I am currently planning to venture into an online business. I have already the products, the web designer, and the prospective hosting domain. Are there terms I should know about before putting up my online store?

Hi Patricia,

there are a lot more things to consider than the small space that yahoo is providing to give you a reasonable answer. It all depends really on your shop. Do you sell just in your country? Do you sell worldwide? What are your terms and conditions for sending items abroad? What are your policies on shipping and returns? What are your general terms and conditions? Who is your targeted group of costumers? How do I spread the word about my shop? What costs do I have for search engine marketing? Do I need marketing at all? How else can I attract more costumers to my shop? Newsletters? Vouchers? Discounts? Do I have to register for VAT? Do I need special licenses for particular sorts of products? (you didn't mention what products you sell) Those are just a couple of things to be considered when your shop has opened. As somebody above already mentioned, what pay processor do I choose? Should I have more than one? You wrote that you have a web designer, he or she should already be aware of such questions and will certainly be able to help you with this.

I wish you all the success and I congratulate you to your decission to get into e-commerce.

Best Regards,