I don't want to have a site off of myshopkart.net. Can I use my own domain name so that people can come to my store without seeing the myshopcart.net address?

Yes, you can use your own domain name. A domain name is useful because it means your visitors will see www.thenameyouchoose.com instead of www.myshopkart.net/yoursitename/  - it's both easier to remember & a little more professional looking. The domain name can be totally different from what you have named your site.

Just tell us what what domain name you want (below), then we'll register the domain & point it at your MyShopKart store (35$ setup fee)... You own & control the domain we setup for you though. So whether you continue to use the cart or not, the domain is yours to keep. If you want to use a domain name you already own, see the domain settings link in your myshopkart admin for what to do. Ask your domain registrar about it if you're unsure how to do it ( we cannot make changes to domains that are not registered/hosted by us).

If you setup the domain with us, we take care of that for you.

NB - we highly recommend you getting a domain through us because we can insure the domain gets properly integrated with your site since we manage both pieces( domain & site). we setup & integrate domains for our users all the time and we know how to set it up right. if you use another domain provider you'll have to deal with them in order to point the domain at your site & for many users this is a frustrating and time-consuming exercise. save yourself the headaches and get your domain through us...

Check for an available domain name here first, then:

Order your domain here:

How do I renew a domain I have setup with myshopkart.net?

The cost to renew a domain is $19.95USD and is good for 1yr. To renew use this form:

How do I set the size of the product images in my shop?

Go to your user admin then click Images (under Configuration). Set the small image width to the value you want - should be under 225px though or it will throw off the look of your site. Leave the small image height as 0 which will keep the images in the proper scale. If you set both of these, the images will look distorted.

You have some shipping settings defaulted in your ppal account which override the values coming in from your site;
Login to paypal and go to your profile tab then selling prefs then shipping calcs.
Then at the bottom make sure you check the box that says:

Finally, save that change - this will ensure that the values passed in from your website get used for purchases made through your store.

How do I point my domain at a myshopkart store?

There are 2 methods to point a domain at a website - one method called framed fwding simply encloses the target site in a frame so that the domain name is always displayed in the address bar (like www.eshopkart.net) . This method has a downside in that some search engines don't like framed sites.

The 2nd method (like www.finddropshippers.net) is the more traditional method using DNS and is search engine friendly. If you have already setup a domain and it is using framed fwding and not DNS, you may want to consider changing to the DNS method. To find out which method you are using simply go to your domain name and see whether the addresses changes when you click on links in your site. If not then you are using framed fwding. In order to switch to the more search engine friendly method. Do the following:

Go to you domain control panel (if you got the domain name from us we have likely already set this up - to check go to http://access.enom.com/Default.asp & use the pwd we provided when we setup your domain). 
If your domain is hosted by someone else other than us, then you should use the domain management page provided by your host to 1st park the domain, then make the changes as below. For godaddy you have to park the domain then use the total DNS management link to setup the host records. Each domain host is slightly different - you may need to call them to find out how to do what is described below.

Login to the domain - in the Hosts section you will see 2 entries for the domain that point at your site. Switch the Record Type to A (Address) then edit the address by entering 64.62.203.16 for both entries. Then scroll down to the bottom and apply the changes by clicking modify.

The setting you should end up with will look something like this:

*** You are not setting nameservers  but rather using your domain hosts server to setup a zonefile ( A-record) to point at a specific myshopkart server IP address.  Most domain hosts usually ask for a Nameserver but can also work with ARecords. 
For example, here are Yahoo's instructions for setting up Arecords with them:

http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/smallbusiness/domains/domainfeatures/advanceddns/advanceddns-05.html 

Then back in the domain settings area of your myshopkart admin, save your full domain name above as www.yourdomainname.com. Within 2 hours your site will work with the domain name without having to frame the site. If you are not clear on how to do this then just email us your domain name & we'll do it for you. If you have your domain registered with another registrar (not us), they can help you with this. Simply adapt the instructions above to make the changes and get your registrar's help if you're unsure of what to do. 

NB - If you have trouble pointing your domain at your myshopkart site, we highly recommend you getting a domain through us because we can insure the domain gets properly integrated with your site since we manage both pieces( domain & site). we setup & integrate domains for our users all the time and we know how to set it up right. if you use another domain provider you'll have to deal with them in order to point the domain at your site & for many users this is a frustrating and time-consuming exercise. save yourself the headaches and get your domain through us... 

order domain here

If I am unable to point my domain how do I transfer it to myshopkart's domain hosting?

