BIG CARTEL WEBSITE: Pricing, Features, 2023 Review, and Top Alternatives

Big Cartel Website
Niche Pursuits

Are you looking for an online store to aid you market your services? Well, the solution could be Big Cartel which is a cloud-hosted e-Commerce sales platform suited for producers who want to stand out online. Since 2005, Big Cartel has offered amazing global experiences. How much should such an experience cost? Today, we’ll examine Big Cartel Pricing to see if it meets your needs. In this review of Big Cartel, one of the more “cheap and cheerful” e-Commerce systems on the market today, I will examine its strengths and weaknesses. Is it a viable choice for creating your online shop, or should you instead look into a program with more sophisticated e-Commerce capabilities? If you’re interested in learning the answers to these questions, you should settle in and read this carefully.

Big Cartel Website 

Big Cartel is a web-based, fully-hosted software solution for creating your own website. The solution is extremely simple to use, with numerous components to assist you in adding products, managing inventory, and keeping track of your orders. You’ll also have access to a number of free themes to help you get your store up and running, as well as an API solution for development. Although Big Cartel has several limitations, its ease of use makes it a fantastic option for businesses that just started online. Big Cartel is a great option if you’re an artist or designer looking for an easy way to start selling online. When you use this service to establish your store, you’ll be able to choose from a variety of plans, including a free option for novices. 

The plan you choose will most likely be determined by how many things you want to sell and which features you want to use.

The store you create with Big Cartel will be a stand-alone site that you can brand and grow in any way you see fit. There is no structure in place to take a share of your sales, making it an excellent choice for a small business or an individual trying to save money. Although it began as a platform for ‘creative’ merchants, Big Cartel may technically be used to sell almost anything, hence its user base has expanded to encompass a wide range of other business kinds.

How Does Big Cartel Work

Big Cartel is a ‘hosted solution,’ which means it runs on its own servers and does not require you to install software or purchase web hosting. You can construct and run a Big Cartel store from anywhere as long as you have access to a computer, a web browser, and the internet. The platform is a software-as-a-service product, which means you do not own it and must pay a monthly charge to utilize it.

Big Cartel Website Examples 

Big Cartel is an e-commerce platform that assists small businesses with the creation and management of their online stores.  Basically, Big Cartel is an eCommerce builder platform for small businesses, artists, creatives, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and mompreneurs. Because it provides a free plan, it enables anyone, regardless of budget, to begin selling items online.

It has a number of features, including:

  • A website builder with drag-and-drop functionality
  • A mechanism for processing payments
  • Inventory control
  • Integration of shipping services
  • Customer service

Big Cartel examples include the following

#1. The Feeble

The Feebles is a lovely website that sells charming art. The site has a simple design, but the art prints for sale are tastefully placed. The site is simple but lovely. It is simple to use, and checking out is a pleasure. When it comes to eCommerce, sometimes less is more. You don’t have to go completely minimalist with your eCommerce business, but minimizing clutter will help make your site easier to use, which is especially important when selling something as unique as The Feebles’ wares. The Feebles is an excellent example of how to create a basic but professional and stylish website store for any purpose, regardless of what you sell.

#2. Delish Condish

Delish Condish is another great example of how to use Big Cartel to create a basic but unique store. It’s a tiny business that sells handcrafted skincare products created with natural, ethically sourced components. The homepage is well-organized; at the bottom, you can click on different categories to see products in that category. The products on the homepage and each category page are well-designed, with easy-to-read language and eye-catching photos. The main navigation is very straightforward; you can browse product categories or learn more about the site, including commonly asked questions.

#3. Another Feather

Another Feather is a jewelry store that sells handcrafted jewelry as well as different sorts of jewelry. They have a Big Cartel site, but they don’t even sell anything on it – it’s yet another example of a store using Big Cartel to drive traffic to their main site. When you Google “Another Feather Jewelry,” their Big Cartel site comes up top, which likely drives some traffic to their main site. They also use their Big Cartel site to provide information about their social media profiles so that people can follow them.

How to Make a Big Cartel Website 

When it comes to increasing traffic for an online store, the benefits of blogging should not be overlooked. Publishing high-quality blog content on your site is critical to drawing customers and increasing sales. As a result, many large e-commerce platforms, such as BigCommerce or Shopify, provide blogging functionality by default. Big Cartel, on the other hand, lacks built-in blogging functionality. This is unfortunate because the ‘creative’ audiences for Big Cartel stores are likely to be open to blog content from the numerous artistic merchants that utilize the site to sell their wares. 

#1. Start By Signing Up

Choose a store name, input a valid email address, and you’re ready to go. You can use the tools as often as you want with the Gold plan because it’s free forever and they won’t ask for your credit card information (seriously). If you want to upgrade, they provide three programs that have a monthly price regardless of how much you sell. The premium plans all offer the same updated features, with the exception of the quantity of products you can list in your shop.

#2. Next, Fine-Tune Your Settings.

In just a few minutes, you can set up a shop and begin selling. You may quickly adjust the photos, colors, fonts, and options of one of the lovely pre-made themes. If you’re comfortable with code, you may entirely customize the look of your business by modifying the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Seasoned developers can even use Big Cartel’s API to get additional control over the design and operation of your shop. They give walkthroughs to assist you set up your shop quickly. You’ll need to configure your checkout choices (you can use Stripe, PayPal, or both to take payments in your shop), your time zone, and a store description. You can add a custom domain to paying plans.

#3. Then, Include a Product With Excellent Photographs and Extensive Descriptions.

Remember to include memorable names, sizes, prices, shipping costs, crisp product photographs, and intriguing descriptions that your customers will remember. If they don’t buy right away, you want them to remember your goods and return later. Check out Big Cartel’s product photography advice to enhance your game when showcasing your business.

