In our experience, most manufacturers provide some type of "database" of their product information. Usually that is an Excel spreadsheet, Access database, XML feed, etc. They also usually provide product pictures. When we build sites for our clients, either they provide those files or we work with their manufacturers to get those files and then manipulate those files into the format required by Product Cart to import products into the Product Cart database.

 

As for image resizing, we use Adobe Fireworks which has batch tools and can resize and optimize large groups of pictures fairly quickly.

 

If manufacturers don't provide that data then you are left with either creating the import spreadsheet manually or entering product data in the control panel one-by-one. As Greg suggested, you may want to hire some temporary data entry help.

 

Hope that helps,

Dan

In terms of "steps", I would first suggest that you get a few representative products into the site so your developer has "real data" to use for layout and testing.  Knowing that such a handful of products work well for the site's layout will give you a model for the rest of the product.

 

Not knowing what your product line is, I cannot go too far in my comments, but you should consider if the  products call for a short and long description, only a single description, or if you need multiple tabs in order to categorize your descriptive content. 

 

You should work with your designer/developer to determine the optimal image sizes for the large/medium/small product images.  When possible, I like to have such images displayed within the completed site design.  That way I know that the thumbnail fits the category and search results pages, in whatever layout you have selected, and that the medium/large images fit the product detail page - and that there is adequate room for the text content which appears adjacent to the product image.

 

Once you know those optimal image sizes, make sure the person who is going to populate the store with all the products has sufficient command of Photoshop (or your image editor of preference) and that they recognize the need to create the images in a consistent manner.  This may be as simpe as every image is the same height and width if possible, or it may mean cutting images out of their backgrounds and setting them on a consistent background designed to compliment your site design.  But either way, make them as consistent as time and budget will allow.

 

Once you have the above planning details in hand, then it's time to work through the product line.  As you recognize, that's a big hurdle.  If it were me, I would want to work on a face-to-face basis with the person doing this work.  That will help assure you are "on the same page" and can closely monitor progress and respond to questions.

 

In today's tough economy, you may find that a posting to CraigsList would result in someone local who needs work and would have an interest in doing this for you.