Frequently Asked Questions

Registration

What if my needs change after I choose a version of ProStores?

ProStores grows with you and your business needs. You can upgrade to more features and functionality at the touch of a button and you won’t lose any of your design customizations, settings or store information.

Is there a hands-on demonstration store that show ProStore works?

You can get an idea of what some of the features look like by taking our Quick Tour. Currently, we don’t offer a demo store. Instead, we don’t charge you a setup fee like many of our competitors. All you have to do is sign up for our free trial and try out our product features.

How do I start building my ProStore Web store?

Our Getting Started Checklist and online wizards make it easy for you to build your ProStores Web store.

Watch our Getting Started Tutorial for help you as you set up and design your store.

eBay sellers can open their store in minutes with our QuickStart feature–ProStores automatically imports your eBay listings and other settings.

ProStores Fees

What is the One Month Free Trial Subscription offer and how would I qualify?

The One Month Free Trial Subscription offer is open to new merchants opening a ProStores account for the first time.

Try any ProStores tier for one month and pay no subscription fee. Sign up for ProStores Business, Advanced or Enterprise tier and we'll also cover one personalized domain registration for one year.

Do I have to commit to a long-term contract?

No. You may cancel at any time, for any reason. Please see the Fees Policy under "Cancellation" for additional information.

How much does it cost to open and operate a ProStores Web store?

ProStores does not charge merchants a general setup fee like some of our competitors.

There are two basic fees charged to all ProStores merchants:

a monthly Subscription Fee* and
a monthly Successful Transaction Fee calculated as a percentage of the sales price of items sold on your store, with payments due the month after the calendar month in which the transaction fee was incurred.

*Subscription Fee varies by ProStores subscription tier and ranges from $9.95 - $249.95.

ProStores Starter carries a 1.5% Successful Transaction Fee. All other tiers carry a 0.5% Successful Transaction Fee – that’s 50¢ per $100. For additional information please see our Fees Policy.

You may choose to purchase other ProStores services.

If I sign up for the 1 month free trial, what happens to my personalized domain if I cancel?

Domain name registration is included for Business, Advanced and Enterprise ProStores. If you sign up at these tiers, ProStores will purchase your domain for one year. If you cancel, your domain will be transferred to your direct control after 60 days at no charge. If you wish to keep your domain beyond one year, you will be responsible for renewing with the service provider of your choice. Please see our Domain Terms Policy for additional information.

How do I get the 30% eBay Stores subscriber discount?

Active eBay Stores subscribers receive a 30% discount off the ProStores monthly subscription price following the one-month free trial. To qualify for the 30% discount on the ProStores subscription, you must be a current eBay Stores seller on the day you are billed for your monthly ProStores subscription fee and you must be 18 years of age or older to be eligible. Savings limited to one per customer and per store.

What tier of eBay Store do I need to get the 30% discounton the ProStores monthly subscriber fees?

All eBay Stores sellers – Basic, Featured and Anchor store subscribers – qualify for the 30% discount subject to the terms and conditions above.

Do sellers pay eBay Insertion and Final Value Fees if they list their item on eBay using ProStores?

Yes, all eBay listing fees apply regardless of where the eBay listing is created. If a buyer commits to buy the item on eBay and then pays for the item through the ProStores checkout, the seller is liable for eBay Final Value Fees but will not have to pay the ProStores Successful Transaction Fees for that sale.

Design

I don’t know HTML or web design. Can I use ProStores?

Yes. ProStores uses templates and wizards to help you quickly and easily build an attractive, feature- rich store with no technical or design skills whatsoever.

How customizable are ProStores Web store pages?

For Business, Advanced and Enterprise tiers, all pages are completely customizable. You can choose from 190 templates to create your store design, edit HTML directly in the HTML editor, customize your design using our built-in Design Editors, or export your pages to an external web design tool and import your customized design back into ProStores. If you would like someone to design and set up your store for you, check out our ProStores Setup Services and Certified Designers.

