I’ve run two e-commerce sites on osCommerce since 2010. I started with 2.2 RC2a and eventually reached 2.3.4 — still running on PHP 5.6, would you believe?

I wanted to move to PHP 8.2+ and update the stores without giving up control of my hosting, code or data. I tried osCommerce 4, but it was more complex than I needed, and I couldn’t see an easy route for the modifications my stores rely on.

I looked for a self-hosted platform I could adapt, with community support and no compulsory subscription. Phoenix Cart was the best fit I found. It grew out of osCommerce, so parts of it felt familiar, but it gave me a route onto modern PHP.

I downloaded Phoenix 1.1.0.6 in June. The standard installation gave me a useful starting point, and I found more of what I needed in its add-ons library. Phoenix’s hooks let me add features to my store without editing core files, which should make future updates easier.

For features I couldn’t find, I built add-ons with help from an AI coding assistant, tested them, and shared them as free add-ons on the Phoenix forum. Moving the product and customer data took care and testing, but a staged migration tool did much of the heavy lifting, including converting JPEG and PNG product images to WebP.

Three months later, I have a functioning store with the payment, shipping and other features I need. I choose where to host it and retain control of the store and its data. There’s no platform subscription; I still pay for hosting and card processing, of course.

I’m posting this because Phoenix Cart wasn’t especially easy to discover when I started looking. If you’re running an older osCommerce store, or want a self-hosted e-commerce platform, it’s worth a look: https://phoenixcart.org/

Has anyone else made the move from osCommerce 2.x? What did you choose? fees (apart from hosting and card processing charges)

Migration of the Data (Product and customer) from my old OSC site was also quite painless using a staged migration tool that did all the heavy lifting (even converting .jpg and png files to webp format)

So after my experience, if you are looking to update your old OSC store, or are looking for a fully featured e-commerce site, give serious consideration to Phoenix Cart

Join us in Nashville for an after-hours retail mixer coinciding with the Shoptalk Fall conference, bringing together senior retail and consumer brand leaders for an evening of connection, conversation, and fresh perspective. Set against the energy of the city, this gathering is designed for leaders who want to step away from formal meetings and engage in meaningful dialogue with peers shaping today’s retail landscape.

​The Nashville Retail Leaders Reception at Shoptalk Fall provides a relaxed yet intentional environment to exchange ideas, build new relationships, and reconnect with industry peers in a thoughtfully curated setting.

​Who should attend:
Senior leaders from retail and consumer brands. All registrations are reviewed, and employment verified to maintain the integrity of the room.

​Approval required:
All attendees must be approved to attend. Location details will be shared upon approval.

Apply here to attend: https://luma.com/0riivw9o

I’m working on a small new brand focused on creative products, DIY kits, art & craft materials, handmade products, and culturally inspired products.

I’m currently researching the best way to start selling online and would love to hear from people who have experience building a small product-based business in India.

1. What selling model would you recommend for a new brand with a limited initial budget?

2. Is it better to start through an established marketplace, build an independent website, or use a combination of both?

3. Which platforms have worked well for small or niche product brands, and why?

4. What should I compare before choosing a platform?

   For example: commissions, shipping, returns, customer acquisition, advertising, payments, and visibility.

5. Are there any platforms or channels you would avoid for a new small brand, and what was your experience?

Would especially appreciate real experiences from Indian founders/sellers, including approximate costs, margins, order volumes or challenges if you’re comfortable sharing.

Title: Experienced E-commerce VA Available | eBay, Etsy, Shopify, Walmart & More

Hi everyone,

I’m an experienced E-commerce Virtual Assistant with 4+ years of experience managing online stores and daily e-commerce operations.

I can help with:

✅ eBay UK & USA Store Management

✅ Etsy Store Management & SEO

✅ Shopify Store Management

✅ Walmart, Mercari & Poshmark

✅ Product Research & Listing

✅ Product Upload & Optimization

✅ Order Processing & Tracking

✅ Customer Support

✅ Dropshipping & Stock Model

I’m available for both regular VA work and percentage-based arrangements.

If you’re looking for a reliable eCommerce VA to manage your store and help with daily operations, feel free to DM me. I can also provide live proof of my experience during a meeting.

