We're thinking about "building an e-commerce site" — what does that actually include, and will it fit how we sell?

The first thing you need to prioritize during setup is accounting integration. An invoice cut in the shop and an order placed on the website need to deduct from the exact same inventory pool. When talking to the developer, make sure to confirm that wholesale discount tiering and cash-on-delivery modules are included in the price.

Discard that 120,000 TL quote right off the bat. In the hardware trade where you deal with thousands of SKUs custom-coded software is just an endless money pit. Go with a subscription-based turnkey cloud platform and migrate your physical shop's workflow into that.

A baseline e-commerce package must include these three features: 1) A tiered pricing module to distinguish dealer vs retail accounts. 2) Support for cash on delivery and bank transfer notification screens. 3) Shipping barcode printing integrated with your carrier.

Getting tradesmen who are used to ordering over the phone to start placing orders through a website isn't as easy as you think. Orders won't just flood in the day you launch; your wholesale buyers will still call your cell to haggle. Go into this knowing that.

We launched with a turnkey platform two years ago for our hardware and tool store in Perşembe Pazarı. For the first 6 months, we only used it to process orders from our existing regular accounts. It noticeably cut down phone calls and eliminated shipping mistakes entirely.

man, the biggest headache is taking product photos and entering dimensions one by one onto the site. instead of worrying about spending money on software focus on who is actually going to upload thousands of different screws and wrenches and whether you have staff at the shop who can spare the time for this.

Definitely stay away from custom software; an off-the-shelf e-commerce package with B2B membership and dual-pricing support will more than do the job.

Under the distance selling contract regulations and consumer rights legislation, you will be obligated to manage return processes even for cash on delivery orders. Before making a decision, I recommend ensuring that the legal templates and invoicing infrastructure are included as part of the package.

Correct. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

Here's how it went for us. The real issue isn't the number but what it's based on.

Processes without records never improve, because you don't know what to fix. Good luck with that.

I agree, and I'd like to emphasize that. Don't enter any agreement without an exit plan.

A two-week notebook guides you more than a six-month forecast.

I have an objection here. Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.

Don't hesitate to ask; those who don't ask always pay more. If you have questions write them; I'll answer as best I can.

I'm writing this so you don't make the same mistake. Everyone rushing into e-commerce website definition gets stuck at the same point.

Yes, that's exactly how it is with e-commerce website definition. Don't hesitate to ask; those who don't ask always pay more.

Proven by experience.

There's a part I don't understand. People defend habits, not processes. Resistance comes from there.

A two-week notebook guides you more than a six-month forecast. If you post the result here, it will help others too.

My questions are cleared up, thanks. Changing habits is harder and more expensive than setting up a system.

Solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late. That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

I agree with this. Dont enter any agreement without an exit plan.

Of course it varies if your situation is different.

Saved.