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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a website template?

A website template is a package of folders, files, images, scripts, etc that are easily installed to give your website a completely new look while leaving the core content and functionality unchanged. In other words, it's like a skin that can give your website a new, professional appearance, without you having to do any design work or mess with code.

2. If I use a template for my site, will someone else have the same site?

It's possible, but highly unlikely. According to a Netcraft survey, as of 2009, there are over 230 million websites in existence. The odds of ever coming across someone with the same website template, let alone a competitor with the same template, are very, very slim.

3. What is osCommerce?

osCommerce is an open-source (free, maintained by the community) e-commerce a.k.a. shopping cart system. If you've ever thought of opening your own online store, osCommerce is a great option. It's free to use and there are a lot of modules out there to get your site operating and looking however you like.

If you'd like to read more about osCommerce, check out the official osCommerce site.

4. What's the difference between osCommerce 2.2 and 3?

The latest version of osCommerce is 3, but many users still choose to use 2.2 because although it isn't the newest it is the most well-supported by the community. It has a plethora of modules and modifications and has been tested thoroughly. Version 3 shows promise, but is still in its infancy (though it is considered stable, according to osCommerce).

If you don't have a specific need for something that version 3 offers, you may want to consider using 2.2 for now and upgrade later. For more information and advice on this decision, try the osCommerce forums.

5. What is STS (Simple Template System)?

STS (Simple Template System) is an easily-installed module for osCommerce version 2.2 that is necessary for your freeoscommerce.com template to work. It's needed because osCommerce 2.2 doesn't come with any built in template system, and setting up a template is therefore a painstaking process without the template system (and once a template is installed with STS it's easy to make future modifications as well). Rest assured, STS is easy to install.

6. Is it hard to install a template?

Installing a template is an easy process. That's the whole point -- the vast majority of the work is already done. Check out the osCommerce template installation section of the website for instructions on installing your osCommerce template. Generally speaking, a template (even those requiring the installation of the STS module) can be done in less than an hour.

7. Why don't you offer refunds?

Website templates are intangible goods -- unlike a pair of shoes, once you have the template there's really no way to give it back. This makes it difficult to offer refunds once a sale has been made. That said, there are numerous free templates available on the site that are built in the same way as the premium templates, providing you with an opportunity to thoroughly test the templates before deciding to purchase one.

8. Why should I buy a template?

Think of it this way. Time is money. You can scour the internet for free templates, spend days trying to get them to work, end up with a less-than-great looking site, and have not spent a dime -- but how much of your time (and in effect potential money) have you lost? A small investment in a reasonably priced template to make your website look great will pay off handsomely in the long run.