I have not used the catalog feature yet, don't know why, maybe scared it will screw up my site, I don't know.

Those that have used this feature, can you explain what it is and how it works, and it's advantages?

Well, its a catalog....lol. Seriously, I use one in a veteran's site that I got fairly close in design to feature the products in my CafePress shop.
http://www.usasadf.net/supply/index.php

In catalog - no shopping cart. Turn pricing on or off. In the one I'm using I have a text link to the exact item on CafePress for ordering. I also am using a page of the shop for Amazon items (as an associate). Not happy with that and will switch to an Amazon Web Store for that.

In a real commerce type of operation I would use the Catalog in a more B2B and high cost situation where many options and configurations are normal and sales are completed by purchase orders and contracts. I think also I might use it in a lower cost area, if a lot of customization and made to order type items are involved.

Th

Thanks Tom.
So is this an alternative to an actual shop online? One that would still show the same products but without the prices? Or can you have both on your website? Both a shop and a catalog?

I am just not sure I understand the use of this catalog feature. There is absolutely nothing in the,so called, owners manual.

Think of it this way. A catalog is just a website. You can't buy anything from it.

Hey Scott, that's true for direct payments but I think it is viable in certain narrow ways as I mentioned in my post above. I''m glad the option is there, personally.

Steven, everything is pretty much the same --- just that the shopping cart portion is disabled and not there.

Other possible uses of the catalog operation -- all sorts of unique online collections display for personal or other reasons (I was developing a on-line collections display for a small museum -- until they went belly up). It could even be used as a different type of photo album.

Th

All good info, but to answer my question, can you have both on your site; a catalog and a store??

I would think yes, if with different names and placed in different folders.

Th

Interesting, thank you Tom

I would be interested to see what others have done with this catalog feature. Any one else out there got one??

I wish I could use it to print out a catalog to mail when asked for one.....

That is exactly what I was thinking the purpose of the catalog was. Why have a catalog that can't be printed? Your entire site (shopping cart) is a catalog. Why would you want more pages that look the same but without prices?

Does anyone have a catalog on there site that we can look at?