Magentocommerce.com - Build An E-Commerce Platform

Magento aims to be the easiest and best open source e-commerce platform for online retailers. (Open-source meaning that anyone can download, copy or modify the program. Very cool). Fed up with the cost and inefficiencies in other platforms, Magento has many features including customer communication, ship to multiple addresses, search, product comparison, product tagging, product reviews, wishlist, checkout, shopping cart, customer accounts, multiple payment methods and shipping methods, etc. The site is still in early beta phase and they do not recommend any companies using it for retail sales at this point, but they do hope people download and try the program for testing purposes.

"Varien is a web development firm devoted to creating engaging web sites, rich internet applications, and innovative user experiences. We pride ourselves on effectively and consistently integrating new web technologies with user-friendly interface design.



In the past five years, Varien has fully invested itself in web commerce and is now one of a leading open-source eCommerce providers. Over time, we grew frustrated with the reliability of open-source eCommerce solutions available... out of these frustrations came Magento, an open-source eCommerce solution offering unprecedented flexibility and control. Come along for the ride, and see how Magento can change the way you do business online."

The fact that this cool product is free and 'open source' is a huge testament to the character of the creators and their true commitment to making the best ecommerce platform for all to use and share. I also liked their "community platform" which solicited and encouraged feedback from the online community about their product.

Did I miss the pricing scheme for this product? How are they going to make a profit from this product?