PayPal Subscription Payments

I have not been able to find any support directly from the developers of Zen Cart, so here goes:

I have a client (he's my best, so I need to figure this out for him) who has a total of 4 products, a backboard, a do it yourself backboard, and 2 accessories. The cart I originally went with is fine, except for subscription PayPal payments. Even after purchasing a subscription payment module, it made subscription payments be equal across the board. The client wants S&H included in the first payment, making the first payment be more than the subsequent payments. He wants customers to be able to "Try it free" (S&H first payment, and their choice of subscription payment to follow) then a 3 mo. payment plan, 6 mo. payment plan, etc. Details of what he needs are below:

Someone please tell me, before I get knee deep into this cart, if Zen Cart can handle the above scenario exactly, or if I will need custom coding.

RuntOfTheLitter3
jvinlove at literateletter dot com

You will require custom coding.

As of the present version, Zen Cart doesn't offer the facility for defining subscription products and payment plans, nor the submission of those details to the payment provider.

I think I can say that that can't be done in Zencart without heavily modifying the code. Zenacrt dosn't even support equal PayPal payments right now.

I have some, but not extensive, experience with other cart software, and I don't recall seeing one which would do what your client wants to do.

<rant> I thank my lucky stars every day I read these forums that I don't have to deal with these weird things called 'clients'.

Fact is, I'd be very surprised if any cart software, free or not, would accomodate something that convoluted.

I see a lot of payment (and especially shipping) schemes that make no real sense, other than to their imaginers, who usually turn out to be these 'clients'.

Best or not, I'd tell him "Sorry, no." </rant>