Renato Frota wrote:If I want multi stores and a high level of customization, I would simply setup multiple OpenCart stores or use the built-in multi-store function...
Sure, you can use multiple installations if you don't want to buy this. Mind you, you'll have to pay your hosting service a fee for hosting each of these sites. You'll also have multiple databases to maintain.
The built-in multi-store features of OpenCart are designed to work with a single vendor and a single database, and regardless of where those stores are located, ALL payments, shipping, etc. go through the main store.
Renato Frota wrote:For a new operation mode ("single-store/multi-vendor") where products are shipped by the vendors (a marketplace), the shipping cost SHOULD be calculated based in the vendor location. You can't avoid it...
In a standard OpenCart, admin user profiles only contain username, first name, last name, email, user group, password, password confirmation and status. No postcode. Shipping costs are NOT based on vendor location, they are based on product location.
The product-by-product shipping module you pointed to (from reading the description) allows the customer to choose a different shipping method for each product that they purchase (eg. UPS for Product A, flat rate for Product B, per item for Product C, weight-based for Product D, etc.). But, ALL products are still shipped from the SAME location.
Renato Frota wrote:... if it works this way than people interested in a "single-store/multi-vendors" system where the store owner is responsible for shipping the products ...
That's exactly how OpenCart works. The store owner (not the vendor) is responsible for shipping. This is because OpenCart has been designed for use by a SINGLE vendor. Even in a "multi-store" environment, ALL stores are owned by that single vendor.
Renato Frota wrote:(a very low percentage of stores have payments conditions like "pay vendor after the product is sold" - we have word for this business model in my country: consignação - translated by Google as "consignment" - I dunno if it's right)
Actually, that's not how "consignment" works. In a "consignment" situation, you are not selling the product yourself, someone else is selling it for you.