Q: What is a DOMAIN NAME REGISTRAR?
A: A Registrar is like a "lender". You buy the domain name through this licensed organization, pay them annually to keep the name, and if you default or fail to renew it, they take it back. Once you "buy it" you can do whatever you want with it: host it, sit on it, point it, park it.

Q: Is the "hosting provider" the same as the REGISTRAR?
A: No. But a Registrar can and many do, provide hosting services to their customers. Once you have a domain, you need site hosting so you can share your site with everyone on the net. You can select any hosting provider to host your site. So check out what the provider offers and make sure you're signing up for exactly what you need, nothing less and nothing more.
SIDE NOTE: Hosting providers can provide Domain Registration services if they are certified or process registration through an affiliate registration service.

Q: Do I need a shopping cart and a merchant account to sell products and/or services online?
A: If you are selling services or products through your website, you should have a shopping cart. This will allow customers or potential customers to puchase from you instantly, without the need to call or email you with their request. If you are only selling a couple items or services, you probably won't need a full fledged shopping cart. You may want to consider using BUY NOW buttons instead. The difference is how your transactions are handled and cost - seamless to your customer. BUY NOW buttons usually have a built in fee-based processing service which requires you to sign up, but no monthly recurring fees. PayPal is a good example of a service that offers BUY NOW buttons. No statement fees, no monthly recurring fees, etc. Most standard shopping carts require you to have or sign up for an actual "merchant account" which requires an application process and monthly recurring fees. However, with a merchant account, you will be able to process credit cards both on and offline.

More to come!