If your current domain host is unable to assist you in setting up your domain to point at your myshopkart site, we can initiate a transfer to our domain hosting company ( enom ) which will allow us to point the domain at your site without issue. The transfer just changes who hosts the domain - you continue to be the owner of the domain and assert full control over it. Transferring it to our domain host simply allows us to point the domain at your myshopkart site and eliminates the hassle of having to deal with a 3rd party domain host.

Since there is some work/time required for us to make the transfer and point the domain we require a $29.95 transfer fee in order to do this. If you don't want to incur this fee, you can continue to work with your existing domain registrar to point the domain. To initiate a domain transfer, make sure your domain is not locked by the current registrar then order below.

Also your domain has to be 60 days old in order to be transferred - this is a required by the domain authority. If your domain is not yet 60 days old it cannot be transferred anywhere.

order a domain transfer here ( $29.95 fee ):

NB - make sure the domain name is correct and that it is not locked at the current host or the transfer will not go through and you'll have to order another transfer... Once we initiate the transfer, you will be sent a transfer request confirmation to the email listed as admin for this domain. Once you confirm the request, the domain will be transferred and we'll point it at your myshopkart site.

After the transfer request is initiated our host will request that your current domain host relinquish control of the domain. Your current host will send an email to the email address you used when you setup this domain - you must have access to this email or the transfer cannot occur. if you don't know how to access this email account login to your domain control panel and changed the email associated with your domain to an email you currently use. If you don't know how to access your domain control panel, talk to your current host.

What is an SSL secure site certificate and do I need one?

[This applies only to people who are using their own domain and a merchant account like WPP or authorize... If you are using paypal standard then you do not need an SSL cert (unless you just want to be able to display the secure seal on your domain like:

An SSL cert is a security seal/process that insures that your site meets the security standards required to do payment processing from your website. These certs/seals are managed by a small number of Internet security authorities. Your site displays a default SSL seal and is already secure because myshopkart has an SSL cert setup for all users of the server. However because SSL certs are tied to one & one only specific domain name, the SSL cert we have setup for myshopkart will cause a warning for people who don't have their own SSL cert setup for their domain because the default SSL cert is registered to myshopkart.net and not their specific domain - the warning happens when buyers get to the checkout/payment page & looks like this:

[This warning will only appear for people who are  asking buyers to enter CC numbers on their site and will not happen to paypal standard users]

In fact there is no problem with the security of the site - it's just that the name associated with the default certificate is myshopkart.net and not the domain of that user's site:

The only way around this warning is to setup your own SSL cert which will be registered in your domain name and which will not produce this warning.  myshopkart has been able to setup a relationship with Comodo which allows us to get a preferred rate - we can setup your instant SSL cert ( with SSL seal ) for $135 USD. We'll aslo take care of all the details of getting your cert installed and configured on the server. If you want us to setup your own SSL cert, you can order it below

order your SSL cert here ( you must already have a domain name in order to set this up ):

Once we receive your setup request, we'll register and integrate the SSL cert with your domain - within 48 hrs. it will be live... Some myshopkart users don't care about this warning and don't want to setup their own SSL cert while others are adamant about getting rid of this warning message and go ahead with their own cert. It's really a matter of preference and budget...

If you already have our own cert then we will have to tranfer the cert to our server - because SSL requires server specific encryption processes, we have to generate a special file called a CSR which your cert provider must use to generate the cert - certs are not portable from one server to another.  A new CSR must be used to regenerate the SSL cert whenever it moves from one server to another.

This process of generating the CSR and installing the cert entails several steps on our side which we charge a $45 fee for. If you want to use an existing SSL cert use this form to order an SSL transfer or to have us setup a 3rd party SSL you have gotten from another provider (not us):

***** AN SSL PRIMER*****

SSL certs are confusing to many people. So I am going to try to explain a little about how they work and what options people have to deal with this issue. 

There is no way to have a domain get SSL certification unless the domain has a unique cert registered in the domain's name. We have a cert setup for all of myshopkart.net users who use myshopkart.net/sitename/ to access or drive traffic to the site. But when someone sets up their own domain, there is no way for them to get SSL certification through our cert ( unless they use framed fwding ).

Each domain needs it's own cert - that is how certs work and why they are useful - they are a digital fingerprint associated with a specific domain. No service provider can provide a site with SSL and your own domain that doesn't cause this warning if you don't have your own SSL cert.

We only became aware of the security warning recently because previously people were only using framed fwding to point their domains ( which does not cause the warning). Then many users requested that they be able to point domains via DNS so we added that feature. The security warning is a bi-product of users using DNS to point the domain - there is no way to get an SSL cert the covers multiple domains. That's the whole purpose of a cert: to attest to a specific domain's security.

