FAQ You asked. We answered.

General

Who is Make-a-Store?
Make-a-Store is the provider of an all-in-one hosted shopping cart solution named Divinity E-commerce Suite. Our hosted shopping cart software allows you to build and manage an online store to effectively sell products and services on the Internet.

Does Make-a-Store provide products for me to sell?
No. If you don't have products, we recommend looking at various drop shippers and warehouses for help.

I don't have any experience building websites. Can I still use Make-a-Store?
Yes! Our software is very user-friendly. Many clients have built their website for the first time with us. We also offer several online resources, online technical support and professional services to help make your storefront look great.

Can I use Make-a-Store's products and services if I live outside the US?
Yes, we have many clients around the world.

Can I access my store from any computer?
Yes, you can log in to your online store from any computer, as long as it has Internet access.

Can I build my entire site with Make-a-Store?
Yes, the majority of our clients do this. Our software allows you to easily build unlimited content pages for your website.

Are there any limitations to the free version?
Not many. You're unable to add any Divinity Apps and can only load up to 100 products. There is also a lack of FTP access.

I have a large business. Is Make-a-Store right for me?
Make-a-Store is used by many industry leaders operating large enterprise businesses. Beyond our standard ecommerce packages, we also offer semi-dedicated and enterprise solutions. For more information, please schedule a consultation with a sales consultant.

What are the Make-a-Store Affiliate and Reseller Programs?
The Make-a-Store Reseller Program is an opportunity for companies and individuals to provide Make-a-Store as an ecommerce solution to their clients. For example, if you are a web designer with a client needing an online store, you can sign up as a reseller and create their website with our solution. Click here to learn more and apply online.

Design

How do I design my website?
There are several ways to design your storefront. We provide a number of free templates that you can choose and change at any time. You can modify these templates or build one from scratch using HTML and CSS. We also offer premium templates and design services if you would like our design experts to create something fully custom for your business.

What design services does Make-a-Store offer?
We offer several options to help build a beautiful site to impress your customers. Our experts can design an entire website for you or simply create specific pieces. To see the full custom design offering, take a look here.

How does the custom design process work?
First, you must be a current Make-a-Store store owner since we only provide design services to our customers. Then, pick out the custom design option that meets your needs. We'll send over a written questionnaire to learn what you're looking for. Once you submit that back to us, our design experts will hold a consultation with you and begin working. You'll receive three rounds of revision to ensure we created exactly what you're looking for.

Can I integrate Make-a-Store into my existing website?
There are several options to do so. First, if you would like to use Make-a-Store only for your storefront, you can do so by creating a subdomain (e.g. www.store.yourdomain.com). Or, you can simply link products from your current website over to our shopping cart and checkout page.

Domain Names & Hosting

What is a domain name?
A domain name is your web address. For example, our domain is www.Make-a-Store.com. This is what people will type into the address bar of their browser to find your website.

How do I get a domain name?
You can obtain a domain name with GoDaddy here . Simply search for the domain you want and purchase.

I already have a domain. Can I continue to use it with my Make-a-Store store?
Yes. Upon purchase of your ecommerce package, we'll provide you with our DNS settings to easily point your domain over to our servers.

Is Make-a-Store hosting my website?
Yes, we are a fully hosted solution so we'll be hosting your website on our premium servers. The hosting is fully included in your monthly package.

Is my website and customer information secure with Make-a-Store?
Absolutely! We have taken every measure possible to ensure the safety and security of your business' sensitive information.

Do you provide Live Chat software?
Our Live Chat software will be released very soon. With Make-a-Store Live Chat, you can offer real-time help, video, and support while customers are browsing your website. This software works much like an instant messaging system and helps convert sales by immediately answering customer inquiries.

Payment Processing

How can I accept payment from my customers?
There are several ways to collect payment from customers when they order from your website. First, we are integrated with Checkout by Amazon, Amazon FPS, PayPal Website Payments Pro (formerly PayPal Direct Checkout), PayPal Express Checkout (Shortcut and Mark Flow), and Google Checkout. You can also accept all major credit cards directly from your website, as long as you have a merchant account and processing gateway. Make-a-Store gateway partner provides merchant accounts for your credit card processing needs.

Can I use my existing merchant account with Make-a-Store?
Yes, as long as the payment gateway is compatible with our system, you can use an existing merchant account. Here is a list of our compatible gateways.

Tell me more about Inspire Commerce Merchant Services.
Inspire Commerce Merchant Services provides online site owners with a low-cost, all in one online merchant account and gateway solution. You can accept credit cards for payment directly on your site and have those funds placed directly into your bank account.

Plans & Pricing

How does Make-a-Store 's pricing work?
We're a month to month solution with no contracts. This means that you'll pay for our software and hosting services once per month via debit or credit card. The price depends on the ecommerce solution you create.

If my needs expand, can I upgrade my package in the future?
Of course! You can upgrade your solution at any time for no additional fee. Simply log in and shop for what you need or call Sales at 1.866.962.7462.

Can I cancel anytime?
Yes, without penalty. To cancel, please submit the online cancellation form.

