Question
Wondering if anyone out there uses MIVA Merchant for their retail website? I'm having issues with something that someone else may have encountered before?
Answer
I used it for years. Just switched over to Cube Cart and osCommerce.
What problems are you having?
Jill
Answer
Believe it or not, I'm thinking of switching to Oscommerce now as well. I tried to install it myself last year (wasted 2 months!), couldn't do it because my webhost didn't support the appropriate PHP level. Now--my webhost actually OFFERS oscommerce as a one-click install! Whooooeeee. I might just go with it again, since I don't have to wrestle with the install.
But, that's neither here nor there. I'm currently using MIVA for my main site.
The problem I am having is with disappearing orders. I have not deleted any orders (either batched or unbatched), and yet I noticed today that there are numerous gaps in my order list!
Today's orders so far span as follows:
1049
1053
1054
1055
1057
Notice that order # 1050, 1051, 1052, and 1056 are all missing from the list? Well, they really are missing.
There's no trace of them anywhere in the order processing area, or in unbatched. They're just GONE. I didn't receive a merchant email for any of them, either, notifying me of the completed sale.
What happened to those order numbers / orders? Any idea at all? Are they system glitches? Orders that almost made it through??
Looking back to last week, I also noticed one order number missing. Have you ever seen this? This is really bad!
Answer
I have to say I never had that problem at all. Could be simply an number problem and you aren't missing any orders, just the numbers aren't coming up consecutive.
How do you work the credit card payments? Do you use a gateway, or process yourself?
If you use a gateway, there will be money in your account that is unaccountable.
If you process yourself, at least you don't have people being charged for something they didn't purchase.
Some of the missing numbers could be from people who took the order process to a certain point and then changed their minds. That would take that order number out of rotation and miva would go to the next number for the next order.
So you could be getting some people that are leaving just before they do their final process.
Maybe some are finding the shipping charges too high but don't know that until they get down to the final part of the process.
My guess that is where your order numbers are going. Basically abandoned orders.
Jill
Answer
I proces all orders manually, so no worries there.
Thanks for the idea. I never even thought that the orders could be showing up in order, but that the numbering system might be affected somehow (as in abandoned orders, or just program errors). I feel a little relieved. Thank you so much! Thes best I can do, I guess, is just keep an eye out for any weirdness.
Answer
I think Jill is correct. I Just started using Miva since it's the only system my host offers as a standard cart and I had a hard time researching other store systems.
I seem to remember reading something about the order numbers being generated consecutively and that once the next number was generated the system would not use earlier numbers even if the order was not completed.
Here's a quote from the Miva User Group Forum that may be helpful:
Because miva assigns an "Order Number" when someone begins a shopping cart session. If they fail to finish checking out, that order number is still reserved. When packing your store, you have the option of recoving shopping baskets,(i.e order numbers) THIS IS A BAD IDEA and will most often corrupt your database. So if you come across it I would not advise trying to recover them. Many have tried and many have cried. So rest easy, your not missing any orders, its just the way Miva assigns the order number when someone intiates a shopping cart session.
What do you think of the system so far? I haven't used another system so I can't compare but I wish this one was more user friendly and more customizable. Do you use any modules? I'm trying to find something that gives me more control over the layout of the pages.
Jill - I hadn't heard of Cube Cart and osCommerce until now. How do they compare to Miva from a setup and feature standpoint? Do you have an active site that's using them?
Thanks,
-y
Answer
Have you looked into Mals?
http://www.mals-e.com/index.htm
I used it on the three sites below, if you want to see how 'customizable' they are to the site.
Answer
ybme, thanks for the info. I am certain that must be what is happening. I will be sure not to recover the lost carts as well...
Also, I had a disturbing thing. Remember my list above? Well, I received a PayPal invoice for Miva Merchant Order $ 1050. *cough* 1050 is one of the orders which has vanished, but the customer managed to go through checkout and paid me with PP. I now have to look silly and ask the customer what they ordered. Disturbing, to say the least.
In answer to your question about how I / we like the program... At first, I thought Miva was the coolest thing I've ever seen. The ability to customize and tailor the powerful program to just about any type of online business blew me away.
However, most all of the mods that can help you customize or transform it into your exact program cost $$$. Very few are free.
I am about 6 months into using Miva, and I am wishing I had worked with osCommerce longer.
It is also lacking in some basic areas (like the ability to change the order in which the shipping options appear in the drop-down box during checkout. If I want to change it, I must first buy Miva's Open UI (almost $100), and then must add a free mod which allows me to change the order.
If I want to edit the HTML code for the site, or add in Java or CSS, I must first buy Miva Open UI (see above).
If I want to add a WishList to my site, or other enhancements, each individual thing costs $15, $40, $140, even $500.
If I want decent order management, I either shell out money for an order managing mod--or use my $0.99 notebook.
I have used RetailCart in the past, and also Bizhosting (my secondary website is on Bizhosting--which I don't like much, but so far is turning out a bit more functional for its price than Miva is. I have used BH for about three years now).
I am considering moving the Miva site over to an OsCommerce backbone (am working on how to export and import data right now). I will keep the Bizhosting site as a secondary (just in case the other site is down) site.
Answer
I looked into Mals and I'm not sure if it's got everything I need. I can't find much in the way of documentation on the admin system.
I can't figure out CubeCart. I clicked on a bunch of their "Live" sites and none of them would let me add items to a cart. Not a very good first impression.
osCommerce looke pretty cool. I just have to figure out if I can use it on my host and if I can make the necessary permission changes it was talking about.
I think I'm stuck paying for Miva for the rest of the year since I paid for the hosting and Miva up front. I agree that the nickle and diming is ridiculous. For instance, if you buy the OpenUI for $80 you will see options for MetaTags but you can't use the MetaTags fields unless you buy the OpenLanguages module for an additional $50. Every time you see a feature on a miva site you like it's a seperate module for more money. It's driving me nuts.
Does anyone know if osCommerce has options for coupons/discounts? What about affiliate programs? Is it relatively easy to setup for someone who's not a programer and can barely spell php?
I'm trying to get my site setup correctly the first time and not get stuck at some point down the road having to start over because the shopping system I used won't do everything I want or is bleeding me dry.
Answer
As for Miva, I loved using it and found it extremely easy, except difficult to modify, so after a few years, my store looks stale as I couldn't really change the look much.
I have found Cube Cart extremely easy to use. It came with my webhost plan so I simply installed it automatically. I bought a couple of modules for it from other cube cart users.
I haven't finsihed the cube cart store but here is my site:
My Webstore
I have also installed osCommerce (it also comes with my website as does Agora Cart) and will work on that as well.
I actually found the Cube Cart easier than osCommerce as I put a lot of optons on each item and I found a free module for cube cart to do it quite easily.
I like them all though.
Jill