What is your ecommerce software going to cost you?

Licensed and hosted e-commerce solutions

How much will it cost to run your ecommerce Web site? When you are reviewing different e-commerce solutions, it's important to understand how much each option will cost. Use our calculator to estimate the cost of running an online store.

Note that we go beyond the "start up" costs, as running an Internet store is likely something that you will be doing for quite some time. Typically, you are presented with two main options:

1. Hosted e-commerce solutions.
   When you buy or subscribe to this kind of service (e.g. Yahoo! Stores), you are typically charged a combination of a setup fee, a monthly fee, and, in some cases, a commission on sales.
2. Licensed e-commerce software.
   When you purchase shopping cart software like ProductCart, you normally pay for the software license fee, and, in some cases, for a yearly support & updates plan.

Would you like to learn more about the differences in these two approaches? Practical eCommerce just ran two articles on this topic. Massimo - Early Impact's CEO - offered his thoughts on why use a licensed solution. Check out the articles:

• Why use a licensed solution
• Why use a hosted solution

Calculate the total cost of using different e-commerce solutions

Initial Fee:	$	If this is a hosted solution, enter the setup or activation fee. If not, enter the purchase price.
Monthly Fee:	$ /month	Typically applies only if this is a hosted solution.
Sales Commission:	%	Some hosted solutions (e.g. Yahoo! Stores) charge a commission on sales on top of the monthly hosting fee.
Estimated Sales:	$ /month	A rough estimate of your expected monthly sales
Other One-Time Fee:	$ %	E.g. lifetime technical support plan.
Other Monthly Fee:	$ /month	E.g. monthly technical support plan.
Estimate cost for:	Next 12 months Next 2 years Next 3 years Next 4 years Next 5 years	An online store is typically a medium-term investment