Tutorial : Creating an online store with Drupal

Setting up an e-commerce website involves a fair amount of effort and planning, but the benefits are considerable. With e-commerce, customers may enter payment information on your website to purchase products and services from anywhere in the world. A well-designed online store also allows customers to select between multiple product variations and shipping options, giving them an easy to use and rewarding shopping experience. And the funds (minus processing/service fees) are deposited to your bank account within weeks (or even days)!

Depending on the complexities of your website/product, an e-commerce site can be a simple do-it-yourself endeavor or require lots of technical/development expertise. In either case the initial steps are the same:

1. Establish a business entity to conduct business online, including a business name and location.
2. If you are shipping products, obtain a tax ID to charge sales tax in the state where your business resides.
3. Pick a general structure that gives your business a separate legal and tax identity from yourself, including a dedicated business bank account. This allows you to be sure that the money and acts of your business are separate from your own.
4. Choose a reliable, reputable web host and begin development on a test site.

[Read more..]

Courtesy : Topnotchthemes.com