Realistic amount of time I will need

[AffiliateDreamer]

Hi,

I want to setup shop, but want some idea on how many hours I should be allocated for my new biz.

1. I am using a fulfillment house
2. going with a hosted cart

So assuming the logistics of products and warehousing/shipping are taken care off (just ignore those tasks), how much time should I be allocated for other tasks?

YES this question is like asking how long a piece of string is, so many variables etc etc.

Say I get 20 orders per day, there must be some correlation between orders and the # of emails you get so say 20 emails per day.

I work as a programming consultant (at home), so I have a few hours that I can dedicate.

Is a 'few' hours reasonable? Say 2 hours per day?

[MrHard]

No, using a fulfillment house can take up the same amount of time as doing it yourself. You are usually just switching what you do, not the time involved.

You may be able to stop packing things yourself, but end up dealing with shipping problems resulting from using a third party and the additional communication issues created between you, the fulfillment center, your customer and the shipping carrier.

There is always the golden carat of finding or searching for someplace that "knows what they are doing" and does not have any problems, but the search goes on.