Then, as items are sold from the online store, the inventory is decreased. The shopping cart program seems to work well, and shows the color and size options selected on the product pages. Order notification to the merchant can be made via e-mail or fax, or viewed on a web interface. Tax is handled by tables that FreeMerchant updates monthly. The merchant inserts her state and ZIP code, and FreeMerchant takes it from there.
Shipping is rather sophisticated.
Payment can be made by check, money order, C.O.D., or credit card. Even if you don't use a payment gateway, the card numbers are received over a secure server and are checked for entry errors using the standard 10-mod checking formula. The confirmation explains that the order was placed through FreeMerchant, and invites your customer to set up a store there. The merchant can view orders over a secure web interface according to order status. For example, orders that have not been confirmed and shipped are designated with a red X, those shipped by a black truck, etc.