ProStores Starter includes 13 different design themes.

How many pictures can I list per item using the ProStores templates?

Two images per item are supported. If you have more than two photos, you can incorporate HTML links to additional images as part of the product description. These images could be stored locally in the ProStores database as part of your product catalog or they could be stored outside of the ProStores hosting environment and dynamically pulled into the product detail template when a shopper navigates to the product.

eBay

How is eBay integrated with ProStores?

ProStores integrates with the eBay marketplace in the following ways. It allows sellers to:

Get their store set up and open for business in minutes with our QuickStart feature – we automatically import your live eBay listings and other settings when you sign up for ProStores.
Mirror their eBay listings and keep inventory levels in sync automatically with our eBay Sync feature
List items directly from their ProStores Web store to eBay
Schedule listings to post to eBay at a specific time and date.
Display eBay listings on their ProStores Web store
Manage eBay listings from their ProStores Web store:
- Review eBay listing details from within their store administration area.
- Get an at-a-glance view of their live, closed and completed listings.
- Manage payment, shipping and inventory for eBay transactions.

Which eBay selling formats does ProStores support?

Items can be listed from a ProStores Web store onto eBay in Auction, Fixed Priced or eBay Stores Inventory formats.

How do I get the 30% eBay Stores subscriber discount?

What tier of eBay Store do I need to get the 30% discount on the ProStores monthly subscriber fees?

All eBay Stores sellers – Basic, Featured and Anchor store subscribers - qualify for the 30% discount subject to the terms and conditions above.

I use eBay's Picture Manager to host my product images. How can I transfer my photos to ProStores?

Currently, there is no direct way to move your images hosted by eBay's Picture Manager directly to your ProStores Web store. However, you can easily upload both single image files, and archived zip files into your ProStores Web store.

How is ProStores different from eBay Stores?

ProStores allows you to build and maintain a full-featured stand-alone Web store with your own branding. Unlike an eBay Store, ProStores sites are accessed through your own Web address (www.yourtstorename.com) and have no eBay branding.

While items on ProStores sites will sell at fixed prices only, they can also be easily listed onto the eBay marketplace in either the auction or fixed price formats.

ProStores sellers are also responsible for driving their own traffic. A good way to do this is to list on eBay and drive buyers to your ProStores Web store with Checkout Redirect and linking from your About Me page on eBay.

Can transactions for products purchased on eBay be completed through the ProStores shopping cart?

Yes, you can redirect buyers of your items listed on eBay to check out through your ProStores Web store. This feature applies only if the products were listed on eBay from within your ProStores Web store or through eBay seller tools like TurboLister and SellingManager Pro.

Can I refer to my ProStores items in my eBay Store, or from my listings on eBay?

No. The standard eBay links policies apply on all listings and to all eBay Stores. For policy purposes, a ProStores Web store is considered to be "outside of eBay" as defined in the links policy. Therefore, linking to a ProStores Web store from any seller-controlled eBay page other than the About Me or About the Seller page is not allowed.

Does the Store Referral Credit still apply if someone buys an eBay-listed item from my ProStores Web store?

Your ProStores Web store, like any other non-eBay online storefront you operate, is considered separate from your eBay Store. Therefore, all of the regular rules of the Store Referral Credit program apply to your traffic driven from your ProStores Web store. To learn more about the Store Referral Credit, please visit this page.

eBay listing links generated by ProStores on your storefront automatically include the necessary referral code to support the eBay Store Referral Credit program.

Do sellers pay eBay Insertion and Final Value Fees if they list their item on eBay using ProStores?

Can I drive traffic from eBay to my ProStores Web store?

In your eBay About Me page, you can reference your ProStores Web store. The standard eBay links policies apply. A ProStores Web store is considered to be "outside of eBay" as defined in the links policy, therefore, linking to a ProStores Web store from any seller-controlled eBay page other than the About Me or About the Seller page is not allowed. For more information on the eBay links policy, please visit this page.

