Cataudella's name appears first on the earlier edition.

Includes index.

What kind of person does it take to run an online store? -- How much will it cost to get my store up and running? -- What equipment and software do I need? -- Can I run my store out of my house or apartment or should I find an office? -- How many employees do I need? Can I do it myself? -- How much money can I make? -- What are some advantages and disadvantages to running an online store? -- How much content do I need to generate? -- Are there any specific laws and regulations covering online stores? -- How do I find a good lawyer? -- What sells best on the Web? What should I sell? -- Once I've started selling things, how do I get the products to the customers? -- Can I make my store virtual? -- Is there anyting I can sell and distribute directly over the Web? -- Should I consider combining my traditional store with an online store? -- What are some of the most successful online stores? -- What are online auctions? -- What's the difference between simply selling something online and running an online store? -- Isn't online retailing really competitive? Will I be able to succeed? -- Can I just open my store and let the orders roll in? -- What is spam? Is it a good thing? -- I don't know much about computers, let alone HTML code. What should I learn before opening my online store? -- Should I hire someone to develop my site or should I do it myself? -- Are there any "Shop In A Box" products available? -- What are Net. Commerce, Open Market Transact, and Microsoft Site Server? -- What are online malls and how do they work? -- I hear there is a risk involved in accepting credit card orders. Should I accept them? -- What other kinds of security risks do I have to worry about? -- What are SET, SSL, e-cash, and TRUSTe? -- I've heard a lot about VeriSign. Who are they? -- Are there any good references to help online store proprietors? -- All right, I'm going to start an online store. Where do I start? -- The Story of Tronix -- A Beginning in Retail -- The Birth of Tronix -- Keys to Success -- Why Many Web Stores Fail -- Becoming a Workaholic out of Necessity -- Lessons From Other Online Retailers -- Fogdog Sports -- Eddie Bauer -- Surf Warehouse -- Learn from Others -- Understanding the Online Store Market Opportunity -- Starting with the Fundamentals -- Web-User Demographics: From Hardware and Software to Users -- How Are People Shopping Online? -- Understanding the Nature of Online Shoppers -- Understanding the Detriments -- In the End, Information Is Key -- What Does This All Mean? -- What's a Web Merchant to Do? -- Numbers Can't Make Your Idea Work -- Web Store Business Models -- One-to-One Relationships -- Narrow Interest Aggregation -- Low Cost of Entry -- Leveraging Technology -- The Sea Is Changing -- Choosing a Business Model -- Which Model Works for You -- Building Your Store -- Launching Your Online Store -- Selecting a Name -- Choosing a Legal Entity -- A Tax ID and Resale Certificate -- Working Out of an Office -- Acquiring a Merchant Account to Accept Credit Cards -- Setting Up with Distributors and Vendors -- Choosing Your Web-Hosting Situation -- Hiring a Developer vs. Doing It Yourself -- Choosing the Right Software -- Joe's Template for Store Design -- Developing Your Own Web Site -- Constructing a User-Friendly Web Site -- On to Inventory -- Stocking Your Store -- Getting Product -- Minimizing Your Inventory Risk -- Knowing Which Items Are Hot -- Importing -- Getting Big by Keeping It Small -- Creating Retail Content Without Spending a Fortune -- Informational Content -- Interactive Content -- Multimedia Content -- Software Content -- Tips for Generating Good Content -- Essential Gravy -- Promoting Your Store -- Finding Customers Online -- Forum and Community Types -- Making Use of the Usenet -- Using Mailing Lists -- Using Online Forums and Clubs -- Other Ways to Spread the Good Word -- An Easy, Personal Way to Reach Customers -- Promoting Your Store Online and Offline -- Search Engines -- Links -- Bounty Programs -- Online Malls -- Working with Online and Offline Media -- Never Underestimate Promotion -- Advertising -- Why, When, and What to Advertise? -- Where Should I Advertise? -- Where Should I Advertise on the Internet? -- Banner Ads -- Calculating a Return on Your Investment -- Do it, Mix it, and Maintain it -- Selling and Shipping -- International Sales -- Processing an International Order -- Promoting Your Store Internationally -- International Telecommunications -- Credit Card Orders -- Internationalizing Your Web Store -- Shipping Page -- International Email Tips -- International Access from Your Back Yard -- Payment Acceptance and Processing -- Setting Up a Merchant Account -- Before You Enable Transactions -- Types of Payment and Acceptance -- Major Credit Cards -- Processing an Online Credit Card Order -- Processing a Phone or Fax Order -- International Orders -- Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) -- Accept Credit Cards, But Be Careful -- Identifying and Preventing Crime -- A Variety of Crime -- Preventing Electronic Crimes -- Implementing Encryption -- Credit Card Fraud -- Stop, Thief! -- Electronic Software Distribution -- Benefits of ESD -- Types of ESD -- A Closer Look at ESD -- Stepping Through an ESD Transaction -- ESD Fraud and Other Concerns -- Coordination Is Key -- ESD Is the Future -- Shipping -- Setting Up a Shipping Account -- Utilizing Each Courier's Strengths -- Minimizing Your Shipping Rates -- Shipping Supplies: Easier to Get Than You Think -- Linking Shipping with Your Web Site -- Pros and Cons of COD -- Mistakes Happen and That Means a Refund -- Reinforcing the Shipping Link -- Maintaining and Growing Your Store -- Maintaining Your Store -- Organizing Your Day -- Redesigning Your Web Site -- Invoicing -- Organizing Your Site's Back End -- Periodic Maintenance -- If You Fail To Plan, You Plan To Fail -- Building Loyal Customers Through Online Customer Service -- Email Accounts and Customer Profiles -- Creating Email Mailing Lists -- Top Email Packages -- How to Handle Phone Calls -- Privacy -- Customer Service Is an Investment -- Fighting Off the Competition -- Unique Aspects of Internet Competition -- Tracking the Competition -- Finding a Competitive Niche -- Keeping in Touch with the Web Community -- Fight, Fight, Fight! -- Legal Issues -- Jurisdiction -- Tax Issues -- Intellectual Property -- International Law -- Miscellaneous Concerns -- Store-Building Tips and Details -- All-In-One Store-Building: Yahoo Store and Other Offerings -- Introduction and Yahoo Store Features -- Advanced Features -- Merchant Resources -- Test Drive -- Amazon.com zShops -- Other Options -- But Wait, There's More -- Finding the Best Store-Building Service for You -- You Now Have No Excuse! -- Creating Online Auction Stores -- What Are Online Auctions and Why Are They So Popular? -- Auctioning via a Service vs. Running an Auction Store -- Running Your Own Server -- OpenSite Auction Server -- Promoting Your Auction Store -- More Auction Tips: Getting People to Buy -- Auctions: from Sideshow to Mainstream -- Home-Brewed Store-Building -- The Three Approaches -- Get Hosting Service That Supports ShopSite -- Build Out Your Product Information -- Build Your Custom Site -- Build Credit Processing -- Additional Configuration Issues -- Reports -- Merchandising Options -- Publish and Manage -- Do-It-Yourself Affiliate System and Stores -- The Home-Brewed Affiliate Store -- Advanced Store-Building -- Choosing a Server and an OS -- Database Choice and Plan -- Other Key Decisions -- Toward the Fully Integrated Store -- Here Comes XML.

This updated guide is filled with inside business tips and savvy strategy advice covering everything from designing a Web site to catching online thieves, from choosing appealing retail content to keeping customers happy. Five new chapters take a workbook approach to using the major new store-building software and services. One chapter is devoted to setting up an online auction.