We realize that the cost of an SSL cert is significant. But for those who want to use DNS to point a domain at their myshopkart site along with
a merchant account like wpp or authorize.net, there is no alternative.

This is an issue that is a reality of the Internet and the rules that govern site security. You can't have a social security number apply to 2 people, unfortunately it's the same thing for SSL certs.

How do I get the geotrust SSL seal to display on other pages besides the checkout pages?

If you have purchased your own SSL cert use the following code [use the page editor in html mode ( click <> ) then paste this code]:

<br>
<center>
<!-- GeoTrust QuickSSL [tm] Smart Icon tag. Do not edit. -->
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" TYPE="text/javascript" SRC="//smarticon.geotrust.com/si.js"></SCRIPT>
<!-- end GeoTrust Smart Icon tag -->
</center>

How do I get the geotrust SSL seal to display on other pages besides the checkout pages?

********************************

If you have purchased your own SSL cert use the following code [use the page editor in html mode ( click <> ) then paste this code]:

<br>
<center>
<!-- GeoTrust QuickSSL [tm] Smart Icon tag. Do not edit. -->
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" TYPE="text/javascript" SRC="//smarticon.geotrust.com/si.js"></SCRIPT>
<!-- end GeoTrust Smart Icon tag -->
</center>

********************************

Of course the emarketing info in the Ultimate Emarketing & Dropshippers Guide at http://uedg.net/  is great  & inexpensive too. If you are new to marketing, it is really worth the time/money to read one of these publications in order to get a good marketing foundation. Without traffic, a website cannot make any money. So beefing up your marketing knowledge is vital.

Search Engines: There are a variety of search engine submission tools that you can use to get your site listed with popular search engines.
http://www.searchengines.com/URLsubmission.html 
http://www.submitexpress.com/submit.html 
http://searchenginewatch.com/links/article.php/2156221 
http://www.bruceclay.com/web_rank.htm 
http://www.bruceclay.com/web_add.htm
http://r.netmechanic.com/enginestarter/enginestarter.cgi?free=1
http://www.freewebsubmission.com/ 

You can also use the Froogle, Googlebase and Yahoo feeds which are available in your site's User Admin section to submit your site to the these search engines. Each of these sections contain detailed instructions on how to upload your feeds. If you have your own domain, be sure to login to your admin area from your own domain rather than myshopkart.net/yoursite so the proper feed can be generated.

Two articles that also relate to marketing via Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Search Engines: 
http://dropship-suppliers.com/frm/finding-dropship-products.htm
http://dropship-suppliers.com/frm/dropship-method.htm

Two more tools that you can use to research products to sell online:
http://www.123promotion.co.uk/ppc/
http://www.nichebot.com/

*** One word of caution about companies who want you to pay them to submit your site to search engines or to optimize your site for Search Engines:  Most of these companies are just after you money and will offer little or no actual value for what you pay them. So be very careful in this area!
http://www.viz.co.nz/seo-scams.htm 
http://www.seoresource.net/Avoiding_SEO_Scams.htm 
http://www.claytowne.com/seo_scam.htm

A simple process for finding the right products & driving the right traffic to your store
This is a formula I highly recommend & use myself to make money selling tangible product online. So let me clarify the right way to use dropshippers. I'll quote from http://www.dropship-suppliers.com where I talk about the difference between wholesalers & dropshippers:

One mistake even some experienced online sellers make is to try selling products that are already over-saturated online. When you use a dropshipper, you will not be getting the same price on an item as if you were buying a container load. That's just common sense. But many people somehow think that a dropshipper will provide them with the same cost on a digital camera as WalMart gets when they buy 10 truckloads. Ain't gonna happen...

So the key to using dropshipping right is to use a solid, repeatable process for picking & testing what you're going to sell. It means setting up with reliable dropshippers & testing their products quickly in order to establish the good sellers one product at a time. It means uncovering niche markets & staying away from things that compete with 10 ton gorillas like WalMart. That's a big part of what I teach in the Ultimate Dropshipper. The good news is that there are millions of niche markets just waiting to be mined & plenty of opportunity to make money. 

Here are the two key things to remember:

1) You cannot sell successfully to a market that is saturated - there is simply too much competition! So when you're trying to decide what to sell, stay away from anything you can buy at chain stores like WalMart or Sears. The more specialized a product is the better. Look for oddball products that are not in the mainstream - these are products that will be much easier to sell online because you will be able to tap into a smaller but much more 'targetable' market - remember, if you can't reach the people who want what you're selling, then your products will not sell. That's marketing - connecting a prospect with what they want & are willing to pay for. It doesn't matter whether you like the products you sell or that they be appealing to you personally. They just have to be profitable.

