Basically, my plans for an upcoming osCommerce shop went down the drains when I got a screwed up installation without any workable backups. So I am planning to get someone to integrate either Zen-Cart or osCommerce into a design and do some minor customization here and there. How much can I expect to pay?

Ill install it for free if you want, but if you want a template adding to it ill charge a small nominal fee

Hmm... Yes, I think I will be buying a template for the shop then. Does it have to be a osCommerce or Zen-Cart template? Is any other template workable to integrate the shopping cart into?

You don't have to buy a template at all, oscommerce all ready has plenty in their downloads section that may fit your needs. But if you want it changing a little to suit your design then it can easily be altered.

Then it seems like my problem will be more of setting up the entire shop with the products that I am going to sell rather than integrating osCommerce into a design.

how many products are you selling, you could use the easy populate add on for it. I added over 500 products to my store by hand within a couple of days.

Then it seems like my problem will be more of setting up the entire shop with the products that I am going to sell rather than integrating osCommerce into a design.

Have you read the online documentation?
http://www.oscommerce.info/docs/english/

If you have cPanel, then you can auto-install osCommerce onto your account.

The main thing is that I spent over $100 buying a osCommerce website but when I transferred the website over to my own server, it stopped functioning properly. Since the design of the original store was quite below-par, I am ready to spend a bit more to get a decent design for the store. The current store can be found at http://www.chimediscount.com/osCommerce/. This version is moved to a new folder so it is not workable. I put it up just for potential designers to have a look.

i will be able to load oscommerce onto your new server and then add everything from there to it as it was on the first store.

I recommend never to buy a turnkey site, as you have found out

Just checking the original site and where you got it from, will you still be selling these products that they offer to you to sell.

As you could just get your own store set up selling your own products yourself and make a larger profit that what you are getting at the minute

Hmm... What do you suggest actually? I don't own a store and so I don't have any products to sell. What I was intending was actually dropshipping business in the first place.

I don't own a store but I sell from home. Check out what you would like to sell and find some trade contacts for those items.

It seems daft that you pay someone else for the product and get them to send it. If you ran your own online shop with your own products you could make money from the merchandise AND the delivery.

I take it that its wind chimes and stuff like that you want to offer. But look further than that check out some trade directorys and get ideas on the things you want to sell. Offer more than just 3 types. Maybe gift ideas is the way to go. Christmas is coming up and small gifts sell really well. Depending on your location (if you are in England or not) I could put you in touch with a few contacts that offer very afforable prices.

In the end you could offer dropshipping and have a side line like that. I offer it myself but not a lot of people know about it as I haven't advertised it. Im making an extra 2-300 a month through it.

That's some interesting ideas you have with you. I think we need to talk in private now before you go into the details. I have added you on both AIM so see you online soon. I have tried to look for other sources for products but the main thing is that I have to make purchases in bulk but I don't have to keep an inventory with dropshipping.