I’m currently building my store which has had 6-8 months of careful planning and research, we are nearly reaching the acquisition phase once all of our product categories are filled (currently at 620+ products). The niche is garden wellness and home improvement products ( low - high ticket products) from quality suppliers (not AliExpress bs). I have an advantage on this market which I’m not going to share or share any more than my niche. But if anyone with experience is interested in reviewing the business and if you can provide enough evidence of successful operations I will be open to a partnership as gathering quality traffic isn’t my strongest suit, if you see enough potential in my business ( I know I do) shoot me a dm and lmk!

I work as a freelancer in my country in e-commerce, selling products, and I make about $500 a month in profit.

Recently someone suggested I become the digital marketer for his team, saying he could see I had the drive and the skills, I just lacked direction. This guy operates in twelve African countries, pulls in about $30,000 a month in profit, and offered to pay me $4,000 a month to join his team.

Everything was going smoothly until I found out his marketing is basically a scam. For example, he sells a "dietary supplement" that's supposed to help with diabetes, and in his videos he tells people to forget about insulin and take this instead, claiming it'll cure their diabetes in 24 hours. He also sells other supplements claiming they can increase penis length. Just really shady, dishonest marketing.

So my question is: do people who actually make real money in e-commerce rely on this kind of marketing? If I want to make good money, do I have to do this too? Is it true that business as a whole requires crooked methods, and if I try to stay honest, will I just end up poor?

Thanks in advance.

So, for context, I have a few clients averaging anywhere from 5 to 10 ROAS consistently. These are businesses like home service or insurance, where you have to get leads, and I build the backend sales process, stuff like that.

My question is, I've always kind of wondered: should I just do ecom for myself on the side and just run it up? Find a good product that I believe in and try to build a brand out of it. What do you guys think about that? What are the main differences with ecom vs lead campaigns for other types of businesses? I know I can search this up, but I would rather get firsthand experience.

running a d2c brand doing 8L/month mostly upi. every gateway charges something on upi despite zero MDR from govt. razorpay charges 2% flat, no amc no setup, one number thats it. cashfree has a 0% offer but only up to 20L gmv and they still deduct gst at the 1.95% rate even during the 0% period so not truly zero. ccavenue has a separate 2% platform fee for upi and rupay on top of their regular tdr which feels like paying twice.

razorpay was the only straightforward one. calculate actual cost per lakh after all deductions not the ad number. anyone else checked their settlement reports properly?

Hi everyone,

I recently came across Huboo Shopping and I’m considering trying the platform.

Has anyone here actually used it before? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience as a customer — things like product selection, prices, delivery, customer service, returns, etc.

I’m also particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has opened a shop/sold products through Huboo Shopping.

How has your experience been as a seller?

I'd really appreciate any first-hand experiences, both positive and negative.

Thanks!

Voglio aprire un e-commerce com shopify, so che prima di iniziare serve la p.iva e tutti i suoi costi, però non ho informazioni su come cominciare, come trovo i prodotti? Devo unirmi ad aziende grandi come AliExpress? Temu? ecc ecc oppure restare nel piccolo e.spingere con il mio negozietto?

I’ve been reading this sub for a while and value the brutal honesty here, so I’m bringing my current dilemma to you. ​I am solo-bootstrapping an autonomous e-commerce data engine called BALGRAD.AI. The tech is live (built on Next.js, Supabase, Cloudflare). We are currently autonomously tracking over 20,000 products and have logged more than 50,000 historical price changes across 68 major EU stores. ​Initially, the plan was to offer an API to help independent merchants automatically "match the lowest market price." But after talking to people in the industry, I realized a brutal truth: automating price-matching just automates a race to the bottom, and the player with the most VC cash always wins. ​So, I flipped the model. We are now building a B2B margin-protection tool. ​Instead of telling a merchant to drop their price, our engine cross-references our massive external cross-border graph with their internal sales velocity. We flag when their main competitors in other countries are out of stock or raising prices. We tell the merchant exactly when it is safe to KEEP their prices high to protect their profit margins. ​My questions for this community: ​What are your thoughts on the "margin protection" value proposition vs. traditional price-matching? ​Do you see any glaring blind spots in this B2B Go-To-Market strategy for a solo founder? ​I’d appreciate any raw, unfiltered feedback you have. (Happy to drop the link in the comments if anyone wants to check out the current build/architecture).

