So far we talk about basic structure of your store. Its time to move on towards some serious issues.
Customer Service
Customer service is a major part of business. You can provide customer service by using phone and email. Email is preferable is preferable solution in most cases. To setup a customer service center you may either use help desk software or simply use email. Help desk is a much more professional way to communicate with customers besides it makes communication lot easier.
Kayako eSuite (http://www.kyako.com) 29.95$/month
Kayako esuite is impressive help desk software. You can also integrate it with Oscommerce.
Desklance 9.95$/month
It's a good alternative of Kyako eSuite. I check out the demo and it's simply amazing.
Estimated Cost: 10$
A review of total cost
Its time to review the total cost to get an idea how much investment you need to start an online store. Here is cost analyzer
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Oscommerce Customization 350
Web Hosting 12
Domain Name 8
SSL Certificate 30
Credit Card Processing 100
Customer Service Center 10
Total 510$
The above figure of 510$ isn't final. If you are a good negotiator you can save plenty of money in Oscommerce customization besides usage of 2checkout.com may also save 50$.
Continued....
Customer Support Resources http://www.infosamurai.com/v1/customer.htm