Of course if you can mix your interests/hobbies with what sells then great. But don't get caught up in trying to make your hobbies into a business when other things can generate much more profit. Profitability is what counts.

 2) Use a structured process to test potential products so that you can quickly build your business one product at a time. The person who compares the dropshipper price with the ebay price has got it only partly right. They looked at ebay only - is that were most people buy online? Nope. Damned if I can find the Jupiter research stats I saw just the other day on e-commerce! It showed that ebay gets a ton of traffic but that 75%+ of people buying online were buying from websites they found through search engines or other online marketing means.

So anyone prospecting for a product to sell online has to go farther than ebay to determine if the product is viable. Check Google, Froogle, Yahoo, AND ebay. A product that might not sell on ebay might do well from your own website and vice versa.

As well, although someone might be listing a product on ebay for a lower price, are they actually getting the sale? Often you will see products sell for higher than what other people are listing for. This often relates to better product presentation (images), keyword usage, feedback issues, auction or listing format, etc. .

Always use the advanced search feature at ebay to check completed items for any product you are thinking of selling - this will show you how many auctions have closed and at what price. Check the auction details for those sellers who are selling & getting more bids. What are they doing to be successful? Do the same things for the products on your site.

Google Adwords:
I use Google Adwords ( Google's  payperclick feature ) to test products all the time. In less than 24 hrs. you can find out if your product idea has legs - you can even be making a profit! Here's how you do it:

Pick a few dropshippers that interest you and get their pricing. Then one by one, go through their products looking for those that are priced competitively - check Froogle and/or ebay completed auctions to see what others are charging. Single out the products that are competitive. Then head to Google Adwords & Overture to setup accounts. These are PPC search engines that allow you to drive traffic for the specific keywords of your choice. The fastest way to test whether a product is worth selling is by test-marketing it via these PPC search engines.

So load the products you singled out onto your site and set the prices. Then drop 20 bucks into a Google Adwords account. Setup ads to drive traffic for the specific keywords related to your products - the more specific the better. Often these very specific keywords will be dirt cheap and sometimes not. To start, go with the lower cost keywords because this increases the chances that you'll make money.

For each of the products you are testing, you drive targeted traffic then determine whether or not that product is worth keeping,  based on your costs for clicks versus your profit on sales. This is a quick way to determine which products will be profitable. It is not the bottom line - there are tons of other promotional methods, but this gives you the kind of immediate feedback that determines whether you should spend more time trying to promote something. With just PPC marketing you can uncover profitable products which grow one at a time into bigger and bigger profits.

Here's an example of a product I am testing: http://www.wholesale-dropshipping.com/product_info.php?products_id=275

So far the results are not great & I'm not going to waste much energy on this product. In 6 months, I'll give it another spin. This is new technology & a little ahead of the curve. The point is that it's a piece of cake to test products this way.

You might have to research many products before you find a good one - I went through about 30 products one morning this week until I found one that looked promising. When I actually tested the product online, it sold right away and I'm betting that it will keep selling. I get prices from a dropshipper then I just run through everything they have. If I find nothing, then I move on. If I discover some products that have potential, then I test them online. I keep the ones that sell & dump those that don't. It's that simple.

So be patient and diligent about researching and selecting products and use PPC to speed up the process - I guarantee you will find some profitable niches...

Can I upload html files using FTP or make changes to the cart using my own files?

No. The cart has many automated/dynamic features which are embedded in the source code which could be disabled or deleted if users were to edit that code. Changes to your site can only be done via your site's Admin section, which can be accessed at http://www.myshopkart.net/your_store_name/user/ . However you can use an html editor to design changes then copy and paste the html into the pages using the Edit Html button in each section of the admin.

Shipping Modules:

Pre-loaded Store users - Your shipping has already been setup to match your supplier's shipping rates.

USPS shipping requires that you have a USPS Web Tools account - get it here: http://www.usps.com/webtools/rate.htm . This is not a regular USPS account, so using your regular USPS login will not work - it has to be a special web tools account.

We have setup a generic USPS account for you if you would prefer to use that:

USERID=039MIKKI3099 PASSWORD=552ZJ26RQ499 - you can set the account to 'production' if you setup USPS shipping for this account and you should be all set.

Two essential things to remember, if you are using a real-time shipping calculator like USPS or UPS:

1. Make sure you have updated the Packaging Options module with the zip code the items are shipping from ( shipping origin ) 

2. Be sure that your products have a weight specified - realtime shipping calculators do not like zero-weighted products.