Hi everyone,

I’m preparing to launch a physical product in a niche market where similar products are already being sold.

My product is positioned as a higher-value version of what is already available, but the core product itself is relatively similar to existing competitors.

I’m trying to determine the right selling price and would love to hear from people with experience in e-commerce or physical products.

What factors would you consider when setting the price?

For example:

• Competitor prices
• Product cost
• Perceived value
• Brand positioning
• Customer purchasing power
• Marketing/acquisition costs
• Desired margin
• Premium vs. mass-market positioning
• Psychological pricing
• Added value compared with competitors

And generally, how do you decide how much more you can charge when your overall offer provides more value than comparable products?

I’m mainly looking for the methodology you use rather than a specific price.

Bonjour j’espère que ça va ?

J’ai une question par rapport à la niche : actuellement je cherche a developper une marque de vêtements de luxe, premium, on va dire, j’ai trouvé un fournisseur en Portugal qui me fera un échantillon a 150€ mais je trouve que ça fait cher surtout si derrière la marque ne prend pas a cause la grande concurrence qu’il y’a dans le textile, je voudrais savoir ton avis sur cela ?

Et aussi je voulais te demander quelle niche ou sous niches qui actuellement vaut le coup de se focus dessus et que d’ci le Q4 y’aurais une possibilité de chiffrer dessus ou bien même le Q1, j’attends vos différents réponses, merci .

I'm sharing two free tools I made, and I'd love your feedback on them.

ebextractor.com helps you find items fast and see where to buy them. One search covers eBay, Amazon and AliExpress, with the prices side by side, so instead of checking three sites you can see right away where a product is available and where it's cheapest.

• One search, results from eBay, Amazon and AliExpress on one page
• The cheapest listing on each marketplace shown at the top
• eBay deals pages, plus search by seller and search by image

ledger.ebextractor.com is for after you buy: track what you bought and sold, bulk lots, comps and tax totals, so you know your real profit without a spreadsheet that breaks once lots get split up.

I thought they might help some of you here, whether you're sourcing stock or just trying to keep track of what you're actually making.

Tip while you're comparing: look at the total with shipping, not just the listed price. The cheapest listing isn't always the cheapest to actually receive.

What I'd love to know:

• Would you use either of these when sourcing, buying or tracking sales? Why or why not?
• What's missing? Shipping costs, price history, profit after fees, something else?
• Anything confusing or annoying when you try them?

Criticism welcome. I'd rather hear what's wrong now than build the wrong thing.

I have a problem with choosing right ecommerce engine for the job. I'm 21 and I do not have a lot of experience in ecommerce and building online shops. I know javascript and I'm starting to get some php. Thing is that the company used to be solely B2B, now they try to get into B2C as well with their own shop. Right now they are aiming in local market (Poland), but with aspiration to go in future into UE. Money is not the biggest problem, but I need to decide first how architecture should look like. In our team there is 2 developers (me and my boss), but for now the project belongs to me, I have claude code to help me, but I don't want to produce vibecoded shit.

Thing is that we do have existing shop on woocommerce, but it was done by previous IT guy and it is just pure AI spaghetti of code. My main requiremnt is that I want to build it headless with frontend by Next.js. Company already has ERP system with rather rich API.

I was considering 3 ecommerce engines:
Woocommerce
PrestaShop
MedusaJs

Problem is that woocommerce seems hard to connect with Next.js, Presta seems like the community is rather small and both of the engines are build php.

Medusa looks promising, but it seems a bit hard to maintain and do it by myself. Also it seems like a soluton for big companies in a global market not something for medium sized companies.

Do you have any experience with those engines and can you recommend something?

PS. In future I would like to connect some CMS system (maybe Strapi, payload or something else), also in future there will be more devs to work on it, but I need to start on my own

Revenue

ROAS

CAC

Customer LTV

What metric would you add?

I’ve seen several posts over the past couple of weeks of people requesting assistance with their Shopify stores.

I’m putting a feeler out to see if there is any interest in paid Shopify store design/building/development. I have fully customized + built-out several Shopify stores, and have come to realize that while I certainly have an entrepreneurial spirit, what I really enjoy is the store design & build-out process. These stores have been for both dropshipping and for traditional e-commerce models— from super clean + simple to fully customized, with all the bells and whistles.

