Every e-commerce website that sells products online is using some form of shopping cart. There are so many different kinds of shopping carts, that the key is to find one you’re comfortable with.

There are also many website hosts on the Internet that specifically cater to e-commerce websites. Some hosting packages will also include shopping carts, while others offer them as additional options.

You’ll want a shopping cart that can be completely customized either by you or your chosen programmer. If you intend to purchase a shopping cart, purchase one that is affordable, easy to use and maintain, and allows you to insert the number of products you want to include now, and in the foreseeable future.

Have you thought of Open Source?

Open source shopping carts are developed by private individuals and/or entire communities of developers. Open source software, including shopping carts, are open to the public and can be used for free, as long as they are used withing the more common GPL license.

So this means you can obtain a free shopping cart and save the cost of having to hire someone to build a shopping cart. Now, using an open source cart for free is ok, but you will need to follow the terms and conditions of the developers, and typically make enough design changes to appear unique. However, the cost of making minor design changes is still minimal.

We recommend: OsCommerce



Every shopping cart requires one or more payment processors, or payment gateways. The most common options are the free Paypal Business account, and Authorize.net payment gateway.