Third party templates

[travellers]

I've been browsing some third party templates for ideas on how to create a brand new site and differentiate it from the one I already have. I particularly liked this one osc3.template-help.com/zencart_22254/index.php as being nicely laid out, but I've read lots of horror stories on here about Template Monster templates and others that simply dont seem to work properly!

If I'm really set on a layout thats different to the standard fare available in the 'official' templates, is there any one provider of templates that the people here have found causes less (or better yet, NO) problems with?

[stevesh]

As far as I've been able to find, all aftermarket Zencart templates are Template Monster or resellers thereof, despite what any particular site's FAQ may tell you.

I'm not talkng about templates that are offered for sale by members here, or the free templates available at (sorry, site offline).

TM templates seem to be a crap shoot - some use them without a problem, some have nothing but. If they were ~$20, it might be worth a chance - at ~$160, no thanks.

I'm of the opinion that a 'unique' look to a website is vastly overrated when it comes to making a site successful, anyway. For me, as a customer, clear design that doesn't confuse me, ease of navigation, and fast checkout are what keep me coming back. The site owner's web design skills don't make the list.

The Zencart Hall of Fame seems to be down right now, but it's worth taking a look at for an idea of what can be done without TM.

Your Shedtraders site looks fine to me (except for the Flash, and the fact that your product info pages are messed up in IE7.)

[charmedbytina2]

Aside from messing with zencart functions - TM uses too many stylesheets and way too many images! The theme you referenced uses 104 images on the home page! Try changing the colors on one of these templates and you are in for a real surprise!

Tina