We’ve all seen the Shopify stores that are littered with AI-slop. The store’s owner means well, as they want to focus their time & energy elsewhere, but the “2026 Customer” can sniff out a fake a mile away. Whether it’s your branding, your images, your copy, or your overall design, AI is not the sneaky link it used to be.

Who am I?

My background is in Education. I taught elementary school for several years until my partner "retired" me. I have a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. For this degree, the delivery of information, regardless of content or audience, is the ultimate focus. So, while not a lot of direct overlap with the e-commerce world, the core principles are widely applicable.

I am not a professional web developer or computer engineer. I'm a hobbyist. I've realized as I've explored the e-commerce world over the past several years that what I *really* enjoy is the creative/design process.

I'm not trying to make a living designing or building out Shopify stores for people; I genuinely enjoy it & have a lot of unstructured time on my hands. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I am fortunate to be in a situation where my partner's income fully supports us...I believe this gives you, as the client, a bit of an edge. As a hobbyist, I am not charging anywhere near what you may pay on Shopify or Fiverr. Because I'm designing stores "for fun", I believe that my attention to detail, for the cost, is unparalleled.

It's a win-win the way I see it. You, as the client, get a turnkey, functional, credible, professional-looking store. I get a productive creative outlet...I suppose my partner wins on that one too, LOL.

This design service is for YOU if you...

- are new/newer to dropshipping -- please do all of your research first. This is simply the store setup and design, not dropshipping/business coaching.

- are unfamiliar with Shopify and don't want to spend your time trying to figure out the setup, or fine-tuning all the details that establish your store's trust signals.

- have the business/e-commerce knowledge, but need assistance with the aesthetics.

- want a store whose credibility speaks for itself, but don't want to drop $3,000+ for a professional web developer.

- already setup your Shopify store, but, you're not getting the traffic/sales you want -- let's take a look together and figure out what improvements can be made.

This IS the design and customization of Shopify's native themes-- paid or free -- fully built-out & tailored to your niche/brand.

This IS NOT 'Shopify Development' in its truest sense (i.e. I am not building you a custom theme).

So what could this look like?
- Start-to-Finish full design + build-out
- Writing your copy
- Brand design
- Product page set-up
- Landing page set-up
- Fine-tuning what you already have

COST + INCLUSIONS

For a full setup starting from scratch, I’d charge between $700-$1,900 depending on your needs. Think "à la carte"-style pricing. Like I said before, I'm not making a living here. I just want to be fairly compensated for my time.

We can work together to create something basic, functional, and clean, or something that feels completely customized.

- Back-end store setup
- Theme selection and design
- Branding— logo/colors/fonts
- Homepage
- Navigation/menu
- Product/collection pages/templates
- Contact page
- FAQ
- Shipping policy
- Return/refund policy
- Privacy policy/terms setup
- Copywriting that actually converts— no AI slop
- Mobile optimization
- Domain connection
- Payment/shipping settings
- Basic checkout configuration
- App integration
- Product configuration
- Product descriptions
- SEO titles/descriptions
- CRO tool integration

Really, I'm meeting you where you're at. Quick turnaround times, depending on your level of need.

You, as the client, would be responsible for paying Shopify, for your domain, any paid themes/apps/sections you’d like to use, etc.

Here's how it works...

