Does Miva or SelectNet offer instructions on how to build a store?

Miva offers complete instructions on setting up your store through the use of very comprehensive help menus. SelectNet provides installation and hosting of your Miva store on our servers. However, if you need consulting for configuration or customization of your storefront, we can provide it for an additional fee.

Can I change the look of my site?

Yes, you have complete control over what the site looks like. Miva provides some basic templates to work from. You can also work without the templates and create your own site from scratch.

How long will it take to set up my account?

SelectNet can usually set your account up within two business days.

Does Miva work with my domain name? What will the URL of the store be?

Yes, Miva does work with your domain name. If you don't have a domain name registered yet, you can get one when you set up a SelectNet E-Commerce Plan (one domain is included). If you already have a domain name, you should adjust it so that it is pointing to your SelectNet Commerce site. If the domain is with SelectNet, we can do that for you. However, if the domain is hosted elsewhere, you'll have to work with that ISP to point your domain to your SelectNet e-commerce site (or move the domain to SelectNet). You can call SelectNet Customer Service at 760-438-9555 for more information.

Is there a limit to the number of products I can have in my web store?

No, there are no artificial limits to the number of products you can display in a Miva Merchant-enabled web store.

What types of real time payment options are available?

SelectNet E-commerce plan customers can use one of the many payment gateways available, such as Verisign, Authorize.Net and Cardservice International. To do real-time credit card processing over the Internet you must have some combination of a gateway and merchant account. Be sure your business' merchant account is compatible with the payment gateway you choose.

What is a 'payment gateway' and what does it do?

The payment gateway is the agency responsible for verifying credit card information and affirming that there are sufficient funds to cover a purchase. Examples of these are Authorize.net, Verisign, and Linkpoint API (from Cardservice International). These companies pass the information to their merchant bank that in turn contacts the credit card issuer, which approves or denies credit. Notice of approval or denial is then forwarded back down the chain to the merchant. You must have a payment gateway attached to your account to do real-time credit card processing over the Internet.

What is a 'merchant account' and what is it used for?

The last link in the chain is your merchant account. This is an account held for you by a merchant bank that credits you for your approved e-commerce transactions. You must have a merchant account to do real-time credit card processing. Cardservice International provides merchant accounts and they integrate seamlessly with Linkpoint API. You can also check with your existing bank for information about their merchant accounts. Please be sure they are compatible with your merchant account.

What support does SelectNet offer for Miva Merchant and Miva Order?

SelectNet provides the installation of the Miva Merchant or Miva Order software on our servers for your hosting account, but nothing more. You can get any other support you need directly from Miva. If you would like us to help you configure or customize your site we can provide that service through a consulting arrangement.

What support does Miva offer? How can I contact them?

Miva provides technical support for its products through the Miva Incident Reporting System and sponsored user group forums. Users that have installation, operational or upgrade issues, can contact a Miva technical support representative by telephone or e-mail to receive specific assistance. More advanced users are invited to contact one of the user group forums that offer focused discussion on feature usage with experienced members of the Miva community.

You can go directly to the Miva support pages on the web for information and support (and indeed, this should be your first stop), e-mail Miva support at support@miva.com, or call their support department at 858-490-2570.

Why doesn't SelectNet offer full support for Miva Merchant?

Although we do a lot of programming and Web development, Miva is a new product for us. The Miva support group is much more capable of handling any questions or problems that might arise with your store. If there are issues or problems with our server or your hosting service in general, support is included with your hosting plan.

What payment methods can I accept online?

You can accept credit cards in real time using a gateway and merchant account. You can accept credit cards and run them through a batch processor at another location, but this will not allow you to do real-time processing. You can also have the customer fill out the order form online and send payment (such as a check or money order) through the mail. Most successful Internet stores use real-time credit card processing.

Do the SelectNet E-Commerce Plans limit what credit cards can I accept?

No, but your merchant account and payment gateway must support the particular card. It will be up to you to contact your merchant account company and find out what cards they accept.

How secure are the SelectNet E-Commerce Plans?

SelectNet storefronts run at the HTML page level and are therefore compatible with all security systems in use on the Internet today. On the HTTP server side, they are fully tested and integrated with SSL switching using Apache web servers. You can also download your orders in secure mode using SSL. With SSL (Secure Socket Layer), all information between the customer's browser and the web server is encrypted, so that sensitive information (such as credit card numbers) can be safely sent across the Internet.

How do I get my orders?

Miva-enabled storefronts will notify you by e-mail that you have received an order. You will then be able to securely log on to your web-based order management system to view, archive, and delete orders. Confidential information such a credit card information is never transmitted by e-mail. By using a gateway, credit card transactions will be processed using industry endorsed SET secure technology.

Can I use SQL with Miva Merchant?

While it's technically possible to use MySQL or MSSQL, Miva Merchant doesn't support those databases. If you choose to run either one with Miva, neither SelectNet nor Miva can give you support. Miva comes with its own database that is scalable for most applications.

Can I add Miva Merchant to my existing SelectNet hosting account?

No, you must open a new E-Commerce hosting plan. Currently, we offer Miva on our Unix hosting platform. If you have an NT based account, your site will need to be moved to the Unix platform.

Can I run multiple stores with my single Miva Merchant license?

No. Each Miva store requires its own license.

Why did SelectNet choose Miva Merchant? What about other options?

SelectNet chose Miva Merchant primarily for its ease of use. It's simple enough for anyone to build a basic store, but has substantial features that provide a very high degree of customization.

What if I don't like Miva Merchant? Can I use a different shopping cart?

Our E-Commerce hosting packages are bundled with the Miva Merchant and Miva Order products in mind. If you wish to use your own shopping cart or go with another product, there may be configuration issues that affect our servers, payment gateway issues, etc. However, we may be able to configure a custom hosting package for you. Please contact us at webmaster@select.net to discuss this option.