This is the best shopping cart around... but I only use it for the catalog and it is fantastic.

The import and product entry section could use some vast improvements - but the core extension is perfect!

There is so much hype about this app and when you look at it, it really does look good.

Problem is, there are severe problems in the core of this app. Problems that have been posted on the developer's forum since last year, yet still not addressed nor even replied to.

The two biggest problems are:

1. Import of CSV product data does not work.
2. If using sales tax, pricing does not work!!!

If you're only having a dozen products or so, you may be able to live with not being able to import your products - but the developer has been aware of this bug for over a year and hasn't fixed it.

Random pricing? Actually, random discount pricing! Sales tax is usually subtracted after being subjected to seemingly random math functions.

I'm a web developer/database guy and have installed hundreds of Joomla (and other) components, plug-ins, etc., so it's not like I'm some newbie user who doesn't read manuals.

One annoying bug in the /administrator/index2.php file will keep loggin you out, but is easily fixed by adding ob_start(); immediately after the first php tag (include the semi-colon).

Unfortunately, the other bugs aren't so easily fixed.

- Hank Castello

I like this solution a lot, it is very easy to use and has helped me a lot in my business. I have experienced problems with the CSV upload it did not work with it's own product export but other than that i have nothing to complain about. I know it does not officially support Joomla! 1.5 yet but I discovered in legacy mode it does work if you replace the php on line 19 to read


global $mosConfig_absolute_path, $product_id, $vmInputFilter, $category_id;

after that it works with everything except front end administration.

This is the best such component for Joomla at all. It has several small bugs but I never saw software without bugs.
Many peaople here talking about support. I know, it's not the best. But I think many of this people forgeting very, very important thing;
this is FREE (in every sense) component. Tha author has invested many, many work in this compoenent and I believe we should be very thankful for this work, and for sharing it with the comunity.
So as I said: This is the best such component for Joomla at all

Virtuemart is one of those things that makes Joomla so great. It's still far from perfect, but it already as good as most commercial softwares. Thank you...

There is a lot of promise with Virtuemart but it just doesn't deliver in terms of development and support. The USPS shipping module has troubled users for MONTHS and nobody seems to have an answer to getting it to work. And there are a few other glitches here and there that require you to hack the code and get them working...the real solution would be to update the component to include those fixes, but so far it feels like the developers are just overwhelmed. I'll keep watching for it to mature, however, because it shows so much potential.

This component is impressive--and gets the job done. As previous posters have noted, serious customization can be daunting. But for someone new to eCommerce or with middle range Joomla skills this will get you what you need to be up and running.

The site that this was deployed on took some time--osCommerce was evaluated and discarded, and $130 was spent on a buggy DigiStore and mambot which proved completely worthless for tangible goods selling. With time running out, this option was installed--and covers all the bases!

OOTB setup will take a little time--some items are not intuitive or things that most will not want are turned on by default like the rating feature. Version 1.1.13a corrects some of the complaints made earlier--but also makes certain 3rd party modules or mambots obsolete. But we all know that it is just a matter of time before that catches up.

Want great eCommerce that is well integrated with Joomla? This is it, and tremendous thanks to the developers.

It's actually the best e-commerce solution for Joomla, but it's a bit hard to manage and, especially, to style.

I was able to do all the tasks I needed with this component, but still wishing there was a simplified version - because there are so many options it's confusing for the administrator and, sometimes, even for the user.

I give it five stars because it would be unfair to rate less such an extensive work. But it's not perfect yet.

I've tried OSCommerce, Zen Cart and CRE Loaded. They are all the same except CRE Loaded is better because it has been preloaded with more than 80 major contributions. Their main weakness of course with Register Global is "on" (as opposed to "off" in VM)that even me (I'm not a coder) can break all OSCommerce based installations. All the contributions (which is similar with component/module/mambot in Joomla/VM) are based on clean OSCommerce installation. So, once you install a contribution (they don't have installer like Joomla, the only way to install a contribution is to hack the core files), it will be hard to install another contribution. The more contributions you install, the harder will it be. Very frustrating and a lot of time consuming!

Currently they are in the path of combining shopping cart with CMS which is exactly Joomla/VM doing. So, would you rather use the one that is already mature and well proven like Joomla/VM or the one that just starts to enter the race? I myself would rather go with Joomla/VM because they are the future! Not to mention the free of charge (with CRE you have to pay more than $350 for just a couple of additional features) and top of the notch best CMS system in the world. Joomla and VM plus sh404SEF are the perfect combinations for the best SEF CMS shopping cart system. And don't forget to utilize the caching engine extensions that have been ready for you to use. Brilliant! The beauty of Open Source.

It works as what a shopping cart application should do.

It allows you to configure an item price based on the customer groups.

I wish there is a better reporting tool such as listing all items with all the prices for the customer groups on 1 single page. This report helps me to review my pricing strategy. As of now, I have to open every single item and check the various customer groups for their pricing. It is not a big deal if you have less than 20 items. However, as you add more items, then it becomes an issue.

