r/EcommerceWebsite

Hello everyone, I have been working on something and wanted some honest feedback.

I’ve been building e-commerce sites using Astro, and instead of Shopify or other SaaS tools, it’s fully static.

Core idea:

• one-time setup fee
• you own the full codebase
• no subscriptions or lock-in

How it works:

• static HTML, CSS, JS
• no backend, so basically zero ongoing cost
• can host for free on Cloudflare Pages or Github pages
• orders handled via forms with email or Telegram notifications
• simple git based CMS admin panel to update products
• manual verification of payments through payment of proof to prevent processing fees

Why I’m trying this:
A lot of small businesses rely on Instagram or WhatsApp. When they move to Shopify/Website builders, the monthly fees and apps start adding up and they dont have full control over SEO sometimes due to slower load times. The small business could also further customize parts of the website with AI/code if they have some technical knowledge.

Advantages over shopify or other website builders:

• very fast since Astro ships minimal JS
• full control and fast load speed for SEO
• no platform fees
• full control since you own the code

Not meant for large stores, more for smaller catalogs with lesser product variants.

Would you use something like this over Shopify? What would stop you?
Store Demo: https://store.lck.com.sg
Admin demo: https://store.lck.com.sg/admin

I’m just starting to put my project together and I’ve been looking at the NHD website builder Since I’ve never built a site in my life, I’m a little nervous about diving in.

I keep seeing people talk about Wix or Weebly, but since NHD has its own specific platform, I'm wondering if I should just stick to that or if I’m going to end up regretting my decision.

For anyone who’s actually used the NHD website builder recently, how’s the learning curve? Is it drag-and-drop easy, or am I going to need to learn code?

I’m trying to keep things simple and not spend a fortune, so I’d love some honest feedback before I commit my whole project to it.

Is it a solid choice for a beginner or a total headache?

Would anyone know the best places I can go to for finding high quality images that I can put on my Recruitment Consultantcy Website?

As I haven't launched my business yet, I don't have real team photos or office photos for my website. I want high quality skyline or building images, or corporate style images that fit my premium website.

Any steers or advice on this is really appreciated, thanks

Last month I ran ads and got around 350+ add to carts

But only ~100 people actually completed the purchase

Which means ~250 people had high intent (they literally clicked add to cart)… and then disappeared

What frustrated me the most:

I had no way to contact them

No email

No phone

No way to follow up

Felt like I paid for traffic and just let buyers walk away

Curious — do you guys see a similar gap between add to cart and purchases?

And what are you doing to recover those users?

Been building Frictionless for a few weeks — it scans Shopify stores for psychological friction points killing conversion rates (Trust Deficit, Payment Anxiety, Cognitive Load etc.) and gives you a score + revenue at risk estimate.

Just set up my Shopify Partner Account today. Next step is OAuth integration so the tool reads live store data directly instead of scraping HTML — way more accurate analysis.

If you run a Shopify store and want a free scan while I'm still in this phase — drop your URL below or check out frictionlessai.net

Happy to share findings publicly 👇

Hi. Does anyone know about a service that processes payments but that doesn't force to use THEIR website builder etc? For example squareone and shopify you have to use their website builder with their themes.

Thank you!

I’ve been thinking about trying the Wix free website builder just to get started, but I’m not sure how practical it is beyond testing things out.

I know it comes with ads and a Wix domain, but is it still decent enough for a simple site, or do you end up needing to upgrade pretty quickly?

If you’ve used the free version, how was your experience? Did it meet your needs or did you switch to a paid plan right away?

Let's say I want to start and online store and I don't want to use shopify.. are there viable alternatives?

How hard is it to set up everything manually?

Is it reasonable for an ordinary person with not a lot of tech knowledge to set up an 'online store' manually?

Is there a site similar to spotify that offers more customization etc?

Thank you!

HI i've been going from one platform to another and one community to another, few seems dead and rest are filled with spammers. If you know a good ecom community please share it with us.

I’m looking for some serious advice (and potentially a new partner) from the e-commerce veterans here. I’ve been running a dropshipping/inventory-based store for a while now. My suppliers are mostly based in China, and I’ve been using the standard Stripe and PayPal setup for payment processing. ​Everything was smooth until a few weeks ago, and now I’m stuck in a nightmare. ​The Incident ​A customer opened a dispute claiming they received a damaged product. I did the right thing (or so I thought) and issued a full refund immediately to keep the customer happy. However, when the "damaged" product actually arrived back at the warehouse in China, it wasn’t even the item I sent. It was something completely different—a clear return swap scam. ​How does a professional warehouse "mistakenly" receive a completely different item that the customer originally claimed was just "damaged"? It doesn't add up. ​The Fallout ​I took this evidence to PayPal, expecting them to have my back or at least offer some compensation for the fraudulent return. Instead, they hit me with the "Account Closed" hammer. No warning, just gone. Now, my cash flow is essentially frozen. ​The Pitch (Seeking a Partner) ​I’m trying to figure out how top-tier sellers handle these high-risk disputes without getting their gateways cooked. ​Beyond advice, I’m looking for someone who has a seasoned, high-limit PayPal Business account (with instant release) or a Stripe account with a solid history.