We have scoured the internet (fine…Sara scoured the internet), in order to create a nice checklist of information you should have before you actually get started building your store. Not only did we create the checklist, but we even put the items in the order we recommend you complete them.

Technically, you CAN start building your store, and add this stuff later on, but trust us, it’s MUCH EASIER to know these things ahead of time. Having to go back through and edit each product because (for example) you forgot to weight them is a pain in the ass. Listen to us people. We do this for a living.

The Official WP e-Commerce Checklist

1. Have you chosen a payment gateway?
   1. Some payment gateways take some time to setup and authorize/verify. You don’t want to be all psyched and ready to launch your store, only to find out that your account won’t be verified for another 5 days. Get the payment gateway stuff out of the way.
   2. Make sure you know your payment gateways e-commerce requirements. Most payment gateways require that you at least display your return policy, sales policy and shipping policy somewhere on you site.
2. Do you know the sales tax requirement for your location?
   1. If you have no idea what we are talking about, check out the Things to Keep in Mind section in our documentation.
3. How you are going to calculate shipping? (if your product requires it)
   1. If shipping by weight – have you weighed all of your products? It’s far easier to enter the product weights when you are adding your products, instead of going back and adding them in the end.
   2. If shipping by flat rate – is there going to be a flat rate per product, an overall flat rate, or both? What are the actual rates?
   3. If shipping by table rate – what is the rate going to be for each level?
4. How do you want to group your products?
   1. When adding a product to WP e-Commerce, you are required to select at least one category or brand in which the product belongs. However, a product can belong to multiple categories.
   2. You need to figure out your categories ahead of time, so that you can create them before you add any products. Otherwise, it ain’t gonna work.
5. Does your products have variations?
   1. For example, if you are selling clothes do they come in different sizes or colors?
   2. Do the variations affect the cost?
   3. Do the variations affect the weight?
   4. We recommend you figure out all of your possible variations and their settings ahead of time. While it’s possible to create variations on the fly, doing so takes you out of the products section, and if you haven’t already saved the product, you will lose whatever information you entered.
6. Do you have the following information for each of your products?
   1. Product Name
   2. Price
   3. Description
   4. Tags (for categorization and SEO purposes)
   5. Images
   6. Stock quantity (in case you only have a limited number)
   7. Weight (if you are shipping by weight)
   8. Shipping fee (if you are shipping by flat rate)
   9. Variations (if they apply), and the associated price and weight for each variations (if the variations affect the price and weight of the product)
   10. If your product is something that can downloaded, do you have the actual files ready to upload?

If you complete this checklist ahead of time, a fairy will get its wings (and your e-commerce life will be much easier).