Thanks Scott, yes I'd seen your post, but it left me with a few questions to your points as follows:

1. We would need to build an e-mail mechanism into the software
Garry>> Doesn't this already exist? Isn't this just what you do when submitting a form created in Form Builder?

2. What would happen if you did not receive the order details?
Garry>> Same as if I didn't receive a message submitted in the 'Contact Us' form on my website. It's a given that there would need to be a box(es) for customer to enter their contact details - again, just like with Form Builder.

3. There is no invoicing system, so the consumer would not receive any invoice for what they purchased.
GN>> doesn't apply. The customer hasn't committed any money at the point of submitting the order. It's up to me, after I go back to the customer for a CC payment or direct deposit or COD, to then provide the invoice.

4. If issue #1 and #2 failed the order could be lost in limbo and you would have received money with no way to track it back.
GN>> as for 3 - no money has changed hands

And as to "this method for payment is up there with sending my bank information to a Saudi Prince for a 500 million reward" - again not relevant. For myself (and I think most of the other respondents on the thread) we don't want the bank details online. This would be via a communication with the customer after the order is placed.

thx, Garry

Why don't you just put text on the view cart page Gary telling your users if they want to pay that way how to do it? There really isn't any reason to build that level of complexity in the software if you simply want to do this all offline.

Again, what you want to accomplish is no small task and not really what the software was designed to do.

Hiya Garry,

Do you have a lot of products? If not, then maybe putting a form on the site somewhere that has links on the product pages or wherever that leads to the form that says that they can order offline or pre-order or whatever it is you want to call it. Then in the form create drop downs or check boxes or whatever is necessary to cover your product list along with prices etc. that show up in the form so they can see all the details.

Then add the usual Name, Address etc. to get their information. I wouldn't suggest you do the credit card information this way as it's not secure, so you'd probably want to have a better way to get that information, but for taking the orders themselves the forms work pretty well.

Might not be sufficient if you have a ton of products, but if you have a manageable list it should work pretty good. Just a possible idea.

The whole purpose of Cart Creator was to allow small volume traders to sell their products online and accept payment though a well known payment processor. The pro version was released to add more practical functionality, such as user defined weight based shipping, price variants on product options and inventory control. Whilst the development is an ongoing process, the priority for any future features will be those that will potentially benefit the majority of users.

Whilst appreciating the diverse needs of businesses, the harsh reality is that most online customers want to select a product and pay all in one session. If they are not dealing with a well known mainstream business, they also prefer the security of using one of the primary payment processors. The other harsh but noteworhy reality, is that most online traders don't accept offline payments. Just try sending Amazon a cheque.

If you only want to offer offline payments, just don't set up any payment providers in Cart Creator and put instructions on your cart page of where to send payment to. Clean simple and very effective.

I've bought plenty of items off the net that you take your order all the way to the point of check out then print the the page and send a money order in with page. I have even bought things that the Co. gives volume discounts on but has no way to have this show up on your order but takes care of it behind the senes when you place your order. Like Will stated most business done on this program is small business.

Thanks to all for your help and suggestions ..... appreciated.

Will >> It is not that I ONLY want to offer offline payments. I am trying to achieve a website that attracts the customer, shows them the total cost to them, and allows them to make a commitment EITHER by online payment OR by offline payment.

Granted, the software is designed for the use of small businesses. But small businesses still do business with large businesses. The real "harsh reality" is that many of us want a secure online payment process as well as doing transactions with:
1. businesses who will only pay by a PO/invoice
2. people who just don't trust online payment systems - yes there really are still many of them out there in web-land who want to do it the old-fashioned way via credit card!

I'm not sure if this is a requirement for the majority but there were so many earlier responses in this thread that indicated a great demand, otherwise I wouldn't have bought into this just on the basis of my requirement.

Jo Ann>> Thanks for your good suggestion. It may be an option for me as I do have only a small number of products. But it makes my web solution a bit 'tacky' - having one path (the full shopping cart) for "online payment" customers, and another path for the "offliners". As well, it doesn't allow me to present the customer with the full cost to them including the shipping - which was the main reason for my selecting Coffee Cup in the first place. There are other s/cart programs out there that allow me to easily build a cart for online/offline payments ... but Coffee Cup of course shines in it's handling of shipping costs.

Scott>> I appreciate this is not a small task and not on your current agenda. But please keep this in mind for future enhancement. There were a lot of people who responded earlier wanting this solution, and it really is a requirement for many small business vendors.
Otherwise if it's "not really what the software was designed to do" perhaps that should be emphasised up front. The current promotional material on the web is for the ultimate online store creation tool with all its advantages of handling shipping costs, taxes, and inventory and for working with online payment systems. But it doesn't indicate it's only for use with online payment systems.

Coffeecup products come with trial versions that allows potential buyers to evaluate the product and assess their suitability for use before they make a purchase. It really is up to the buyer to choose the solution that is most appropriate to their needs.

There are a lot of requested features on the pro version's 'wish list', some of which will be implemented in the near future, some at a later stage and some not all all. It is just a question of being patient and seeing how the product evolves over the next couple of years.

Hiya Garry,

I appreciate your situation, and maybe what would be best for you to do for now is a simple paragraph (larger than life) on the View Cart / Check Out page that states simply:

Rather not order online? Then give us a call at ###-###-#### and we'll be happy to process your purchase by phone. We Accept <insert payment processing choices here>.

I would put that at the top of your page in large print so that people know what they can do. This way they can carry the purchase to the end and get their full charges tallied and then call if they like at that point.

Yes, a good suggestion Jo Ann. Thanks for your ideas along the way

Is there perhaps any way that I can pick up on the data of the shopping cart contents e.g a cookie in order to create my own email based invoice?

Warm regards, Johann