I've actually been working on the merchant's problem for 2 years and there isn't a single commercially available product that meets his specific needs. They are: It must be very, very simple. He's not tech-savvy and never will be. He sells products in two different currencies, JPY and USD. He has to buy his Asian inventory in Yen and to protect himself from currency fluctuations he requires payment for Asian products in Yen. Items procured from the US and any other non-Asian country are paid for in Yankee dollars. Currency conversion at the time of sale is not acceptable (see above). He and I have been through this requirement dozens of times and it is what it is: He has to sell in two different currencies and the Yen products cannot be converted into $. His products are not illicit in case someone is wondering. He sells expensive hobby stuff in small volumes. An out of the box shopping cart that accepts two concurrent currencies does not exist. Custom work would be needed and he can't afford that. I've tried two sites with one launchpad (each store with a separate currency) but that creates product catalog issues. And going back to bullet 1 it confuses him. He's very smart and a brilliant craftsman but he's flat out dumb when it comes to computers! And I say that as his friend. He wants and needs an inventory management system. Many of the free and commercial carts meet his needs for inventory management but they always fall short when it comes to the cart or some other factor. PayPal invoicing works best for him because he can set the currency and price as needed. Ideally, his site would display the product price in the desired currency and provide a cart-like experience for the customer. Checking out would collect the user's contact and shipping info but not attempt to take payment. It doesn't even have to tally the total purchase price, collect tax, or calculate shipping. His customers are used to placing orders without knowing the total cost (it's a small and trusting market). All the above led to my question. I was certain the answer would be that PayPal cannot process an order without collecting payment but I was hoping for some creative idea that has escaped me all this time. Oh, and his Catch 22 situation is that he can't pay for custom Web development until he expands his online sales. But he can't expand sales without a more friendly way of selling. I'd loan him the money but I don't have it, either! Failing a lighting bolt of creativity, I will use a simple database for inventory and to display the product catalog dynamically. Ordering will be done through a mail form and he will continue to invoice as he does today.
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