osCommerce - Catalog

Next lets look at the catalog.

When you click on the catalog, you will see that there are default products listed by oscommerce. These will need to be removed as they will show in your store if you don't, and customers will be able to purchase them.

To remove the items, click on the row to highlight it and then click on delete. You will then see a warning where you will need to confirm that you want to delete the category. Click on Delete. Then repeat for the rest.

Next you will need to click on the Products Attributes link. If you will be using some of these categories for what you will be selling, you can leave them (for example size, color, model). However if you won't be using them, you want to delete them. You can add attributes at any time. To delete an attribute, click on Delete and then confirm delete.

Next click on the Manufacturer's link. You will again want to delete the listings here unless you will use them.

The next section we'll look at is Payment Modules. Click on the Modules link and then the Payment link

The payment choices are listed here. As you can see there are quite a few and which one(s) you install will be your preference and based on what methods of payment you want to accept. You will also want to remove any method which you DO NOT want to accept. So for instance, in this example we will be using PayPal to accept credit cards, but we don't want to accept COD (cash on delivery), so we will remove that option (you can come back in and reactivate any of these at any time). So highlight Cash on Delivery and click on Remove

You will see that there is now an Install with a green plus sign next to it, so you can install it again if and when you decide to.

In this example, we will be installing the PayPal module. You may also want to remove the credit card method if you will ONLY be accepting credit cards via paypal, as they are two separate modules. The credit card module would be used if you are using a payment gateway via your bank or another service. Click to highlight PayPal and click on Install.

Next you will need to Edit the PayPal settings. Click on Edit.

• Leave the "accept PayPal payments" as True.
• Enter the email address that you have registered with PayPal where you want to receive payments.
• Choose which currency you would like to accept.
• If you want to limit purchases to only those in your state, choose the zone, otherwise leave it default.
• Choose "Set Order Status" . The choices are Delivered, Pending, Processing or you can leave it at default. This is up to you as to how you would like new orders to show up.
• Click on Update.

Next, let's click on the Shipping link

Here is where you will set the shipping methods you will be using. In this example we will be installing the USPS (United States Post Office) module. Below are the definitions of the other choices. There are other modules that you can add in, such as UPS, however these are the default that come with osCommerce. The Forums have extra modules and instructions listed.

Flat Rate
A single price is used on all orders, regardless of how many items they buy, how much everything weighs, etc.

Per Item
A single price is set in the configuration settings, which is then multiplied by the number of items in the customer's basket. A flat handling cost may also be added.

Table Rate
Table Rate charging sets the price for shipping based on the total weight or the total cost of the products ordered. The weight (or price) is looked up in a table to find the matching range, and then that price is applied. This is similar to Flat Rate charging, but with different levels.

United Parcel Service (UPS)
The UPS shipping module takes the total weight of the products ordered, along with the packaging type specified in the configuration settings, and interacts with the UPS web site to calculate a total price.

United States Postal Service (USPS)
The USPS shipping module takes the total weight of the products ordered, along with the packaging type specified in the configuration settings, and interacts with the USPS web site to calculate a total price. Note, you must have an account with USPS to use this module.

Zone Rates
Zone Rate shipping is similar to Table Rate shipping mentioned above. If the customer lives in the areas specified by the configuration settings, and Zone Rate shipping is enabled, they will be able to pick this method. The total weight of the customer order is looked up in a table, and that price is used as the shipping cost.

To use the usps module, you will need to sign up for a USPS account here, and sometimes it takes up to 24 hours before you get your login, so you may need to come back to this step. Click to highlight the "United States Postal Service" and click on Install. Then click on Edit.

Enter the USPS User ID and password given to you, as well as choosing taxable goods if it applies, and click on Update.

The next link we'll look at is Order Total . This is where you can offer free shipping, charge a low-order fee and more. Below is a quick definition of each of the choices here.

Low Order Fee
If the order total is below a certain amount, this option allows for adding an additional charge to the total. This is used to prevent small orders from being unprofitable for the store owner. Here, the limit at which this module triggers can be set, as well as how much to add, and some other display options.

Shipping
Whether or not the shipping cost is display is selected here, as well as an option to allow for free shipping. It is not possible to allow for free shipping only to certain areas with this option, the Zone Rates shipping module should be used for that purpose.

Sub-Total
Whether or not to display the order sub-total cost, and in what order to display.

Tax
Whether or not to display the tax on the order, and in what order to display.

Total
Whether or not to display the order total cost, and in what order to display

The next section to look at is Tax Zones located under Locations/Taxes.

The default location listed here is Florida. If you are in a different state, you will need to change this as it's what sales tax is based on. Click on edit and type your state in and a nickname for that tax zone.

Next you will tell the system what the tax rate is for that zone. You can find your tax rate by state here or doing a search on the Internet for "state sales tax" and your state name.

There are many more options within osCommerce, and you can find more information and instructions here.