advice sought

I'm at a loss and would REALLY appreciate some advice. I'm a commercial photographer. Nearly ALL our work is assignment based, but we'd like to expand slightly into a more retail offering, something along the lines of what you'd call "decor" I guess - scenic photo prints (hard copy, not digital stock downloads). Our needs are more complex than a simple PayPal button (3 sizes, title or no title, framed or unframed, and if framed maybe 3 options), but a LOT less complex than most carts seem geared toward.

I don't want the user to have to create an account. I don't want wish lists or suggestions (purchases of this print also purchased...).

I'm pretty clear on gateways and user accounts and certificates and SSL and licensed vs. hosted. I'm a happy hand-coder (but not what I would call a developer) and generally don't like template-driven restrictions very much but I guess I could live with the right one. Our needs (at this point anyway) are small enough that we don't really need a whole CMS, but again - I could live with that if I found the right product.

I've looked at dozens of shopping carts. I'm tentatively leaning toward Interspire and ShopSite. I don't want to spend a ton of money but I also recognize that something polished and solid probably won't be free.

Part of my dilemma is that I haven't yet seen something exactly like what I want. I'm appealing to any of you out there who have had a good experience with a shopping cart product to give me some benefit of your experience. At the moment, I'm staying away from ZenCart and osCommerce because of the level of dread I feel in pruning those huge opensource monsters down to what we realistically need. (Also - ZenCart at present requires a user to create an account.)

I have looked into FoxyCart but... not sold yet.

Thanks for any and all help!

Steve

I'm curious as to why the need to create a user account is a deal-breaker for you. Is there data that shows the inconvenience outweighs the benefits (email marketing)? Or is it your personal preference? I'm looking at getting into e-commerce, so I'm looking for all kinds of advice. Your input is welcomed and appreciated.

Warren

Hi Warren. It's more what I would call personal preference. For sites I expect to purchase from more or less regularly (Amazon or iTunes for instance) I have no problem establishing an account because it makes things easier the next time. For sites I don't anticipate ever returning to it's just one more annoying thing to have to endure, one more username/password to remember...
We're selling photographic prints of scenes in and around Boston. I figure our store is going to be the sort of place a customer might purchase from once but I don't anticipate loads of repeat business. So, if it were me, I'd resent having to create an account and I always try to design my web sites for me.
:-)
For what it's worth - I settled on FoxyCart.com as the shopping cart best suited to our modest needs. Very happy so far.

Thanks, I am looking at a bunch of options for, well, everything :-) My concept would rely heavily on recurring business, so being able to add people to an opt-in email list is essential. If I choose to do a "roll your own" ecommerce solution, I'll probably stick with the one-click options DH already provides. I just wanted to know if there's something else I should be considering, like whether or not a lot of people abandon at the account registeration page.

Best o'luck to ya!
Warren

"whether or not a lot of people abandon at the account registeration page"
Speaking only for myself, if there's a reason to I wouldn't hesitate to create an account. If there's no reason to, I resent *having* to.
Best o' luck to you as well!