Big Cartel Website Builder 

Big Cartel is a free eCommerce builder that allows you to create an online store. BigCartel is suitable for selling individual pieces such as artworks rather than bulk uploads due to its simple sales capabilities, and it is ideal for small enterprises that do not want to build up quickly. BigCartel’s user-friendly onboarding process assists beginners by providing suggestions and reminders to help you set up your store. However, coding experience is advantageous if you want to get the most out of this builder. BigCartel is a risk-free option for beginning a small business with basic sales tools and a free plan.

You want your internet store to make as many sales as possible. From product uploading through client checkout, a good online store should have the capability to make every step of the selling process simple. Big Cartel has a number of basic sales capabilities to help you run your online store. The first thing to keep in mind is that while the free plan allows you to sell, you are limited to five products and cannot generate discounts. Big Cartel includes a basic website builder with all of its plans, which includes a tiny selection of 18 themes, but they are all fairly different in terms of design, so there’s a high chance you’ll find one that works for your company.

Big Cartel’s theme customizer has a restricted number of theme tweaking choices. You cannot add or remove sections from your homepage, and while you may build custom pages, they are limited to a basic text editor. There is also no option to add a blog to your store, as well as no true SEO options for pages or products, which isn’t ideal if organic traffic is an important part of your marketing strategy.

Big Cartel Website Cost 

The most compelling reason to choose this over other e-commerce platforms is its pricing – it’s extremely low in contrast to its competitors and, if you just sell a few things, can even be utilized for free. This means that, despite its ‘artistic’ tone, many small firms have begun to use it. At the end of the day, one of the most crucial elements to consider when making a decision is cost. The good news is that Big Cartel’s main selling point is its free plan. It’s one of the few e-commerce builders that allows you to construct an online store and accept payments for free! Big Cartel offers three pricing options. These start at $0 for the free plan and go up to $19.99 per month for the most expensive Diamond plan. 

The number of products you can sell via your store varies between plans, ranging from five to 500. There are three Big Cartel plans:

Gold (Free) – $0 monthly.

The platinum tier costs $9.99 per month.

Diamond — $19.99 per month.

You can sell up to five products on the free plan. With basic features like one image per product and the ability to market via Facebook, Instagram, and your website, this is a good alternative for small businesses.

You can sell 50 products on the Personal $9.99/month plan and 500 products on the Diamond $19.99/month plan.

Despite Big Cartel’s tiered plans, the amenities available remain basic at all pricing points. So, if you want to expand your online store, Big Cartel will not provide you with the best value for money. Of course, there are certain restrictions to using the free plan. You can only display one product photo per item, and you can’t change the code of your theme. You will also be unable to integrate Google Analytics.

Big Cartel Website Reviews

Big Cartel is a wonderful choice for small businesses looking to build a basic, low-cost internet store. It is simple to use and has a wide range of functions. It does not, however, have as many features as some of the more expensive e-commerce platforms.

Bobby .A. quoted in his review “I established my shop on Big Cartel in the fall of 2021, and everything has been going swimmingly since then. I like that there is only one monthly fee and that they remit taxes to states. I’ve combined my store with my personal website and like all of the capabilities. There is also simple shipping connectivity with PIRATE SHIP. I’m not sure what all the negative feedback is about, but as an artist with a tiny side sales business, I didn’t want a store to take over my life, and this was the greatest alternative.

According to Trustpilot, Theo stated, “It wasn’t a problem the first time I bought from the Big Cartel.” Two years later, I placed an order, but I didn’t receive my package. I sent three lovely emails, and nothing happened. I sent a courteous but furious email, and then nothing happened as I waited for my bank to reimburse my charge. Don’t buy from them; it’s a shame because I liked the stuff one band was selling. There is no customer service. 0/10 Do not buy from borderline scammers.” The experience took place on August 14, 2022.

Is Big Cartel Really Free? 

Big Cartel promotes itself as the best online retail platform for artists and artisans. It has both a free plan and paid options ranging from $9.99/month to $29.99/month.

What Kind of Website Is Big Cartel? 

Simple internet businesses for artists and manufacturers. They make it easy to create a one-of-a-kind online store, sell your art, and manage a creative business.

How to Shop on Big Cartel? 

1. Start the Big Cartel app.

2. Tap the image of your account.

3. Set up your payment options by tapping Set up your payment options.

4. Tap the Connect button next to the option you want to use – Stripe or PayPal.

5. Sign in to an existing Stripe or PayPal account or create a new one by following the on-screen instructions.

How Do I Get Paid From Big Cartel? 

Services for collecting payment for Big Cartel orders.

  • Stripe.
  • PayPal.
  • PayPal Purchase Now and Pay Later.
  • Stripe Terminal for iOS 
  • Stripe Terminal for Android.
  • Apple pay

Does Big Cartel Report to the IRS? 

When selling in USD, Big Cartel automatically calculates, collects, and remits any relevant US sales tax on all purchases shipped to or inside the United States and Puerto Rico. Automatic taxes will be disabled if you are not selling in USD.

How Much Does Big Cartel Charge Per Transaction?

Big Cartel does not charge transaction fees; nevertheless, in order to take online payments, you must utilize Stripe and/or PayPal and pay the processing fees charged by those providers. Stripe’s online payment rates begin at 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction. PayPal charges a fee of 3.49% plus 49 cents for each transaction.

Final Verdict

It is up to you to decide whether the Big Cartel cost is worth the benefits you receive. If you have a tiny business that can get by with things like email support, Big Cartel has a ton of amazing features available at a reasonable price. It’s suitable for new businesses, yet you may notice that its scalability diminishes as your company grows. Various capabilities, such as abandoned cart recovery and access to coding on the lower levels of the pricing options, appear to be missing from various pricing plans.

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References

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