Should I continue creating Online Shop using HTML&CSS?

[mrblond]

Me: experienced graphic designer and inexperienced web developer but anyway I need an online shop to offer collectibles.

I hold my own style so I've just started developing the site using Microsoft Expression Web (html & css). The things went ahead pretty good and now the main pages are ready and I've even started adding products manually.

The site (shop): There are five main categories (collections) with 5 to 50 subcategories. Each of the main categories will probably contain 1,000+ items (even 5,000+, if things go well).

Well, I browse forums here and there and came across the CMS discussions. I don't like most of the suggestions there and I want the site I've just created.

In case that I'll be the only one who will be occupied with the site:


1. Should I continue this way or a CMS is a must?

2. If it is a must, can I create one by myself? Can you suggest some tutorials for that, please?

3. If it is not possible for beginner to create one, can you suggest some source for free CMS code which to be added and adjusted to my html site?

4. Anyway, can you suggest some source for free "Buy buttons/Shopping Form/Cart" code to be added and adjusted to my products or tutorials to create ones by myself?

Thanks for the answers in advance.

PS: I will probably add a "Virtual POS Terminal" later when the site is hosted and started.

[mlseim]

Let's say that you decide not to use a CMS (content management system). Who will be adding the items, updating them, and handling inventory on them? Someone that will need to edit the website and the pages every day?

My point is ... you do need a database. It doesn't really need to be too complicated, but as you'll find out, someone will want it to do something else ... you'll have to create that function, and then again, and then again, etc.

If you use a premade system, even a site hosted by square, all of the inventory, transactions, online shopping, credit cards, POS terminal ... it would all be there for you, without any scripting.