Sorry for not replying sooner, and first of all thanks for all the great advice. My store is doing a little better and I have already received and cashed my first check. This thread has been very help full. Kalev - Your comments are ridiculous. I would advise that in the future you do some research before you run around accusing people you know nothing about. If you took some time to try to find out who's who and how well they are respected in this forum I doubt you would have posted what you did. I think you miss understood the purpose of this post, and perhaps this forum I would advise you go back and re-read it all and if that still does not help read it few more times. At the very least please refrain from trolling and thread highjacking.
I am very keyed about this as one possible income stream. I am having troubles getting into admin, however - the password I used when signing up under yourfriendly*.* is the one I used to try to get in to admin, and it was rejected. The welcome e-mail just said the password was literally ********. I got locked out of admin, requested a password be sent, and the password sent was again ********. Bob, you have been very helpful via pm. Anyone else have this problem, and if so, how'd you get in? Thanks, Paul Edited: Nevermind, Bob et al, I'm in! Many thanks....
I don't have much new to report. November was my best month ever after a long summer and fall that seemed to be affected by all kinds of storms, hurricanes and other catastrophes. December started well but the holidays have impacted sales adversely over the last few days. Let's hope that 2006 will bring continued growth and prosperity to my sites as well as to all my affiliates. The other good news is that new affiliates continue to sign up on a regular basis. I have started a mailing list specifically for my affiliates. I'm surprised there isn't more chit chat on it, but some people do ask questions and others post answers. Happy New Year everyone!
What is the overall estimated cost to start this business? And what kind of effort is required? Thank you
Do I need to buy a SSL certificate for the domain. Also I just signed up, how long does it take for me to get the welcome mail?
The over all cost is the cost of the domain registration, the cost to host the site, and the cost for a SSL certificate. I would do all that for you at a special affiliates rate of $150 US for a year. Other than that there is really only your time doing SEO, marketing and monitoring results.
The welcome email usually takes about an hour. If you haven't gotten it yet PM me and I'll look into it. Depending on which template you pick you may or may not need an SSL certificate. They are encouragoing people to use the XML templates and for these you need the certificate. However I'm still running one site using a JS template and it seem fine and does not require a certificate.
Bob - I am correct in thinking that you only need a SSL cert if you are using the XML feed template, right? My host/server account is not set up for XML, though it could be for an additional fee, so I am using a PHP/JS template for the time being....Once the site starts earning, I may convert over. Sorry - posted this while you must have been posting yours, Bob.
The real answer to this question is place a test order on your site and see if the padlock locks when you go to the order page. If it does your all set. If not you probably need a certificate.
Hi Bob - Just saw this. I am a bit unclear as to what you mean by the padlock locking - I did a test order which was first queued, then declined. Under the order menu, I have an order i.d., order date, user i.d., customer i.d., customer e-mail, etc. Is this a sign of kosher ordering? Cheers, Paul
When you go to a secure site there is a small padlock icon visible on the bottom bar of IE and Netscape that shows in a locked position. If it doesn't show or doesn't lock then the site is not secure. Savvy buyers know this and will not give out personal information without seeing the padlock lock.
Bob - Gotcha. Thanks. It seems that the templates are built such that if you are using PHP/JS, the SSL cert you are "borrowing" is essentially that of the cartadmin host - "secured by Chain SSL" and "payment by verisign". I would guess that if one went to xml feed based templates, they would in effect be setting up their own merchant account (rather than going through back office admin) to charge orders. By the way, thanks - using a PHP/JS template, when I go to the order page, the lock locks. Learn something different everyday. Paul
bob - this whole concept looks interesting - Im currently deployed overseas and cant start any new sites though this post is a "bookmark" of sorts - I'll look into trying this upon my return to the states Matt
The difference between PHP/JS anf XML is this, with JP the odering is done on Cartadmin's servers. With XML the odering is done on the hosting server. The reason they recommend XML is that it should be faster and possibly more troublefree and reliable if everything is done on one server. [note] I've never experienced any problems, that I know of, with my JS template. However it doesn't matter which system you use the cards are all cleared by Cartadmin's "merchants account". Some people say they "have seen the light", in your case you say you "have seen the lock".
I'm not sure why you can't start a site from anywhere in the world, but if it must wait until you return to the states I'll look forward to your participation then. Be safe where ever you are and Happy New Year.
Its because I am on a US Air Force controlled network with everything but port 80 locked down - the base filter also blocks cpanel etc.... Thanks for the kind words Happy new year to you as well!
Does each template carry different medication or all the template carry all the medication? Btw I just sign-up, just waiting for my host to unlock my account. For somereason they locked it.
I saw your registration come through and added you to my affiliate mailing list. Every template carrys an identical list of drugs. The only real difference between them is cosmetic. However, some do have lower default prices and other promotional features. For instance template #815 named "redcoupon" has very low prices and a free shipping coupon built in. I use this template under the URL http://www.corner-drug-store.com/ if you want to have a look. Even thought it is my cheapest site -- I make less profit per sale -- it is not my most popular site. So as I have stated elsewhere price is not always the most important factor.