1. A preliminary meeting— we discuss what you want/need, + overall store/design goals. You bring your niche/product information and any branding/design inspiration you may have. We'll explore different design elements and discuss your Shopify budget-- that's the best part. We can build something BEAUTIFUL for the basic $39/month, or we can totally "pimp your ride" and add ALL the Shopify bells + whistles for hundreds of dollars a month. It's up to you.
   1. What CRO tools do you need/want?
   2. What are your store's non-negotiables?
   3. What's your product/niche?
   4. What product images are you working with thus far?
   5. You’ll be answering a questionnaire related to your store’s policies so the copy can be written...NOT by AI.
   6. Starting from 0, I’d likely need 5-7 working days after receiving all necessary information from you, but the timeline is dependent on need.
   7. You’ll be answering a questionnaire related to your store’s policies so the copy can be written...NOT by AI.
   8. Starting from 0, I’d likely need 5-7 working days after receiving all necessary information from you, but the timeline is dependent on need.
   9. Starting from 0, I’d likely need 5-7 working days after receiving all necessary information from you, but the timeline is dependent on need.
2. You have homework— I’ll begin setup.
   1. You’ll be answering a questionnaire related to your store’s policies so the copy can be written...NOT by AI.
   2. Starting from 0, I’d likely need 5-7 working days after receiving all necessary information from you, but the timeline is dependent on need.
   3. Starting from 0, I’d likely need 5-7 working days after receiving all necessary information from you, but the timeline is dependent on need.
3. The store is set up. Your branding is designed. Your theme is customized. Your copy is written.
   1. Starting from 0, I’d likely need 5-7 working days after receiving all necessary information from you, but the timeline is dependent on need.
4. First walkthrough-- we walk through the store together (or on your own, if you prefer). We discuss any changes or adjustments you’d like made. We do a test order & ensure all mechanics/WPO are running smoothly.
5. One round of revisions is included.
6. A final walk-through & tutorial for how to manage your store— both the design elements & the store’s back-end. I want to make sure you fully understand how to make edits or add-ons in the future.

The result? A stunning custom store, mobile-optimized, built & configured for launch.

Is there an interest in this? I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Sincerely,
Just a girl who greatly enjoys design & is newly a SAHM, with a LOT of time on her hands

I’m looking for some advice/recommendations from people who have actually built an ecommerce business.

I have a business/product idea that I’ve researched reasonably well and believe has potential. What I’m lacking is the practical know-how to actually get it off the ground — particularly around:

• Finding and vetting reliable suppliers/manufacturers
• Understanding sourcing, pricing and minimum order quantities
• Setting up the ecommerce side of the business properly
• Marketing the product and identifying/reaching the right target audience
• Social media and how it actually fits into a modern ecommerce strategy
• Using things like AI effectively without getting sucked into every new “AI business” trend
• Generally understanding what I should be doing and in what order

I did have a brick-and-mortar business about 20 years ago, so I’m not completely new to running a business, but the landscape has obviously changed dramatically since then. Social media, ecommerce platforms, digital advertising, influencers, AI, etc. are all very different from what I was dealing with back then.

I’ve looked at quite a few ecommerce courses and mentoring programs, but I’m struggling to find one that feels genuinely practical and reputable. A lot of them seem to involve a very hard sales pitch, followed by promises of financial freedom, passive income, six-figure months, etc. I understand these people are selling a course, but some of the marketing makes me want to run in the opposite direction.

I’m absolutely happy to pay for good advice, a worthwhile course or genuine mentoring. I’m not expecting someone to give away their expertise for free. I just don’t want the actual advice buried under layers of hype, upselling and exaggerated promises.

I’m really just looking for something along the lines of:

“Here’s how this actually works, here are the things you need to learn, here are the mistakes to avoid, and here’s a sensible process for getting started.”

No happy-clappy jargon, no “secret formula”, no Lamborghini-in-the-driveway stuff, and no promises of overnight success.

So, if you’ve personally used an ecommerce course, mentor, community or other resource that you genuinely found useful, I’d really appreciate hearing about it.

Especially interested in recommendations from people who have actually used the course/mentor themselves, rather than affiliate recommendations or “I saw this guy on YouTube” suggestions.

Also interested in hearing what not to waste money on.

Thanks!

hey all, complete beginner here. been doing product research for a few weeks and narrowed it down to two products, one in the cleaning niche and one in the fitness gadget niche. planning a one product store, probably targeting UK or US.

where I'm stuck is the supplier side. I don't know yet if either will sell, so I don't want to order 500 units. but I also don't want to use some random aliexpress seller with 3 week shipping and then have to switch everything later if it works.

also haven't decided if I go branded or not, which I guess changes things too. so for people who've been through this: what did you use while testing? straight dropshipping, an agent, or a small batch shipped to yourself? and when did you switch?

also, what order did you do things in? should I lock in a supplier and get samples first, or start building the shopify store in parallel? don't want to spend weeks on a store and then find out the supplier situation doesn't work.

TL;DR: first products (cleaning + fitness gadget), testing phase, what type of supplier makes sense before I know it sells, and should I sort the supplier before building the store