Can I have more than one eBay ID in one ProStores Web store?

No. You can only enter one eBay ID in each ProStores Web store.

How do I do bulk listing from ProStores to eBay?

You can list items - in single quantity or multiple units – directly onto eBay from your ProStores Web store.

PayPal

How is PayPal integrated with ProStores?

ProStores integrates with PayPal in the following ways:

Allows PayPal members to make purchases using their PayPal account. This is available on all ProStores subscription tiers and is the only option for the Starter tier.
Use PayPal Website Payments Pro as a payment gateway to manage all credit card transactions, including those from non-PayPal members. PayPal Website Payment Pro an all-in-one online payment processing service available with ProStores Business tier and above.

What are the costs of using PayPal with ProStores?

The standard PayPal fees apply. To learn more about the fees associated with using PayPal, please visit www.paypal.com.

Does ProStores allow the use of PayPal Website Payments Pro?

Yes, ProStores supports PayPal Website Payments Pro with ProStores Business, Advanced and Enterprise tiers.

Do I have to use PayPal?

With ProStores Starter, you are required to use PayPal. With ProStores Business, Advanced and Enterprise, you can choose whether you want to accept PayPal.

Payments

Which payments can I accept from customers through my ProStores Web store?

All ProStores tiers are integrated with payment solutions offered by PayPal. If you sign up for Business tier or above, you can choose from other payment processors. Depending on the ProStores tier you subscribe to, you may also be able to accept credit cards, electronic checks, traditional checks and money orders, certified checks, cash on delivery, purchase orders, and department orders. Configuring the payment options for your store is as simple as selecting your desired payment options from a list.

Do I have to use PayPal?

With ProStores Starter, you are required to use PayPal. With ProStores Business, Advanced and Enterprise, you can choose whether you want to accept PayPal.

What payment gateways are integrated with ProStores?

ProStores is fully integrated with the following popular payment gateways. No additional software is required for you to install. PayPal Website Payments Pro and QuickBooks Merchant Service even include a merchant account.

Will I need a credit card processing terminal to accept credit cards on my store?

No. If you plan to use your merchant account/gateway service exclusively for online transactions, you will not need a POS system or keypad.

Many online gateway services now offer an online "virtual" terminal that allows you to process offline transactions in addition to your online store payments. If your provider does not offer this, then you may still need a POS terminal to process offline transactions.

Does ProStores support electronic check/ACH processing?

Yes, ProStores Business and above include integration for electronic check/ACH processing services provided by Electracash.

Product Catalog

Is it possible to import or convert inventory from my current online storefront?

If the inventory content can be exported from your current storefront into an Excel or CSV file, you can easily reformat and import the file into your ProStores Web store. To get the correct format, you can export a blank spreadsheet from the ProStores support area inside Store Administration. This will show you how to arrange the data from your store export into the correct columns for import into your ProStores Web store.

Can I use a “flat file” to upload inventory into my ProStores Web store?

Yes, simply access the import feature from the ProStores support area inside Store Administration. To get the correct format, you can export a blank spreadsheet from the ProStores support area inside Store Administration. This will show you how to arrange the data from your store export into the correct columns for import into your ProStores Web store.

Do I have to enter my products individually?

No. While you can enter products one at a time, ProStores Business subscribers and above can also transfer product information in bulk directly from a flat file generated from a database or spreadsheet software like Excel using the ProStores Import Data feature. If you are a QuickBooks® user, you can upload all your product-related information - description, cost, sale price, quantity in stock - into your online store with just a few clicks.

I currently have all my products in Turbo Lister. How do I get these items into to ProStores?

The ProStores QuickStart feature automatically imports all of your live listings and other settings from eBay when you sign up.

Then, our eBay Sync feature continues to mirror your live eBay listings and keeps your inventory levels in sync automatically.

