How flexible and powerful is it?

[TheMortician4]

Version I am running: 1.3.9h

I would like to be able to pull products third party (the term I will use for this purpose here). Let me explain:

I want to offer products that are offered through other sites: For example: see the link - http://www.cafepress.com/make/custom-t-shirts

What I would like to be able to do is have my customers be able to select these items from my site and use the cafepress site's designer to place the order, which in turn is then processed through my site, shipped by them to the client and make say 5% on the total sale.

Does Zencart have the capabilities and or flexibility to do this? Or is this even possible wit this system? If so, how would I do such for each item or product listing?

[afo]

I think Cafe Press is expecting you to set up your own store on THEIR site. At least, that's the impression I got from their site.

[TheMortician4]

I think Cafe Press is expecting you to set up your own store on THEIR site. At least, that's the impression I got from their site.

yes that is true....But, is it possible to pipe my store items into Zencart, so that when customers click on the item in zencart the get redirected to cafepress and never even know that they have left the building? I would like to be able to import items from other stores and resell if that is possible...

[Kim]

You need to rethink that plan ... What if I order a t- shirt and a CD and they come from different places? How would you collect the payment, etc?

[afo]

I don't think you can link to Cafe Press directly and do what you want to do. Effectively, you're the middleman between Cafe Press and your customers. If you send your customers to Cafe Press, they pretty much don't need you or the price difference you'll impose.

If all you are intending to do is sell products Cafe Press produces, just go with the shop set up on their site and ditch any ecommerce software.

If you are intending to sell other items as well in your Zen Cart, I suggest you investigate setting up a Cafe Press shop on their site and styling the Zen Cart and Cafe Press shop to look alike. Create a "custom products" category of some sort which will send the buyer to your Cafe Press shop to customize and purchase the product. This probably won't interact with your Zen Cart database or payment methods, but it's one way of doing it.

[TheMortician4]

I don't think you can link to Cafe Press directly and do what you want to do. Effectively, you're the middleman between Cafe Press and your customers. If you send your customers to Cafe Press, they pretty much don't need you or the price difference you'll impose.

If all you are intending to do is sell products Cafe Press produces, just go with the shop set up on their site and ditch any ecommerce software.

If you are intending to sell other items as well in your Zen Cart, I suggest you investigate setting up a Cafe Press shop on their site and styling the Zen Cart and Cafe Press shop to look alike. Create a "custom products" category of some sort which will send the buyer to your Cafe Press shop to customize and purchase the product. This probably won't interact with your Zen Cart database or payment methods, but it's one way of doing it.

Okay, will look into that and get back to you once I check into that.

[gjh42]

I would like to be able to import items from other stores and resell if that is possible...

This sounds like an affiliate situation. You certainly can't do that with random stores where you don't have an arrangement.

[TheMortician4]

This sounds like an affiliate situation. You certainly can't do that with random stores where you don't have an arrangement.

That's sort of what I was thinking. I will call them and find out how they wish to allow this type of set up.