This is the 3rd installment of a 4 Part Series on Ministry eCommerce Solutions.

Looking for the other parts of the Series?

1. Hosted Services and Carts
2. Free Self-Hosted Solutions
3. Self-Hosted Solutions for Purchase
4. WordPress eCommerce Solutions

Self-Hosted Solutions that you can Buy

Below you find solutions that you’ll have to host on your own servers and hardware but also you will have to purchase the software to use.  Generally speaking, purchasable solutions have two characteristics (in addition to price) that one should consider:

1. They are (generally speaking) more robust and “complete” products.  This is definitely NOT always the case but you can have piece of mind that they are comprehensive products.
2. Service and Support.  You get it when you buy it.  On the freeware, you don’t.

So, here they are:

1. 1ShoppingCart – 1ShoppingCart offers you the ability to add “Buy Now” buttons to your already existing site, while offering you many of the features you expect from complete shopping carts.
2. Actinic – Actinic offers multiple shopping cart solutions based on your budget.  Packages range from $499 to $3499 depending on your needs.
3. CS-Cart – Gives you full access to the source code so that you can customize your online store as you see fit.  Makes heavy use of AJAX to reduce server load as customers change only a portion of a product’s page.
4. Interspire – Offers three versions of their software, all with numerous addons. However, if your store is of any substantial size (over 500 different items), you have no choice but to go for the ultimate $1800 version.
5. JShop Server – A UK-focused online shopping cart system with all of the usual bells and whistles.
6. JustAddCommerce – A “buy button” system that will work with HTML editors such as Dreamweaver and Frontpage to add an online store to any site.
7. Lite Commerce – A direct competitor to X-Cart, they have a lower initial price, but charge for numerous add-ons for extra functions.
8. Miva Merchant – One of the oldest purchasable shopping carts seeing as it has existed since 1995.  Offers QuickBooks sync, all of the usual bells and whistles, and the company offers unique designs.
9. ShopSite – ShopSite offers a free starter version, but it is extremely limited.  Paid versions range from $495 to $1295, and they also offer hosting if needed.
10. VP-ASP – VP-ASP offers three levels of their shopping cart software, all of which include 12 free months of updates in their purchase price.  In addition to US shipping, offers options for Australian and Canadian post shipping.
11. WebMasterCart – Cart has been around since 1998 and has been continually upgraded. Offers licenses for 1 site for $199 or unlimited domains for $995.  Price is a one time licensing fee with 1 year of updates.
12. X-Cart – X-Cart offers both single merchant installations and versions capable of handling multiple merchants checking out through the same shopping cart.  Offers numerous payment and shipping module integrations.

Stay tune for the last part of the 4 Part Series… you won’t want to miss it!

Did I miss any?