Alternately, you can export items you have in Turbo Lister to a CSV file and then import the CSV file directly into your ProStores Web store using our Import Data feature.

I use eBay's Picture Manager to host my product images. How can I transfer my photos to ProStores?

How many pictures can I list per item using the ProStores templates?

How many products or SKUs does ProStores support?

ProStores Starter allows you to display up to 20 unique products and store up to 250 product records. ProStores Business, Advanced and Enterprise tiers support up to 10,000, 50,000, and 100,000 products respectively. If you plan on setting up your store with more than 100,000 products, please contact us.

Inventory Management

Can ProStores help me manage my inventory?

Yes. ProStores Starter and Business tiers offer product-level inventory tracking. ProStores Advanced and Enterprise tiers allow you to manage inventory by product details like size and color. When items are purchased on your store, ProStores automatically deducts the quantity purchased from your inventory.

ProStores inventory tracking also allows you to control what gets displayed on your store. For example, if an item is sold out or reaches a low inventory threshold, you can set your store to not display that item.

How can I enable the inventory management functionality?

You can enable the inventory tracking functionality in your ProStores Store Administration Panel. To access this, go to Store Administration>Store>Product Preferences, and ensure that inventory tracking features are active.

Does the inventory management function manage eBay inventory?

Yes. When eBay listings are created in ProStores or your preferred eBay listing tool (SYI, Turbo Lister or Blackthorne), inventory quantities are synchronized between ProStores and eBay as transactions occur in both venues.

Storage Space

What is the email storage capacity of the ProStores email boxes?

Email storage is a component of your ProStores hosting package disk space quota. Disk storage quotas and allotted email accounts vary by store type:

Business tier ProStores Web store includes 5GB of storage space and 50 email accounts.
Advanced tier ProStores Web store includes 10GB of disk space and 100 email accounts.
Enterprise tier ProStores Web store includes 20GB of disk space and 200 email accounts.

Account comparison details are available here.

Security

What is SSL and does ProStores support SSL encryption?

Developed by Netscape, SSL is a protocol for securely encrypting and transmitting electronic information between web servers across the Internet, and is the most popular method for ensuring the secure transmission of credit card data and consumer information. Your customers will see a locked security icon on their browser when making payments, so they will know it is encrypted.

SSL encryption protects your and your customers’ sensitive information when accessing the ProStores Control Panel, store administration and storefront pages that contain or personal data.

Yes. All ProStores transactions are supported by Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption, also known as secure order protection, secure certificate or digital certificate.

What kind of SSL data encryption security is available?

ProStores includes a shared SSL for merchants who do not wish to purchase their own. This is a 128-bit encryption shared SSL certificate provided by the Certificate Authority Thawte (a VeriSign company).

A ProStores merchant does have the option to upgrade to a dedicated SSL certificate. Details for purchasing a dedicated SSL certificate are available in the "Website Management" area of the ProStores Control Panel.

I already have my own SSL certificate. How can I install it on my ProStores Web store?

An SSL certificate from Thawte can be installed to work with your ProStores account. At this time, ProStores only supports Thawte SSL certificates.

Please email both your SSL certificate and private key to ssladm@prostores.com. Make sure that your ProStores Dedicated Domain name appears in the message subject line. Once received, the certificate will be installed within 24 to 48 hrs.

Notes: Your ProStores account must have a dedicated domain name that matches the domain on your private certificate in order for SSL to function. As a reminder, ProStores only supports Thawte SSL certificates.

Other ProStores Functionality

How can I access the "create buyer's group" functionality in ProStores Enterprise product?

Simply select the "create buyer's group" option under Customers/Groups from within the ProStores Store Administration pages. This feature is available only on the ProStores Enterprise tier.

How can I charge tax to buyers based on their geographical location?