The other issue that I am still having with the latest release (1.0.13a) is with the paypal module. The paypal module works, except that virtue mart sends the purchase email to both me and the buyer right after they buyer clicks "confirm order" button, but before the buyer completes the paypal transaction.

Furthermore, order status is not updated even after paypal transaction is successful.

So here is the sequence:

1) buyer checks out, completing the registration, shipping address, etc.

2) on the last screen before the buyer is sent to paypal website, the buyer must click "confirm order".

3) the buyer clicks "confirm order".

4) (ISSUE #1). virtue mart will send email to the buyer and me (store owner) indicating that there is a new order, and update the virtue mart order database indicating this new order. This new order is marked as "pending". i.e waiting for paypal payment completion.
why does virtue mart sends the email before the payment is cleared ? It might give a false impression to the buyer that he had a successful order even before the buyer complete the paypal transaction. In my opinion, the email should be sent after step 6 below.
I know that this is not a major issue. Who would try to mess up my store by submiting order, but not paying... ?? LOL.

5) the buyer is directed to paypal website to complete the paypal payment.

6) after the buyer completes the paypal transaction, the buyer will be redirected back to my store.

7) (ISSUE #2) Even after paypal transaction is cleared (i.e. successfully charged the buyer's account and transfer the money to my paypal account), the order status in virtue mart database remains in "pending" state. I must manually set it to "confirmed" state.
This is a major issue if you have large number of purchase a day.

I hope I could get some help for issue 1 and 2 above. However, I have no luck getting some help/tips regarding the 2 issues above from virtue mart forum.

Overall, virtue mart works fine for me. My store is small, so I don't bother with the 2 issues above for now. I give 4 stars to virtue mart for all the other good features.


Note that I also have another online store using Zen Cart. I don't have the above 2 issues with Zen Cart. the only negative of zen cart is that zen cart does not work with joomla.

I've had limited experience with this component (1 site) but actually found the code to be relatively transparent, lean, and easy to mod. May be because I'm comparing it to Community Builder.

Someone mentioned that adding items is difficult--not true in the latest version at least, which can import/export csv.

The only real issue with VirtueMart is that it is a work in progress and thus missing some features that other free solutions like Zen Cart provide out of the box. I found many tweaks and mods in the growing forum but the fact there are that many of them spells the shortcomings of the core code. If you don't code, before you opt for VirtueMart, make sure it supports all or most of the features you need. The forum will not help you much if you can't code.

If you have some tweaking experience, you can indeed do a whole lot with VM as I found it to be quite flexible.

I installed the prepackaged version of Virtuemart & Joomla, and I was very excited about getting going with it. Unfortunately, my excitement soon turned to frustration and disappointment.
If you need multiple taxes, like I do in Quebec, Canada, where there is a tax on a tax, don't even bother trying VM. By law, we have to show both taxes and what was charged.
I wanted to have downloadable gift certificates. Can't do that either.
There were errors in the shipping calculations.
After seeing the Editor's Pick on this product, I was quite surprised as to the functioning (or lack thereof) of this product.
And there is almost no support in the forums.
Like I said, very disappointing.
Even though Joomla is my favorite CMS, I may go with a dedicated non-Joomla e-commerce package. I haven't been able to find a Joomla based system that works well for what I need.

After using osCommerce and then using Virtuemart I have to say that Virtuemart is superior by far. If I could only leave my review there I would give Virtuemart five stars, however, a component or module is only as good as it's support. While seeking information during the configuration I found myself spending hour after hour sifting through hundreds of forum posts. Many of these posts are unanswered leading to dead-ends and others have incorrect information which caused the greatest of sins, wasted time.

Virtuemart is Great! Support is Dreadful! If you are a professional designer or a very good amateur designer you should use this component. I would have to recommend to newbees to stay away form this component.

If you want a solid, well integrated cart, you can't go wrong.
This is a nice component with poor documentation - don't expect that you will be able to fully customize this easily, but it is a great project.
Solid and consistent development behind this project, but limited or non-existent user documentation.
Overall, an excellent addition to the Joomla world - much needed and much appreciated by myself and others seeking rapid implementations.
I donated - did you??
If you are a newbie or don't have extensive web skills, you can set up an easy to use and easy to maintain small cart system with this component with no problems. It works well with PayPal, so if you want to get running quickly and cheaply, this is the best I have found.
Advanced developers can also get a lot out of this - solid framework for future development and growth - I hope this project continues to get support and grow.
If you are a designer you will be frustrated by the lack of integrated styles and the fact that there is poorly written HTML littered throughout this project.
If you already have a cart "design" in mind, stick with something with greater flexibility on the design side.

Yes, its very easy to setup and configure with joomla. However, it has an extensive amount of bugs and issues that need to be worked out, and there is virtually no support or help in their forums.
My problem is the shopping cart will not reset if you try to remove an item. So if a user is logged in and wants to remove an item from their cart they are SOL. try another extension and save yourself alot of frustration.