This is a really ridiculous question, I realise. However, I want to be absolutely sure I'm not corrupting my future hoods.

In Body Shop, when I click the "clone" icon, under build/create sims, is it the clone that will appear on the next screen for editing purposes (hair, clothing genetics etc.), as opposed to the original exported sim?

And if so, I assume it is also the clone (wearing the new clothes that I've put it in) that will appear first in the list of sims available to be packaged, in the "package sims" section?

Normally it will show up near the front and the extracted sim near the back. Make sure to delete the extracted sim and to use the clone.

If you want to be sure, change something significant in the clone, something you can tell at a glance, and package the one with the change.
And delete the original entirely.

Hiya, what I usually do is, when I'm extracting the sim, rename it to the sim's name. Then after you have cloned the sim, go to your Saved Sims folder and remove the files that are the sim's names. The clones files will be a mix of letters and numbers.