ProStores allows you to enter a tax table with tax by location so that tax will be calculated automatically upon checkout. This feature can be accessed through the Store/Sales Tax category from within Store Administration.

Are Canadian taxes supported?

Yes, Canadian taxes are supported. This includes the ability to include the tax in the listed price (VAT). To access this feature, go to Store/SalesTax section within Store Administration.

Does ProStores allow for international shipping?

Yes. In addition to the integration with FedEx, UPS, USPS and Canada Post, you can build your own shipping tables including foreign shipping. To access this feature, go to Store>Shipping within Store Administration.

I use QuickBooks to manage my business. Is ProStores compatible?

ProStores Business, Advanced and Enterprise tiers are fully integrated with most versions of QuickBooks, so moving your business online is easier than ever. You can use information already in your QuickBooks database to build your store. Once you're up and running online, ProStores' two-way link with QuickBooks allows you to manage your finances, your online store and your customer relationships in a seamless e-business system.

Supported Versions of QuickBooks

United States editions

QuickBooks Pro Edition 2002 - 2007*
QuickBooks Premier Editions 2002 - 2007*
QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 2.0 - 7.0*

Canada editions

QuickBooks Pro Edition 2003 - 2007*
QuickBooks Premier Editions 2003 - 2007*
QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 2.0 - 5.0

*The StoreSync utility is currently not compatible with 2007 versions of QuickBooks running on the Microsoft Vista operating system.

Does ProStores have an Affiliate Program?

Yes. Learn more about the ProStores Affiliate Program.

I have regular customers that like to shop in my physical store or place orders over the phone. Can I manage those orders with ProStores?

Yes, ProStores Advanced and Enterprise have a built-in virtual POS system. You can enter any phone or other off-line order directly into your customers' existing online accounts, or even create new accounts for them, helping you consolidate all your business operations.

How do I know if an order has been placed in my store?

Your ProStores account can be configured to automatically send an email to both you and your customer once an order has been confirmed. ProStores Business and above include the Store Monitor tool which can be used to create pop-up notifications of new store activity on your desktop computer. There is also a "Quick Stats" screen that is displayed when you log in to the store administration area. This screen summarizes important business activity that may require your attention, such as pending orders.

Will ProStores help me manage my suppliers?

You can configure ProStores Enterprise to automatically notify suppliers of orders by e-mail, EDI or fax. You can even set up a virtual inventory process that sends orders automatically to a supplier or fulfillment house for drop shipment.

Can I generate reports from my ProStores Web store?

Yes. ProStores Starter includes basic executive and sales reports. ProStores Business, Advanced and Enterprise tiers include all the reporting tools you need to monitor and manage your store. You will have access to detailed tracking and reporting, and you can export to QuickBooks and other applications to integrate your store with your current business tools.

Existing Web Domains, Stores and Websites

Can I use my own domain name for my new ProStores Web store?

Yes. When you sign-up with ProStores, you’ll have the option to register your own domain name or transfer an existing domain name (applies to ProStores Business, Advanced and Enterprise tiers). For ProStores Starter subscribers, there is an additional fee to register or transfer a new domain name.

Can I use my existing design with ProStores?

Yes. You can upload the design from your current web site, create completely original content, or choose from 190 design templates (Business, Advanced and Enterprise tiers) or from 13 design templates in the Starter tier. This will enable you to easily customize the design of your store any way you want. In addition, you can give your own look and feel to everything seen by the shopper, including products, shopping cart, invoices, and shipping notices.

Can I keep the rest of my site on my own server and have the store on ProStores?

Yes, it is easy to have links from your website to ProStores for the purchase process.

I already have a hosting company and I don't want to switch, is there a way I can keep my current hosting company and still use ProStores?

Yes. It's easy to create links from your existing website that directs customers to specified areas of your ProStores Web store. Since your ProStores Web store is easy to customize, you can mirror the look and feel of your current website so the transition from one website to the other is seamless to your shoppers.

