Virtuemart Multi Vendor - Marketplace setup

Here are step by step instructions to setup a marketplace like website with Virtuemart and our Multi Vendor Extension for Virtuemart.

STEP BY STEP Installation and setup:

- install mstng-all.zip

After installing go in Joomla admin >> plugins manger. There you see a license message about plugins. If you are testing the trial, just click 'Get Trial License' button to get your trial license from CodingMall.com. If you have bought the extension, please login to CodingMall.com with the account credentials sent to you in a separate email. If you don't find that email, please check your spam/bulk email folder. After login to our website, click 'Get Full License'. Then save the license file to your computer and then upload it using the file upload button in the license message. 

After license is uploaded correctly, the license invalid message will disappear automatically.

Then do the following;

- create a new user group "Vendors" (without quotes) in Joomla

- Go in user manager. Assign "Vendors" group to the users to those who are vendors and will sell their own products.

Other Settings:

- Go in virtuemart back end. Click 'Multi Store Control Center' (MSCC).

- Click 'Store Configuration' option. In this form 'Main Store' should show the url of your website. If it is not correct, make the correction. For example, it should be like example.com (without www) or if you are using a sub domin then make it like testing.example.com.

- Add a new store like 'storeone' and enter vendor's username in 'Vendor Username' field and click save.

- Now go in 'Vendor/Sub Store Rights & Configuration'. Set Shop, payment and shipment configuration options to YES  and click "Save".

- Now select "Global Setting for Vendors" in the drop down on top captioned as 'Select Store' in the same form.

- Set all items to YES but set content categories, items and modules to NO.

Testing:

Open a browser like Firefox and open Joomla admin in it.

Important: Open a different browser like Google Chrome and open front end of your website in it. Login as any front end user (whom you assigned as Vendor). Go in virtuemart menu. You should see vendor admin links to manange your products and many other things for your store.

Some Important Instructions:

- When you create a store, just write store name. Like

store1

store2

and so on. Do not write with full domain name like store1.example.com because that is the default domain.

- In a typical marketplace setup, allow all categories to 'All Stores' but do not tick the 'Allow all products' checkbox.

- Do not allow vendors to maintain categories. Set "Allow Maintain Categories" in "Global Settings for Vendors" option.

- You can access your vendor stores like following;

http://example.com/store2/

or

http://example.com/store1/

Here you will see only products which are entered by the vendor of that store. He can do that from 'Manage Your Store' links after login to front end.