Allow customers to submit quotes reqeusts

[mooreaa]

Hello,

I am looking into osCMax and have some questions regarding custom quotes.

Can this system handle a process by which a user submits a request (which may include specs or other custom fields) to us we review the request, and send back a customized quote that is available only to that user?

I am trying to use this system for a print shop and we would like to have the customer upload their graphics to us and then we will determine the costs and get back to them.

Can you tell me if this system can handle this kind of orders or if not where I might look for such a system?

[nostradamus]

is this what your looking for

osCommerce: File Upload .7 (for PA - Option Type Feature)

[mooreaa]

Not quite,

I'm looking for a way to have customers submit a request for a quote.

That request would show up similar to an order but I will have to send it back to the client with a price and perhaps some added attributes.

As an example, you have a jpeg image. You go to this site you upload the image and tell me what kind of print you want. You submit the request for the quote. I get the request, put a price on the request and send it back to you. Next time you come in you can see the quote, and if you like it, you can check out.

The reason i am wondering if this feature exists is because there are a lot of aspects to this that would make it complex to write my own implementation.

Things like having a time limit before the quote expires. Ability to have the client "accept" proofs before they order, ability for users to combine multiple quotes etc.

Just looking for a solution.

Thanks,

[met00]

not without a great deal of coding for the module. Here are the specs you defined

1) User adds a service to their cart and uploads image (bid)
2) You review service and make adjustments in the service and charges (quote)
3) You close the quote and the user is notified with an expiry time
4) User returns to open quote and either accepts or rejects

I can see this getting a great deal more complex as you add other options to a quote where the user can accept or reject individual option packages. That there could be expiry times for specific option packages that differ from the expiry time for the quote as a whole. etc.

This is a real can of worms.

[mooreaa]

met00 you nailed it. That is why I was wondering if there is some starting point for a system like this. I do not want to write a commerce system from the ground up because OSCmax already offers a lot of functionality and I'm just hoping there is a clean way to get these features. I'm prepared to write a lot of code for it, but I don't want to go and dissect OSCmax up to the point where its hard to install updates/upgrades.

I can see a few ways of doing this, including just adding new products that only show up for that user.

Hoping for suggestions on either other packages or where to start.

Thanks.

[jpf]

What you want is Easy Call for Price or Call For Pricing / Negotiable Pricing

Or - my fave - Linda's Free Call for Price



Good Luck!

[met00]

JPF, this is far more complex than a simple call for price.

Worse than using OSC for a project I turned down for a T-shirt store where you allow people to upload graphics for the shirt.

This is an open bid/quote system, and it is far more than OSC was ever designed to handle. You could kluge the hell out of OSCMax to do it, but the upgrade path would be hell from then on and it wouldn't be OSC anymore.

What is being asked for is a system where the user says that they want X done and they provide Z to be used. There is no pricing set for the project. It goes through a "false checkout" that puts it into the system in a "bid" state. Then that admin comes in, looks at the request and creates 1-N quote options from the bid (think of each as a unique product with an expiry date). The status is changed to QUOTE at that point and the user is notified. Then the user comes back in, makes final selection and close the quote, at which time they them process through checkout. OSC is just not designed for this sort of delayed negotiated transaction process.

In addition I see even more potential problems, like needing proof delivery and approval before checkout, etc.

It's adding a workflow quote/bid system to OSC. Believe me, I know this problem

"Fasturn's Private Marketplace allows retailers and manufacturers to work with existing suppliers and customers in a secure and private network. Fasturn's Private Marketplace solution delivers significant cost and time savings and gross margin enhancement by streamlining communication, standardizing workflow, consolidating data and offering real-time tracking of the production and procurement cycle."

I was Fasturn's CTO. This is a hydra that only get's worse everytime you whack a head off.