Can I choose a shared name like http://store.prostores.com/yourstorename and then upgrade later to a dedicated domain?>

Yes, you can select a dedicated domain at any time. When you are an existing ProStores subscriber, simply call the ProStores technical support phone number to select a domain name. For ProStores Business tier and above, you are allowed one free domain with each subscription, but you can also purchase additional domain names and have them point to your ProStores Web store. If want more than one domain name, the appropriate additional charges will apply for the domain names beyond the one domain name that is included with the Business tier and above subscription.

Does ProStores provide a static IP?

No. ProStores hosting accounts are not assigned a static IP. Static IPs are only available if an SSL certificate is purchased or transferred to the ProStores hosting account.

Policies

Where can I find details on the ProStores trademark policies?

You can find information on the ProStores trademark policies here.

Are eBay item restrictions enforced on ProStores?

You can find information on ProStores prohibited and restricted items here.

Customer Support

What if I need technical support?

All ProStores merchants have access to online help and priority email assistance. ProStores Business and above customers have access to 24/7 toll free phone technical support.

In addition to contact information for technical and customer support departments, a wide variety of support resources are available to ProStores customers through Store Adminstration and in the Know-how section of ProStores.com.

Marketing Your ProStores Web Store

Can ProStores help me get new customers?

Yes. Several features and services designed to drive more customers to your store are available:

List directly onto eBay from your ProStores Web store
ProStores automatically submits your product catalog to Google Product Search
With ProStores Business and above, you can:

Submit your products to major shopping engines, including Shopping.com®, Shopzilla.com®, and Yahoo! Shopping®

Use ProStores’ built-in Search Engine Optimization tools like url tuning, site maps, and keywords to help improve your ranking on major search engines
ProStores Marketing Services can set up and manage paid search campaigns for you.

Can I run promotions in my store?

Yes. All ProStores tiers allow you to put individual products on sale. ProStores Business also includes storewide sales. ProStores Advanced and Enterprise tiers give you additional promotion options like quantity discounts and the ability to target specific buyer groups with a variety of coded promotions. Promotions reports let you easily track and compare the success of the promotions you run.

What if I want to offer special pricing for certain customers?

ProStores Enterprise allows you to set up customer groups that see special pricing after login, so you can create loyalty pricing programs or offer wholesale pricing on the same store where you show suggested retail pricing to the general public.

Can I set up an affiliate program?

ProStores Enterprise lets you easily set up and manage an affiliates program to drive traffic to your store and help increase sales.

Marketing Services

How can ProStores Marketing Services help my business?

Setting up keyword advertising campaigns can be complicated. ProStores takes care of all the setup, management, and reporting for you so you can focus on running your business.

What is "paid search"?

Paid search advertising consists of placing text ads on search engines by bidding on targeted keywords – the higher you bid, the higher up in the results you appear. Also known as pay-per-click advertising because you only pay the price you bid for each time some one clicks through to your store.

What is an "impression"? What is a "click"?

Every time an advertising vendor displays your ad, that is an impression. This means that if someone is searching for "Widgets" and your ad comes up on the page, one impression has been created. If that person clicks on your ad to visit your store, then that is recorded as a "click" and that is the action you pay for.

How do you determine where to place my ads?

We will review your website to help determine the best placement for your business. After researching your business, target customers, and competitors, our online marketing consultant will determine the best location and keywords for your ad.

How often will my ads run?

Ads are live 24 hours a day however they do not run constantly. Ads are scheduled to rotate in and out over an entire month to reach a cross section of targeted online users during peak hours.

Why are my competitor's ads above my ads?

Your competitors are simply bidding a higher rate for the same keywords. But the top position is not always required to get a good return on your advertising investment. We focus on the ultimate goal of driving qualified shoppers to your store and sales – not just top placement and clicks.

Miscellaneous

Do I need special software to run my store?

No. You can manage your store from most newer web browsers with Internet access.