------



## cafeco

You're starting a micro roastery in Norfolk, lol bloody typical! *face palm*.

(so am I).


----------



## JohnnieWalker

Well I have a couple of shops using PrestaShop and I haven't needed to buy any expensive addons.

I'm happy using Paypal for my transactions, whilst I agree it may not be the very best professional card payment system, it's still the most cost effective method of accepting online payments.

If you want a all in one, fully featured, hosted option, then BigCommerce looks very good and with reasonable monthly plans. http://www.bigcommerce.com/plans.php

I just don't really like not having a cart of my choice, on a server I want and have total control. However BigCommerce has very impressive features.


----------



## CoffeeMagic

cafeco said:


> You're starting a micro roastery in Norfolk, lol bloody typical! *face palm*.
> 
> (so am I).


Obviously spotted the same gap







. There are 3 operating in Suffolk. Maybe we should start another thread - Norfolk Roasters


----------



## CoffeeMagic

There is a fair amount of stuff I want to put on the site and need it to be a scalable solution. Ease of use (from a user perspective) together with shipping and payment features are important.


----------



## JohnnieWalker

After reading some negative reviews of BigCommerce, mainly poor support, I think it may be better to just purchase the interspire shopping cart as a one off purchase and host it yourself, as the whole point of paying monthly is for the support.

I still think PrestaShop has the best combination of cost (free), ease of use and setup and seo performance. Although I agree there are some modules which may be beneficial and these do cost extra.


----------



## jimrobo

In the past I've done it the hard way and gone down the joomla route and integrated forums, memberships etc. Can work really well but is a tad overkill! I like a challenge though!!


----------



## CoffeeMagic

Do you cover branding and graphic design? There was a member offering that service some time ago but after sending a PM and no response, I am having to look elsewhere.


----------



## JohnnieWalker

Yes, I do all aspects of web design. The last site I completed a couple of weeks ago required a bespoke design and a logo designed.

I also purchased and registered the domain name on the clients behalf and provided the hosting.

http://www.bpelectricians.co.uk


----------



## JohnnieWalker

Another possible alternative that I've just discovered is JigoShop for wordpress:

http://jigoshop.com/

Looks like a nice ecommerce plugin although I don't have any experience with it.


----------



## jimrobo

If you are looking for an out of the box e commerce have a look at

http://www.tradingeye.com/

I know someone who has made a couple with this script although personally I thought it was expensive but it did look pretty good and worked very well.


----------



## JohnnieWalker

£299+vat is a little pricey, but it does look pretty good.

Can't really see that it is much, if any better than PrestaShop though.


----------



## jimrobo

It all comes down to how much you are willing to get down and dirty with the script IMO. If you are happy tinkering and spending a few hours fiddling with code to get it to look right then go with the free version. If you want something that is going to work right out if the box and if not you want support right away then sometimes the commercial scripts are better. Personally I prefer to pay and get good support because I've previously done all nighters to change something myself that some professional support could fix in minutes.


----------

