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At present I just use PayPal too, even if I don’t like the percentage they take for their service. Did someone mention Google Checkout? Anyway, having weighed up the pros and cons of using a shopping cart I’m satisfied with PayPal for now.

All the best Yaro.

I’ve used Volusion’s LiveChat and that’s worked very well for my e-commerce sites. I was actually thinking about using their shopping cart/checkout product, but I haven’t had enough time to tinker with it yet. However, their shopping cart/checkout solution looks very promising. It’s built on the same framework as their LiveChat (ASP.NET) and if their LiveChat solution is any indication, I’m sure their shopping cart/checkout offering would be well worth the money.

I do agree with you in saying that putting far too many eggs in one basket is a very risky proposition. I’ve always kept hosting and domain services separate, and that extends to other services that I use (analytics, etc.) but I think having my LiveChat and shopping cart/checkout solutions from one company such as Volusion is well worth the minimal risk.

i used Volusion for several years, and i can vouch for their software. their inventory and store management is great, and so is their support. you have the ability to completely customize the html of your pages as well.

the only thing i didn’t like was their built in affiliate software, but providing such control over all of your pages, you can use any 3rd party solution.

support is grade A.. they’ll hang out with you on the phone until whatever you called about is resolved. it’s rather simple to use QuickBooks with this site. in general, it’s designed to managing your business the way business is meant to be managed.

and yeah, RackSpace is top notch too.

i wouldn’t worry about Volusion being “do everything well” company, because the things they do are all connected. it’s their business to provide ecommerce solutions, and they know if your site isn’t successful you won’t remain a customer long. much like internal departments in any corporation, they have specialized teams for SEO, support, development, etc,.

they’ve got all the eggs necessary to provide the right service. they’ve hired the right employees, and they’ve got their act together.

and no, i don’t work for volusion. haha i just noticed you’re writing a sponsored review, but i don’t get the feeling you’ve been a customer.

The pricing you list in the review is just the first month intro. pricing. The price after the first month is from $29.95 - $197 month.

Excellent posting Yaro,

I especially liked the part where you discussed “…There are often inherent problems with jack-of-all service providers…” From working with various development companies and others that promise the moon and stars this i notice happening more and more… the people that they do work for must be confused as to what they do exactly.

As for Volution, I may need to review this service and pull it apart from a technical standpoint just to see how it truly stacks up.

Excellent content as always Yaro!

Luc

I know someone who is using volusion, and I wonder what is the difference with 1shoppingcart?

I have worked on numerous volusion sites(graphic designer). I can say from my own personal experience and based on my clients comments, that volusion is really good. They have exceptional customer service, and I think is pretty easy to use. Volusion is expensive overall, specifically its monthy fees, its design services and I believe it is $10,000 to purchase the software. I get a lot of work from clients to customise one of the free templates they offer, rather then paying volusions design fees that can be well over $2000.

As someone who has used the cart a good deal I can say that I cant really fault the product, I think the big question is if its worth it. Thats something you will have to decide for yourselves.

[…] Yaro is much in the same boat as I am, in that he has had very little time to prepare a detailed review from a long-term customer perspective, but some of the comments he has so far received seem very positive. […]

Yaro, you have a brief but very helpful review as usual. I have been a loyal reader of your blogs, but didn’t find the time to comment more often.

Before I decided to move my business to Volusion, Andy Bear’s review was the only one out there. Now, you have a wonderful review about Volusion added to the list. But both Andy and you are not customers of Volusion, and I wanted to write a detailed review of Volusion as a customer.

As we all know, you get more depth insight and information about a software when you become a customer.

I hope my review will help biz owners who are looking for more information about Volusion and other shopping carts. Here’s the link:

Volusion Shopping Cart Review

Yaro,

Thank you for writing this review. We just came out with version 5 of our software, which now includes XML integration, shipping label printing from the backend, a more direct Quickbooks export, as well as a more css driven layout. here’s the list of the newest Volusion features:
http://www.volusion.com/version_5_features.asp

Although our software is an “all-in-one” solution, we have worked hard this year to improve our ability to integrate with other systems. Our improved Quickbooks, XML and Stonedge integrations allow customers more freedom than ever before. We also give customers full html access, enabling customers to use various reporting and affiliate tracking tools.

I am new to your blog, but I look forward to reading more posts. Keep up the good work.

I have been looking for an all in one solution for my clients that I can really rely on and seems like I may have found a good one. The ability for live chat and calls is important to my customers who need a little hand holding at times. I love the fact that the intergration with Quickbooks and as a web developer that can easily edit a template for my customers, well this sounds fantastic! XML and Stonedge integration is really where it is at these days, and being able to customize a site for a client makes this program miles ahead of lots of the competition.

Having full html access, and good reporting with affiliate tracking tools will sure make my sites easier to monitize. So I am going to check out the newest Volusion features, and let you know how it goes. Remember a software/cart application is only as good as the hosting and cart combined. Up time and fast transaction processing plus all the other bells and whistles make this sound like a great program to check out, a higher price than other carts, but PayPal is getting to cost me more and more each day. Thanks for the tips!