big_cartel_logo

 Big Cartel

Rating: 4.0
User Satisfaction: 80%
Big Cartel is a tool that provides an online store platform for independent creators so they can launch, manage and sell their work with minimal fuss.

Overview

Big Cartel is a fully hosted e-commerce platform built especially for small-scale sellers: artists, makers, bands, designers, and anyone wanting to run a simple shop. You don’t need to manage hosting or servers; you pick a theme, list products, connect payments, and start selling.

If you have a small catalogue and want to quickly build an online store without heavy complexity or fees, Big Cartel is appealing. It’s especially strong when you’re:

  • a creator wanting a clean, simple storefront rather than a full-scale enterprise store
  • on a budget and want a free or low-cost plan to test market interest
  • focused on design, brand, and direct selling rather than deep marketing automation

You sign up, choose a plan, pick a template (or edit via code if you like), add products, set up payment processing (Stripe, PayPal etc), and launch. It supports online and in-person selling via mobile app too.

Details

Tool Launch / Founded Date

2005 (the company origins trace to that year)

Best for

Independent makers, artists, designers, small boutique brands, side-projects, pop-up stores. Not ideal for high-volume multi-channel retailers.

Access Type

Freemium / Subscription (see pricing below)

Licensing Model

Proprietary SaaS product. Users retain rights to their products & content, though you operate under Big Cartel’s terms. (No open-source platform)

Feature

  • Supports selling online and in-person via mobile app (iOS/Android) with payments. 
  • Straightforward pricing: free plan available; no platform transaction fees beyond payment gateway fees. 
  • Simple, artist-friendly themes and easy store setup; good for quick launch.
  • Inventory tracking, bulk editing, custom domain, theme code editing (on paid plans).
  • Integrations/API available for product, order, inventory data (helpful if you connect tools).

Pricing Tables

Gold
$0
  • 5 product listings
  • One image per product
  • Access to 1 template
Platinum
$15/MO
  • 50 product listings
  • 5 images per product
  • Access to template library
Diamond
$30/MO
  • 500 product listings
  • 25 images per product
  • Access to template library

Analytics

Traffic Analysis

Domain Rating
92
Organic Traffic
61629
Majority Users
United States

Visits Over Time

No visit data found.

Traffic Sources

No traffic data found.

Last Update Date: 2025-11-20

FAQ

Can I use what I create commercially?
Yes — you retain the rights to sell your products and keep the profits (aside from payment-gateway fees). Big Cartel does not take a cut of each sale beyond your plan cost. (Host Merchant Services)
How many products can I list per month? Are there quotas?
Each plan has a limit on total product listings (e.g., free plan ~5 products, higher plans up to ~500). There’s no declared monthly “uploads” limit beyond that cap.
Can I customize the checkout and customer experience deeply?
You can customize the look of your store (especially on paid plans). But checkout customization is fairly limited — fewer advanced options like custom fields or deep workflows compared to enterprise platforms.
Does it integrate with other tools (shipping, ERP, inventory)?
Yes: there is an API and integrations available. But compared to big platforms, the ecosystem is smaller and you may need third-party connectors for more advanced workflows.
Does Big Cartel train on my content / use it for AI training?
Not publicly noted in their standard documentation. Always a good idea to check their privacy & data policy for current terms.
What support do I get if I pay?
Support is via email and in-app messaging; paid plans get enhanced support levels (priority support on the highest plan). There is no standard phone support. (Host Merchant Services)
If I upgrade to a higher plan, what extra do I get?
You get increased product limits, more images per product, full theme code editing, inventory tracking, bulk editing, custom domain support, and at the top tier features like abandoned cart recovery & automatic discounts.

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