ProStores Version 9 - Not Yet a Serious eCommerce Contender

We've discussed some of the issues merchants have encountered with the ProStores online store product in the past. We had mixed reactions when ProStores Version 9.0 was released earlier this year. Some of this was discussed in a previous blog post. With Version 9, ProStores made some needed changes to better integrate with the main eBay platform, something that was necessary in our opinion given that ProStores has advertised integration with eBay as one of its strong points. Version 9 did not get ProStores to an adequate level of integration, but it was certainly a step in the right direction.

Unfortunately, even with the changes in ProStores Version 9, there are still far too many deficiencies with ProStores that makes it difficult to consider ProStores a serious contender as an eCommerce product and service. Merchants who may have used such things as contact forms or multiple product images with other products or services will be disappointed to find that some of these basic are still missing in ProStores. Sellers who are launching their very first online store venture may be less likely to notice the common eCommerce features that are missing in ProStores - its hard to know what is missing if you haven't experienced the real thing.

Now we are hearing that ProStores may be considering a change in the way they charge fees - personally, I think taking a closer look at the product itself would be the better step this year. AuctionBytes reported a few days ago (Aug 1st) that eBay may be considering some changes to the fee structure for its ProStores service (Article: eBay Survey Suggests ProStores Fee Change ). This is apparently based on reports from eBay members who have received surveys from eBay.

If you are one who is considering your first venture into online selling, we would suggest doing some homework before signing up with ProStores, even more so now that there are rumors of an overhaul in the pricing structure. For those who don't want to pay for website development, there are many options for subscription-based hosted eCommerce solutions. And it is worth a few minutes of your time to compare products closely. Because one of the drawbacks with many of the hosted solutions is that once you start with a service, you are bound to feel "stuck" - that is, you cannot easily take the work you have done setting up an online store and transfer it over to yet another proprietary system.

If you have questions about eCommerce options, please feel free to contact us. You don't have to be a customer or even a potential customer - we're always happy to pass along information.