So, a stand-alone shopping cart is not in your option list. You do not know a thing about web hosting, FTP file upload, and server-side scripting. Hiring a programmer or a technical support is something you do not want to invest, you have doubts on your own products, is it going to make it online? Well, thanks to Internet, some people out there are ready to solve your problem.

shopify.com

Cost: Free
Charges: 3% for transaction below USD$10,000 , 2% for over 10K.
Shopify.com is a young service, launched in year 2006 by Canadian company Jaded Pixel.

2checkout.com

Cost: USD$ 49 one time registration.
Charges:5.5% plus USD$0.45 per transaction.
2checkout.com is a very famous merchant service since 1999. After you sign up, you can choose to use it as a payment gateway, or have your products listed in their marketplace.

CafePress.com

Cost: Free
Charges:They take the base price, you take the markup price deduct base price.
This is a whole lot different than the previous two services. CafePress focuses on print-on-demand sales, which means the products have to be “printable”, namely T-shirts, hat, bag, and other apparels. You as a seller, actually share your creative designs with CafePress, they will deal with the printing and delivery.

These are the services you can consider when stand-alone shopping cart is not an option for you. Please bear in mind, every online business takes time and effort, don’t expect a lot while you can’t invest both.

First, download your copy of osCommerce. Upload to your server, best if you’ve got SSH access, upload the archive to your web root, and extract it there. If not, extract the archive on your local system, and upload the extracted files with your FTP login. Refer to following pre-requisites check.

1. To check if your web host/server has “register_globals” enabled.
   Simply upload a php file with this line of code inside, to your web root directory.

   Codes:

   
<?php echo phpinfo(); ?>



   Name the file whateveryoulike.php, and then browse it in http://yourdomain.com/whateveryoulike.php

   Notice the PHP Core section. Look for variable “register_globals”, if both the Master and Local Value are Off, that means it is not enabled.

2. To check if your web host/server has “allow_call_time_pass_reference” enabled.
   Also check your phpinfo(); , the first entry under PHP Core.

   Take note of your server settings, and we will go to mysql database creation first. Most of the hosting servers have mysql database server installed. All you need to do is create an empty database, a database user, and user password. If you have no access to Tools like Cpanel, or phpMyAdmin, you have to contact your server admin to enable one for you.

Now here’s various situations.

1. Your host/server has “register_globals” enabled.
   Easiest of all, just simply browse to http://yourdomain.com/install/ , if you extract/upload the files in your web root directory. Or, http://yourdomain.com/path-to-osc/install/, if you have it under a new directory in your web root.
2. Your host/server has “register_globals” disabled, but “allow_call_time_pass_reference” enabled.
   Before doing anything, you should confirm that your Apache web server has “AllowOverrides” enabled. You need to check with your server admin. If it is enabled, then by adding a .htaccess file in your installation directory will do the trick. These lines need to be added in the file.

   Codes:

   
<IfModule mod_php4.c>
    php_value register_globals 1
</IfModule>


   After uploaded the .htaccess file, you can check with your phpinfo(); again, the Local Value of “register_globals” should be On now.

3. Your host/server has “register_globals” disabled, there’s no way to go around.
   This is my case, I had to apply the Register Globals patch from osCommerce contributions. I use Version 1.5. Just follow the instruction in the archive file, it’s just simply replacing a few files.

Solutions above should get you to the installation screen successfully. Once you there, you’re considered safe. Look at this wonderful How-To, found in osCommerce knowledge base. The next thing you need to do, is to get familiar with features, and functions.

I’m in the middle of tuning my installed version, will be back with some other useful tips hopefully.

The story is not new, another “I-Can-Build-You-Money-Making-Website” scam. Look at the complaint filed by a victim at complaints.com, you’ll find out the the scam was from a website storeonline.com. How on earth did people just believe to something like that and actually spent that much for websites.

Guys! Wake up! You don’t earn money so easily! Do you know how many hour those famous Internet Marketers spent everyday on Internet before they actually generate profit and become famous? Do you know how many hour they spend everyday to come out with some niche marketing ideas after they got famous? All these are TIME and EFFORT, nothing different from any conventional business you see on the streets. The only difference I can tell is the capital to invest.

So now you think you’ve forseen the future of Internet, it’s a big pie in the next decade. You want in, but you do not have any knowledge about websites. Countless of professionals provide web building services around the world, whether online or in real life. If you are going to spend money for any service/tutorial/workshop/seminar about website building(They probably name it Internet Marketing or some sort, the basic is still about having a website first), here’s some guidelines for you.

