Download (Package Options: Ecommerce | Full | Upgrade) Many facility extensions available at this link (shipping, payment...)

The report tells you some of the basics of VM. Here's some detail extra to the report for those embarking on using VM and a run through configuring/customising it.

• There's quite a number of useful modules which get installed with the "Ecommerce" version, you can find them all easily in the modules list if you look for "virtuemart" in the "Type" column (right). You'll need to carefully choose which ones to use, or you'll overload the appearance and navigation areas of your site.
• If you install VM with sample data, it's pretty quick to get selling:
• ENTRY LEVEL READY
  • The following gets you going with a working product ready to sell via Paypal
    
  • Go to configuration admin>configuration and make the obvious changes, get tax sorted out and notice that there are 5 tabs to configure. If the product(s) you're setting up are downloadable, also configure that here.
  • Go to store>edit store and change the sample details as follows
    
  • Rename a category for your product (at the bottom of the individual categories screen make sure the Category browse page is the same for all the categories - (browse_3 ?), and select the number of products you want across the page here - these two configurations can be hard to find later.
    
  • Rename a product for that category, replace the other data (pics, price, description etc), and if it's a downloadable product, also configure that here.
    
  • Turn off or delete the other products, then the same for any other categories.
    
  • Go to store>payment methods and configure Paypal (turn off test if you're ready and enter your Paypal ID)
    
  • Go to the mainmenu menu>mainmenu at the top of your Joomla! administrator screen and check for a menu link for VM. (depends on the type of install you did). If not there, add one (component link), then if you are also using another menu (topmenu?) go and do a link to the main menu VM address.
    
  • That's pretty much it especially if you are selling a downloadable product (about 10 minutes work once you know what to do). If it's a regular item, you'll need to work out tax for different jurisdictions, shipping and perhaps other payment methods than Paypal.
  • Troubleshooting:
  • Did you publish (turn on) your category and product(s) ?
    
• ADVANCED LEVEL
  
  • If you have html/css skills, you will want to modify the layout pages in the directory yoursite.com/administrator/components/com_virtuemart/html/templates
    (actual template pages used are specified in the setup screens you went through - default in the Ecommerce version are : shop.flypage, browse_1, browse_3)
    If you find it confusing as to which are being used where, then add some characters into the template files and see where they show up on the site. This is much easier to do on a local server Joomla! installation.
• TIPS & TRICKS
  • If you want to calculate shipping by weight, there's a modified file in the downloads section you can use, with a file in the zip containing instructions to get it fully working
  • If you're using Open-SEF download the file Open_SEF-VM and place as detailed in the top of the file
    Once a sale goes to Paypal, if it doesn't complete there, the sale will still be made, but marked "Pending"
  • If you initially have a lot of products, you can set them up in a text file and upload them and create product records. See : Products>CSV Upload in the VM menus.