I'd like to get some opinions on what you all know about setting up stores.

If don't have money to spend, is it impossible to do? If so, what's a minimum cost with a maximum solution? What are the best, and most reliable, sources to get this going?

I'm ready to start selling items on my site, but need to know how to take the next steps.

If you have php/mysql installed, there's a very nice script at www.oscommerce.com - the development community is an active one, and the 2.2 beta is stable enough for production use. I'll be using it on a site planned as soon as I get the db ported to mysql.

And... oscommerce is open source.. it free.

So what is oscommerce? Is it just the shopping cart?

check out the examples, tho most of those are based on the 2.1 code

So that's the consensus? Does anyone else use something else they feel might be more beneficial?

What specific feature do you look for when implementing an e-commerce solution?

The payment gateways might be something to take into consideration. Are you going to use paypal, get a merchant account or use some other service? Depending on which you decide upon, do they have recommended scripts?

Do you want a php script? Do you want a perl script? Does it make a difference? The number of items you include may also help make the decision.

Well, as far as I can tell, all merchant accounts charge you up the wazoo in monthly, as well as per transaction fees. Is that true?

Paypal may be an option, but is it really a viable solution for an online store?

there's a program called "miva" that does everything for you. its not free, but its not expensive.

the pros: it, literally, takes care of just about everything. you can update your site with ease, add new products / categories, etc, without any or much html experience.

the cons: because of the above, its extraordinarily template based -- meaning you're somewhat limited design-wise.

Do you have a link to MIVA? I've designed many websites, so I have no trouble with html, but this might be an easy solution for a hobby-based project.

Something to keep in mind is that with a shopping cart you'll need a way to process credit card payments (MIVA may offer that.) but with paypal a customer needs a paypal account to make a purchase.

http://www.miva.com/

How much will I suffer if I get the Limited Source Kit?

I would go with osCommerce MS2.2. It's da ****s.

please delete this double post

Well Allen pointed me to OSC and I never looked back. Great development community and the product just rox. Can be as simple or complex as you want to make it.