1. Who are they ?
So they are going to teach or provide you the skills to handle a website. Ask for their names, their company name, their portfolios and their website address. If they are all legitimate and pro, all these should be ready and packaged into any medium that is presentable to you. Basically, any company that charge you with bills, must have some sort of business registration in any country. I, myself do not pay any invoice/bill without proper printed paper with a company letterhead and info(business address, business registration number).

2. Not Now, Not Today.
If they’ve given you a website address, claiming that is their company website or a merchant website owned by them. Write it down, do not completely believe the visuals/figures shown by them about the site on the spot. This is a very crucial position that you must hold. “NO MONEY FOR THEM ON THE SPOT“, if their services are really that good, you wouldn’t mind to miss their “TODAY ONLY” promotion. Go back to them some other day, with more information gathered and prepared. Make sure you get home with only spending the price for the entrance, the lunch, or the hightea, nothing more.

3. Evaluate the info given
During their presentation, they should have given you some proves, facts, website addresses. Here’s what you can do.

A) If they claimed they own a website.
Go to dnsstuff.com, on the left hand side, use the box “whois lookup”. Key in their domain name(example.com), and lookup for the information. Read through the results generated, see if their company name or name of person in charge listed in the results.

B)If they claimed their website is ranking #X in web traffic.
Go to alexa.com, use the web traffic ranking tool. Key in their web address to see whether their website is really so hot.

C)If they claimed a very success website is developed/associated/affiliated with them.
Write to the owner of the website to verify about them, if the site owner is happy with their service, surely they will be happy to comment.

D)If their website is like storeonline.com
Forget about it. Do not believe in any site that has no Contact Information, no Introduction/About information, not even a single paragraph of solid content. If they tell you they can make you websites like storeonline.com that make use of the pay-per-click scheme as they are using. You can also forget about it, it is beyond your comprehension if you still need someone help with your own website.

Correct me if I am wrong about these guidelines. I seriously hope I will have time for a Mandarin version of this, for those aunties and uncles out there. Also, I notice that most of the speakers in these Internet Marketing seminars are foreigners. Tall, clean, formal suits, and good english, which all these do not make them any better than us local Malaysians. Listen to what they say, ask them what you need to know, and most of all, do not bring cash, cheque book, credit card, that are enough to pay them off one time.The best thing is always make your decision and payment some other day.

Okay, the first choice of mine, and most of my contacts in Singapore, would be Worldpay.com.Very strong background, Swiss bank group, they have branch office in Singapore. I guess dealing with money is what they do best. During my first experience with them, the account activation charge was SGD 650++, the same per year, and now they don’t publish their package price on their web anymore, all you can do is fill in their form, and request quotation from them. So far I have not received any negative feedback from my clients that using worldpay service. Their WorldAlert anti fraud mechanism worths every penny, at additional cost of course. I’m not sure whether they deal with individuals or not though, all the sites I’ve dealt with, they have proper business registration at local authority.One thing for sure, worldpay deals with Malaysia.

Another choice, 2co.com. US company, not much tell you about this as only few of my contacts are using this. Very straight forward pages they have, that’s what I always like about. USD $49 one time signup fee, 5.5% of each transaction plus USD$ 0.45 is charged per transaction. They have very strict rules about your items and services though. Additional wire transfer fee will be charged upon your request of withdrawal to Malaysia banks.

There are many other payment processors out there, please check this page as they have a lot of useful information about online payment processors. Also, updated information from one of my contact proved that, many internet gurus in the country are indeed withdrawing smoothly from Paypal. Well, I guess the “Nationality Trick” is no more a industry secret in a very short time.

For those who are going to harvest this Internet gold mine, good luck to you all.

It’s not easy being a Malaysian, all the traffic jams, neighborhood security issues, fogs from Kalimantan, rising gas prices, and many others you can tell. Cheers to all the brothers and sisters, for we’ve made it so far. So now you think, the world outside is so dangerous, let’s make a living at home, with your computer and Internet.

Great, you’ve made up your mind and you go hunt around for your ideal merchandise to be sold to the international market. You then get to know a freelance web designer from your friend, ahh yes, he designs your merchant website nicely for a low price. You surf around the internet, registered yourself a cool domain name, signed up with a budget web hosting plan.Oh my, everything looks so cool, and you think you are good to go! But…, how’s your online customer going to pay you?