*** 99% of shipping errors are because these 2 things are not done!


3 shipping methods you should consider ( pick one ):

Table Rate: This is the most flexible - you setup ranges for order total/shipping rate like so:

   25:8.50,50:10.50,75:12.50,100:14.50,150:16.50,200:25.00
   Up to 25 charge $8.50, from there to 50 charge $10.50, from there to 75 charge $12.50, etc..., over 200 charge $25.00

   This can be setup based on weight as well so:

   5:8.50,10:10.50,15:12.50,20:14.50,30:16.50,40:25.00
   Up to 5lbs charge $8.50, from there to 10 charge $10.50, from there to 15 charge $12.50, etc..., over 40lbs charge $25.00

   A good model is to charge between 15% - 18%  of the order total with a minimum shipping amount no less than $5.00.

Per Item:  Charges are based on a fee per item. Not as useful as table rate.

Flat Rate: Charges a flat rate regardless of order total or number of items (this can be costly if you get orders larger than expected)

*** Remember; Select only one shipping method - All others should be red.

Many people undercharge for shipping and that eats into their profits,  so make sure you are charging enough to cover the actual shipping costs.

Payment Modules - payment processing comes in 2 forms - real time ( meaning the payment is processed during the purchase and the funds are collected immediately ) and offline ( meaning the card details are captured but no funds are collected ).

In the payment modules area if you enable the method  Credit Card - this is only for capturing the card details for later processing ( assuming you had access to a payment gateway that you could submit the transaction to ). So this method only provides capture of the CC details.

To get real time processing you need to enable paypal which you are already able to use - simply click the green light beside the paypal module & provide your paypal email then save and click the green light again.  Paypal processes all major credit cards even for people who aren't paypal members so they are a good inexpensive method. To start, setup paypal as your processor - until you have some traffic at your store go with paypal. You can add another later... 

Set the status to red for all the options except Paypal which should be green. Then edit the paypal option & set the email to your paypal email. Leave the other option to 1 ( in techno speak 1 means true & 0 means false )... Once you edit the options click save - if you don't see anything make sure the green light beside the payment option is clicked after you save.

All the other realtime processing options require that you have an account before you can use their gateway. Of these authorize.net, is the best and most reliable option.

Do not offer more than 2 payment options or you will lose sales and waste your time - keep it simple - use paypal and/or one other online processor.  Stay away from manual Credit Card or chk/mo because you have to make sure you get paid before you have any items shipped.

do not add zones or tax classes to the payment/shipping modules or you will get unexpected results ( no payment/shipping options for everyone not in that zone/state ). In the payment/shipping modules the zones & tax class should always be set to --none-- - see the section on taxes below for help on how to setup taxes - it is done in the taxes section of the Modules in your admin - not in the payment/shipping sections

Paypal Website Payments Pro merchant account: this is a new service from paypal which allows you to process CC orders right on your site without the buyer having to be transferred to paypal - it is the same as authorize.net. If you want to use this option you must upgrade your regular paypal account in order for them to grant you access to their system - they will provide the required info for you to activate and use the WPP module in your site admin.

NB - there are 2 components to using WPP - WPP and paypal express checkout - WPP allows you to accept CC on your site without transferring to ppal and express checkout allows people to checkout  by using their stored ppal account details. Both the WPP and express checkout require a WPP account at paypal and you cannot use either one unless you have a WPP merchant account at paypal. Both are already setup to work in your store but you must setup a WPP account with paypal in order to be able to provide the payment modules in your store admin with the proper credentials required by paypal. You also need to have get a security file called a pem cert from ppal and email it to us at support@myshopkart.net so we can install it on the server. If you are unsure what that is contact your ppal WPP account rep as only ppal can provide this to you or explain how to get it: paypal - 1.800.836.1859

Once you have been approved for PayPal's Website Payments Pro suite, you need to provide your Web Store with your API certificate.

1. Log in to your PayPal account at https://www.paypal.com/ by entering your email address and password in the Member Login box.
2. Click the "Profile" subtab.
3. Click the "API Access" link in the "Account Information" column.
4. Click "Request API Certificate".
5. Complete the required information on the "Request API Certificate" page. Please Note: Your API certificate password is not your PayPal password. It is suggested that you create a different password. You may want to write it down and keep it in a secure place to reference later.
6. Click "Generate Certificate" on the "Request API Certificate Review" page.
7. Note your API account name, you will need this later.
8. Click "Download" on the "API Certificate" page.
9. You may receive a pop-up asking if you would like to "Open" or "Save" the file. Select "Save".
10. In the "Save As" box, select the location where you would want to save your certificate (ex. Desktop, My Documents). Note where you save it, because you will need it later.
11. Email the certificate to support@myshopkart.net  along with your api login/pswrd 

We will then add your  certificate to the server and set your WPP module up.

