Ask HN: Set up own eCommerce Site vs Hosted one

I'm more of an infrastructure kind of guy that dabbles in websites, some basic programming and such for learning and (fun). I was asked this question by someone looking to set up a small Internet store (eCommerce) selling some things for decorating the house.

Now, there are plenty of choices, Magento being the most known to me, but the question is first:

- Do I choose to set up a server and install everything or do I choose to go the hosted (pre-installed/configured route) benefits etc??

Second:

- There is Magento, but what would be a better solution if any?

Thanks for any helpful answers/remarks!!