As most techies and programmers have heard, the Drupal CMS is an extremely flexible, dynamic, scaleable, and extendable platform.

However, when it comes to running e-Commerce, the field is filled with competing systems that challenge the Drupal framework (Magento, osCommerce, OpenCart, Spree, Zen Cart, etc.) and push it to some possibly unforeseen limits.

The question is, does Drupal do an incredible job running as an e-Commerce platform?

The answer? As with many things, yes, and no, depending on some specific requirements.

Drupal has some definite advantages when it comes to building an e-Commerce system; namely, the Ubercart (http://www.ubercart.org/) and UberPOS (http://www.uberpos.com/) modules plug in seamlessly, and the store is up and running immediately, just awaiting item descriptions and pictures.

Need to accept credit cards online or at a POS? It interfaces with Authorize.net (both SIM and CIM) and Paypal, two of the leading credit card processors.

Reporting? It provides built-in, customizable sales and product information.

Have a physical terminal? UberPOS will utilize a USB card reader!

Here’s the catch – if the need arises for discrete reporting or refunds, prepare to hire an expert to get you what you need.

The reporting system of UberCart is robust, but lacks some features that many shop owners would require, such as sales analysis and accurate to-date calculations. In addition, refunds can be a challenge, requiring customization for the flow to work correctly, as UberPOS does not offer CIM refunds out of the box!

All deficiencies aside, UberCart and UberPOS make Drupal 6 a powerful e-commerce platform, which has only been enhanced by Commerce in Drupal 7!

Look for integration to become even tighter and seamless as the Drupal project continues to grow!

For more information, please see the project pages at drupal.org:

http://drupal.org/project/ubercart

http://drupal.org/project/uberpos

http://drupal.org/project/commerce