About express checkout:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/merchant/ExpressCheckoutIntro-outside 

About WPP:

https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_wp-pro-overview-outside

Locations/Taxes Options:

To set up taxes is a 3 part process: 
1. Create a tax class:
     In your site admin go to modules > tax classes then click new tax class. 
    Then enter the title like txblgds and a descr like taxable  goods. 
    Then click insert.

*** Pre-loaded Store users: The part above is already done for you. Just carry out the steps below for your particular state

2. Create a zone that will be taxed:
     Now go to Tax zones & click insert. 
     Then add an abbrev for the state like NY and a description like New York for the state. Then click insert. 
     Then click on the folder that appears to the left with the zone name you just created. 
     Click on the insert button then pick the US then click the insert button. 
    Then  click the edit button & pick the state you want to tax in the zone box then click update.

3. Assign a tax rate to that zone. 
    Now the final step is to add a tax rate to the zone we just setup. 
    Click on Tax Rates in the modules area on the left. Then click new tax rate. Set the taxrate for the state as follows:

    Tax Class Title: Taxable Goods 

   Zone: California ( the state you want to tax )

   Tax Rate (%): 8.25 ( the tax rate desired )

   Description: CA tax ( whatever you want )

   Priority: 1

   Then click insert.

That's it. For all the products you've setup as taxable goods, the buyer will be taxed if they are from the zone you setup in the above manner. You can get into more complicated setups with other tax classes, multiple zones, multiple rates, etc., but most people just need to tax the state that they are located in.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_the_United_States & http://www.taxadmin.org/FTA/rate/sales.html for the various tax rates.

**** The steps above are all that is required to tax buyers from your state. Do not add zones or tax classes to the payment/shipping modules or you will get unexpected results (no payment/shipping options for people not in that zone/state). 
In the payment/shipping modules the zones & tax class should always be set to --none--

*** Make sure the products you add are set to taxable goods in the add product wizard or they won't trigger any taxes even for buyers in your state.

How do I add attributes like size & color to my products?

1. Once the Option Type and Option Values are created, go to the "Attributes Set" link under Catalog in Admin. 
2. Click on the "Insert" button, and select the Option Type from the drop-down menu next to "Option Name".
3. Click "create if you are not automatically taken to the next page. 
4. Here you will name your attribute set so you will recognize it when you want to select it in the product details. 
5. Select each option value you want included in this Attribute Set.
6. You can use the Price Prefix and Option Value Price to add to the price of specific options. For example, you can choose to charge $5.00 more for XXL sizes by typing in Price Prefix "+" and Option Value Price "5.00"
7. Use sort order to number the option values in the order you want them to appear from number 1 to the last option number.

Click "Create" to finish your Attribute Set. Now when you go to any product's details in Admin/ Catalog/ Categories & Products, you will see a button to "Add Attribute Set". Click it and choose the set you just created and your all you option values will be adding to that product in your store. (***Note that currently, you can only see the attributes in your actual store, not in the admin preview, so go to your store to see the new options)

How do I set how many products show on the 1st page?

Login to your admin then go to Configuration>Maximum Values>New Products Module & edit the value - set it to the number of product you want displayed.

How do I setup my own featured product on the mainpage and remove the default new products?

Go to your store admin then Catalog > Featured Products.

This section allows you to replace the New Products section on the main page of your site with a section called Featured Products where you can specify exactly what products you want shown. 

• Within Featured products, use the search box to search for products to feature.
• When you find the product you want to add to the main page, fill in that products expire date (or click the arrow on the right to pick the date from a calendar) This will determine how long this product will appear on your home page. 
• Make sure the "Enable" checkbox is checked and hit "Update" at the bottom of the page.

*Note; If you select one or more products to feature, the New Product area will be replaced by the Featured Products. If you remove all the featured products using this tool, then the New Products section will reappear so you can have one or the other.

Can I change the colors or basic template of the design for my site?

No - some parts of the site are dynamically generated & are the same for all sites. You can change the whole template but not selected parts of a template. To change the template go to the general settings area of your admin and click edit... You can also add content and make changes to existing content via the page editor. One thing that cannot be changed via the page editor is the background color of the site or for pages in the site. Usability guidelines specify that page backgrounds should if possible be white. Other backgrounds can make it difficult to view text and often product images are shot on white backgrounds. Lastly the template graphics are all built for white back and would look horrible against non-white background.

