build ecommerce site for single configurable product.

[AJLComputers]

Hi

I would like to build a website that sells a single configurable product. I looked at using wordpress and an ecommerce plugin but that's more for multiple products and doesn't really achieve what I want to.

I'm looking at selling custom built computers and the user would select from a set of processors, select how much RAM, select from a group of graphics cards etc etc, once they've made their selections I want a simple buy now button that takes them to a paypal page to pay for the machine and sends me the info to build it.

I'm fairly new to this type of development so was wondering what's the best way to build this type of site, what language should I use, how do I secure it and is there any training that I can do to help me to achieve this?

Training wise, I prefer video training over books but if books are the best way then I'll struggle through them.

Thanks.

[rtrethewey]

The PayPal Buy Now button is a good solution for a situation like yours where the site only sells a limited number of products and doesn't need a full shopping cart. The transaction takes place on PayPal's website so you don't have to worry about security issues on your site, and you can customize the user's experience on PayPal so your site's branding is prominent during the process. All it takes is a PayPal business account and some plain HTML that you can use anywhere you like - on a conventional all-HTML site or a blog that relies on software like WordPress or Joomla.

[AJLComputers]

so how would I get the buy-it-now button to know what the user had selected and therefore update the price that is passed to Paypal? Is it all done with HTML forms or is there more to it?

[rtrethewey]

Yes, all of the product details are encoded in the HTML form. That information is then passed on to PayPal where the user makes the payments. You get notified by Email when a purchase is made. It's very easy and there's lots of documentation on PayPal's website.