Do I receive email accounts with my store?
Yes, we support Business Gmail with your Make-a-Store store. This is fully included in your plan and allows you to directly communicate with your customers using your Domain name (e.g. email@yourStore.com).

How do I change my Divinity Solution?
To add more Apps or resources simply go to our site and shop. To downgrade your solution, submit a ticket to us.

How do I update my account information?
You can securely update your account, including contact information, credit card number and store plan at https://www.make-a-store.com/index.php?page=login.

Purchasing

I'm ready to purchase. What do I do?
It's simple. Click here, select the plan you need and follow the instructions from there. If you need assistance, give our sales team a call at 1.866.962.7462.

Can I keep all my work from the free trial?
Absolutely. All the work from the free trial can be seamlessly moved to your actual store. Speak to your account rep for more info.

How long does it take to set up my store when I purchase?
After purchase, we'll have your store tested and placed on our servers within one to two business days.

What is the one-time licensing fee for?
It gives you the legal right to use our ecommerce software as specified in our license agreement.

Do I have to purchase my SSL certificate when I purchase my store?
No, you don't have to purchase your SSL certificate at the same time as your ecommerce package. We do, however, recommend purchasing the SSL certificate 2-5 business days before going live so we have enough time to install it. If you're only using Checkout by Amazon, Google Checkout, or PayPal to process payments, you don't need an SSL certificate.

SSL Certificates

What is an SSL certificate?
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. This certificate, in essence, is a tool that encrypts credit card data as it moves across the Internet. Encryption involves converting the credit card number into a code that cannot be deciphered. An SSL is required for online transactions to protect you and your customers' sensitive information. We provide a free shared SSL certificate. A shared certificate is only different in that when your customer access any secure information the address bar/url in the browser will look like:
https://YourStoreName.make-a-store.com.

If you purchase your own SSL certificate the URL will display as:
https://www.YourStoreName.com .

Do I need an SSL certificate?
If you're accepting credit cards through your site, you must have a SSL certificate to sell online with Make-a-Store. If you're only using PayPal or Google Checkout to process payments, you don't need one.

Shopping Cart Software Capabilities

How do I know how well my site is doing?
We are seamlessly integrated with Google Analytics and Ecommerce Tracking. You can use our built-in reporting tools to track the performance of your website. You can easily track your most popular products, most viewed categories and order volume, just to name a few. You can even run custom reports with our system.

How can I quickly transfer data from my current online store to Make-a-Store?
Use our Database import/export tool. This allows you to place your products, customers and other data sets into a spreadsheet and directly import into our system. This is extremely helpful when you have a large amount of data to place into your Make-a-Store store.

Can I sell my products overseas?
Yes, simply select which countries you want to sell to and make sure you've made proper arrangements with your shipping provider. We also integrate services from Bongo International.

Can I accept multiple currencies?
With our currency converter, you're able to display prices in any currency, allowing you to sell all over the world.

Can I use my negotiated shipping rates?
If you have a relationship with UPS, USPS, FedEx or Canada Post, simply enter your account information into the Make-a-Store admin. Our system will pull those rates directly from their databases.

Can I print shipping labels?
Yes, you can print shipping labels directly from the admin area of the software for FedEx and use 3rd party software for UPS, USPS, and others..

How do people find my site in search engines?
We have incorporated several highly effective search engine optimization (SEO) tools to help increase your search engine visibility without any coding knowledge. By using these tools to their full ability, it will dramatically improve your search ranking. This will help customers find your website.

We also provide professional marketing services to drive traffic to your site. We can run a Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign, or fully manage the SEO of your site with our Search Engine Marketing (SEM) services.

Does the Make-a-Store software keep track of my inventory?
Yes, you can easily track the stock status of all your products. The software will automatically deduct an item from your inventory upon each sale. It can also send an alert when you're running low on a particular item.

How can I communicate with my drop shipper?
It's easy. With our automatic drop shipping apps, you can send over all order information to your drop shipper or warehouse via email. This allows you to process all orders without ever having to physically handle a product.

How do I charge taxes to my customers?
First, you'll need to become familiar with the tax laws that apply to your specific location to make sure you're in compliance with all state and federal regulations. With our software, you can configure your store to automatically process tax charges for the country, state, and zip code level.. Additionally we support SpeedTax tax services.

Can I sell downloadable products with Make-a-Store?
On top of services and physical products, you can also sell downloadable products (i.e. MP3s, PDFs, etc.) using our system. We currently have several clients who are industry leaders successfully selling digital products.

Does Make-a-Store support membership/subscription sites?
Yes, with our Membership Access System app and Recurring Billing App, you can quickly put together a website that requires login credentials to access your online store.

Does Make-a-Store support sites in any language?
You can truly sell worldwide with Make-a-Store thanks to our multi-language site capabilities. This means that you can have all site content in any language, including the checkout page.

Does Make-a-Store support sites in any multiple languages?
Yes, just add the Multi-language App to your solution.

Does Make-a-Store integrate with third party applications?
We have a well-developed, open API that allows for third party software integrations. For more information, check out our developer wiki.