Can I add custom sections to my site in order to have content that is not already part of the store?

Yes, you can do this by editing and/or creating custom pages via the configuration > edit page section of the admin. 
The page editor now features a wysiwyg (what you see is what you get) webeditor so you can create fancy formatting without using html or a separate editor. 

You also can use a basic html editor to create what you want, then you add it to what's already there or replace what you want, by clicking the HTML button from the wysiwyg toolbar. A good place to do this is in the Main Page HTML section. But there are limits on what you can change which are imposed by the fact that the cart has many automated/dynamic features which can only be accessed via the source code - the carts full power & purpose is in product & order management... Outside of the edit html areas, you cannot make changes to the look & feel.

You can add custom sections of content simply by creating a product in the catalog functions & setting the price to 0 - that allows you to create content entries in the left navigation bar. Combine that with fancy formatting using the wysiwyg editor and/or HTML and you can get some great results.

See here for an example of this: http://www.thebargainpit.com/thepit/

Look at the entries under categories.

You create a category header then a product that relates to the content you want to show. Set the price to 0 and add the content via the product descr. box which allows for full html if you need to get fancy.

>>> Update: the page editor & product description now use a wysiwyg ( what you see is what you get) webeditor so you can create fancy formatting without using html or a separate editor. Login to your shop admin to see the new wysiwyg editor.

How do I add multiple pictures to a product listing?

This can be done via the description box in the add/edit product wizard of your Admin area.

http://www.wholesale-dropshipping.com/product_info.php?products_id=275 is an example of using multiple pictures.

I created the listing format using a WYSIWYG editor and I add pictures by referencing them right from the manufacturer's site. That way I don't have to manage the pics myself. See the sample reference below.

<img src="http://www.myshopkart.net/feb11/images/_products/sunrisedemo/38544.jpg align="middle"> 
This allows you to pull the pic from wherever it is hosted.

This can be done with as many images as you want. Keep in mind though, if the host ever renames, moves or changes the image, it will change on your site as well.

If you prefer to reference images that are not hosted somewhere else, then you can add extra images directly using the upload extra images link in the configuration section of your site admin. You can upload pics one at a time or put them all in a zip file and upload in bulk ( limit to 6mb per zip file). The file will be uploaded to your images directory, and can be accessed at by copying the URL that displays below each image after the image is uploaded.

You can then reference these images on your site as you see fit. For example:

You can use the insert image button of the built-in myshopkart Page Editor. Once you have uploaded the image you want to use, simply provide the url [http://www.myshopkart.net/images/_products/yoursite/image_name.xyz] and the image will appear where you have selected to place it. If you provide no details on the image size the image will be displayed in its native dimensions.

NOTE - you cannot copy/paste a photo directly from your PC - since all the photos there are limited to your PC and inaccessible online. If you want to make images from your PC available on your site - you can either upload them when you create products  or you can use the bulk upload tool to add several images to a zip file and upload them all in one shot. Then you can access them via the paths as listed in the upload images area.

If the image you want to use is already online, then you can copy and paste it from the online location where you find it to your page editor.... But you cannot paste images from your local PC since your PC is not a location that is reachable from your website. It is private - no once can access the content on your local PC... That is why you need to upload those images to your site before you can use them because your website is a public location which is accessible online.

When I click on enlarge picture in the product listing, the window only shows a portion of the image?

Images you upload have to be small enough to be viewed on the computer screens without scrolling. To be compatible with common screen settings, you should resize images so they are 640x480 pixels or smaller.

To be of high quality; the enlarge function presents the image in its original size rather than trying to enlarge and distort a small image. You can quickly resize your images using a tool like: http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/EN-US/ImageResizerPowertoySetup.exe

Which can be found at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx/

How do I cancel my store and get a refund?

You can cancel your store anytime by logging into your paypal account and canceling your subscription to myshopkart. 
Use this link:   OR simply login to paypal and find the last time you were billed, then click the subscription link at the top to cancel.

If you paid by CC simply create a support ticket in your site admin to request that we prevent any rebills on your account and your store will stay online until the end of your paid term and then will deactivate.

Obviously, we would prefer to see you remain with myshopkart; your success is our success. So if you have issues that you feel need to be resolved then please email us to see what can be done to have them resolved:  Contact MyShopKart Support 

We are ready to help anyone who needs it ...within reason. But you have to take ownership of what is your responsibility to make your site succeed. We can help you resolve technical & store use issues. But we can't solve the problems that are general " I don't know what to do" issues or make your site a success for you. Give us specific information on what you're trying to accomplish and we can definitely help you. The 1st place to start is by reading this FAQ file - one read through will answer most questions. You can also email us when you feel the help FAQ doesn't answer your question.