You get to know the big daddy in the market “Paypal”, oh man, they are so sweet! You can sign up for FREE! Okay, you’ve signed up with them, paid that USD $1 dollar to get your credit card verified. Hah, one shiny Paypal logo on your website payment page. The next day you wake up, you see new two mails in your inbox from paypal, saying that two paypal users have paid for your products / services. Ah, a good start isn’t it ? NO! here’s where your nightmare begins..

As you noticed your balance in Paypal has reached or is over their minimum withdraw limit, you think it’s time to have some cash on hand to spend. Hah, you’ve found out that, all your money in Paypal cannot be transfered to any bank in Malaysia, not a single one. They don’t send out cheque to you, because they simply don’t deal with banks in Malaysia. Is this a joke ? Why on earth did you get to register as a Malaysian ? It’s simply because you own a credit card, you can use your credit card with their service, and they charge per transaction, remember?

Alright! forget about the money in Paypal, all you can do with the balance is spend it on ebay for items. Now you still see sales coming into your website, it’s time for alternative solution. You come around this famous website, clickbank.com. Oh again they are offering registration for free! And better still, this one has got some kind of affiliate program to boost your sales. Cool, give it a shot. You go to their signup page, and……you don’t see “Malaysia” in the country list! How sad is this?

Yes, the Malaysian story continues. Our country is being blacklisted for high credit card fraud reported. Various sources have displayed our country name on the list. Below you will find some resources that show this common result when I came across for some of my jobs.

Wordpay Knowledgebase
Americart Page

Disappointing, doesn’t it ? As we, being lawful malaysia citizens can do nothing about this situation besides protect ourselves better during the usage of credit card. Perhaps I will write something about using credit card online next time. Now, let’s not be carried away. For those serious online enterpreneur/marketer wannabes, things are not so bad to be said. There are still choices around, that in my opinion, better than any Free Of Charge at registration payment processing service.

To be continued..

As a starter, you started ambitiously, saying to yourself “I want to make money online!!”. But how? put on a website and receive payments from others around the world? A big NO to you. First of all things, you must ask yourself, “What can I do?”. Most people stop at here, they do not know what can they do online.

Let me try to categorize all the online “money-makers” I’ve known so far.(within individual ability)

1)Technical and Creative Solution Providers
These people have certain level of skills in programming, web server setup/maintenance, website development/maintenance, website design, graphic design, product design, photo shooting and many more. They charge for their services, or sell their own designed products. (E.g, Webhosting, Programs, Images, Website Templates)

2)Content Providers
These people have decent language skills, they can write articles, reviews, stories, and e-books to post on their own websites, or sell to others.(E.g, Journalists, Columnists, Photographers, Authors)

3)Online Auctioners
These people have very sensitive touch of trends. They can always get valuable, lower than market price and easy to deliver items to be auctioned on major sites like ebay and amazon.

4)Online Marketers
These people do not own any product, they sell other online merchants’ products and earn commissions from the transactions. Normally they advertise various products on their websites, and persuade their visitors to buy, with any mean.

5)Smart Surfers
These people participate in various advertising programs. Mostly pay-to-surf programs, they login to the websites of online advertising firm, and then run the special written web program to display advertisements. The amount of income is depending on the time they run the web program, or the volume of advertisement they’ve viewed.

Categories above are what I’ve experienced so far with the activities on Internet. My intention here is to provide you a starting point if you are really interested in making money online. Please bear in mind that online business has no difference with any other business you see in real life, hard work and smart brain ensures the success.

I’m quite concerned about the growing trend of online business training programs found within the country. Yes, indeed all the speakers in the seminars can speak well about the online business they are doing, they can travel whole world to share their success stories.But whenever I read or listen to some classic marketing jargons like “It’s as easy as abc, 123″, “5 easy steps to your online gold mine” and bla bla, I’ve started to doubt that am I a targeted customer to them.

These online business training programs or seminars, always come with products of their own, sometimes CDs, books, audio tapes and many others. So before you can actually EARN money, you already SPENT on those products, and sometimes those can be costly. I’m not saying that those are scams, instead many information from them are very accurate and useful. The only thing is, if you are going to start earning money online, it is the Internet you are going to deal with. There’s no spoon-feeding of any kind, you have to search for what you need.

So, as I said, position yourself on what you can do best, start collecting relevant information, be ready for the learning curve you are going to face. And most of all, stop hoping that someday, someone will bring you a big fortune. Everyone is on their own.