If you do end up canceling your store, we'll be sorry to see you go and hope that you will keep your dream of having an ebiz alive. Use whatever you've learned from your myshopkart experience to guide you towards eventual success. Success is always achieved through numerous small failures. So don't get down on yourself; just find a better way to get to where you want.

As per the signup terms for myshopkart which clearly state on the last step before you paid for your myshopkart store, we do not provide refunds.
Please print the following for your records:

Subscriptions are billed upfront and are non-refundable but your MyShopKart site can be cancelled at anytime and billing will stop immediately.  I have read & agree to these terms of service

Also remember that you agreed to be rebilled until such time as you cancel the service so be sure to cancel if you no longer want your website or you will be rebilled on the anniversary of your term. See an example of the paypal terms you agreed to during payment when you 1st signed up 
(the term varies with whatever plan you setup - monthly,3MOs,6MOs,12MOs):

        Pay To:  mikkema international 
        Subscription To:  Ecommerce Store
      
        Subscription Terms:  $39.95 USD for each month
        Currency:  U.S. Dollars   
        Amount Paid Today:  $39.95 USD 

***Your subscription will automatically renew at the rates stated above UNLESS you cancel prior to the end of the billing period. 

Can I use a custom logo for my store?

Your store logo is the image file that sits in the top left quadrant of your site. 
This is the default myshopkart logo (created by our logo designer*) 


If you are looking for a basic text logo, check out these free online tools to create your own logo:

http://www.cooltext.com/
http://www.myimager.com/
http://www.3dtextmaker.com/

You simply punch in the text that you want then pick some basics like color, size, style, then click a button for a new logo.

Once you have a design you like, save the image to your PC ( right click on the image and select "Save Picture" ). 
Then go to your store admin > general settings and click "EDIT" to upload your new logo. 
 It took all of 3 minutes to create this sample:  http://www.myshopkart.net/apr28/

NB - the template you choose can impose limitations on the size of the logo you use - templates that enclose the logo will require a logo that fits the enclosed logo area:

#3 - 60x155 px or smaller

#5 - 60x155 px or smaller

#8 - 90x400 px or smaller

#11 - 90x300 px or smaller

#15 - 80x300 px or smaller

*Professional Custom Logos    
If you want a more professional looking logo or a custom design that is beyond your capabilities, we have a professional logo designer on staff who can build your custom logo. The cost for a custom logo is $69.95 which includes the initial logo design then one revision if required.

Some actual designs done by our logo guru (he knows his stuff!):

 

Order your custom logo below.  
Please provide as much info about what  you are looking for in the logo as possible**

• Approx what size and what kind of thing do you want the logo to evoke

• Do you have any specific colors you want in the logo and which site template do you want it to match with if any? 

• Do you want it to have any text on it and if so what? 

• Do you see a style somewhere online that is similar to what you're looking for? What is the web address where we can see this style?

**The more info you provide the more able the logo designer will be to produce what you have in mind. If you want the logo designer to use his own judgment on what to create, he can do that. But if you have some ideas about the logo, please provide them. Once the logo is done, you can review it and the designer will make one revised version based on your feedback if you require.

[enter your siteid then logo related instructions - also create a ticket in your site admin and paste these instructions there 
so our logo designer can go back and forth with you on the design]:

then click [$69.95]

 

Once we receive the payment we will create the logo and upload to your site.

How do I put a payment logo in the checkout pages/footer of my site?

Paypal offers a variety of logos to show on your website - in order to use any of these on your site just right click on the image and select copy, then go to you site admin page editor ( checkout pages, home page and or footer) and place your cursor where you want the image to show then right click and select paste OR press the ctrl+v (control and the v key at the same time) to paste the image into place:

 

How do I link from my old site to my new myshopkart site or create regular links on my site?

To create regular links on your site: 
1.  Go to the page editor in your admin and determine which page you want to place the link on. 
2.  Click edit to access the editor - type the text you want visible as the link then select/highlight that text by dragging your mouse across it. 
3.  Click the link button on the toolbar ( looks like a chain link ). Provide the web address that you want to link to and click OK. 
4.  Save the page you have edited and you'll be all set. 

Use the same procedure to use banners or images as links: Insert the image using the image tool then select it. Then click the link tool and do as above.

To setup links from any existing site to your new site: 
1.  You will need to got to the part of your site that you want to bring visitors to and copy the URL from your browser's address bar.

For example the WEDDING SETS > WEDDING TOASTING FLUTES SET page on this demo site (http://www.myshopkart.net/