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Big Cartel

Big Cartel

The muscle behind your hustle.

#7 dans Ecommerce
2 min read · Updated 10/4/2025
Big Cartel homepage screenshot

At a glance

Quick overview for Big Cartel: rating, pricing summary, key features, and highlights.

Ciroapp review

3.2
Simple Selling for Creative Beginners

Big Cartel excels as a straightforward, commission-free platform tailored specifically for independent artists needing an easy start. We find the generous free plan perfect for testing the waters, but limitations in advanced features and reported issues with support response times make scaling challenging. Overall, this is an excellent, affordable choice for hobbyists or new sellers who prioritize simplicity over complex functionality.

Pros

  • Pro:Permanently free Gold plan is available for starters ($0).
  • Pro:No sales commission taken (0% transaction fees).
  • Pro:Simple, intuitive, and easy to set up for non-coders.
  • Pro:Designed specifically for independent artists and makers.

Cons

  • Con:Platform functionality is limited, especially for scaling (max 500 products).
  • Con:Customer support response times can be painfully slow, sometimes taking hours.
  • Con:Users report recent platform instability and bugs.
  • Con:Paid plans are considered high value for the basic feature set provided.
Range: $0–$30/monthFree plan, Monthly subscription, Yearly subscription
This section is a summary. Detailed sections about features, use cases, pricing, and reviews follow below.
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Big Cartel review, pricing, features, pros & cons

Starting an online shop often feels overwhelming, stressful, and loaded with hidden fees. Big Cartel lets you hustle without the hassle, keeping the setup process simple. You can open your store fast with zero stress, and entry-level plans even start at $0.

✨

What is Big Cartel?

Big Cartel is an easy-to-use platform designed to help creatives turn their passion into profit. It’s where do-it-yourselfers go to become professionals. This solution serves independent artists, bands, and makers of all types.

Its diverse audience includes painters, jewelry makers, designers, printmakers, and photographers. The goal is simple: give you the tools you need to sell your stuff and grow your shop. You’ll keep more of what you earn with straightforward pricing and no hidden fees.

✅

Big Cartel Key Features

✨ Quick and Simple Store Setup

Getting started is fast and incredibly simple. Big Cartel helps you launch your online shop using a straightforward four-step process. This process ensures you can focus on your creations instead of struggling with complicated store builders.

You begin by picking a customizable template to help your brand shine brightly. You then quickly add your products or import them directly from existing shops like Etsy, Shopify, or Squarespace. Finally, you dial in the necessary shipping and payment details before telling the world about your new shop.

✨ Design Made Easy, No Coding Needed

We make professional design accessible, even if you have zero coding experience. You start by choosing a customizable design that helps your brand stand out immediately. This approach simplifies the process of achieving a polished, unique look.

While the free plan includes access to one template, paid tiers give you access to the complete template library. This ensures you can easily launch your store quickly and keep your focus on making products, not complex web design.

✨ Flexible Product Listing Management

Big Cartel lets you manage product listings that perfectly fit your business size. You can start small with five basic listings and scale all the way up to 500 products as your business expands. The system allows various product image capacities, ranging from one image on the Gold plan up to 25 images on the Diamond plan.

Paid plans also unlock essential management features. You gain access to helpful tools like inventory tracking and the ability to edit multiple products in bulk. This ensures managing a large catalog remains simple and highly efficient.

🛒 Seamless Payments and Sales Everywhere

Providing a simple checkout experience means more completed sales for your shop. Big Cartel accepts all major payment methods right from the start. Your customers can pay easily using cards, digital wallets, PayPal, and even Venmo.

What’s more, you gain sales flexibility thanks to the dedicated mobile app available for iOS and Android. You can sell your products anywhere—whether online or directly to customers in person—giving you control over your marketplace.

✨ Tools for Growth and Scaling

We offer specific tools designed to help you grow your business and increase customer conversions. When you upgrade your plan, you gain the ability to offer discounts and run necessary promotional campaigns, helping drive immediate sales.

The highest-tier Diamond plan adds powerful features for established shops. This includes automated abandoned cart recovery and advanced discount logic tools. Additionally, you can always extend your shop's abilities further by adding easy-install apps.

✨ Support from Real Humans

You receive reliable help from real people, not frustrating automated chatbots. Big Cartel focuses on delivering helpful, professional, and kind customer support whenever you need assistance. Our high-quality service is highly valued by long-time users.

If you opt for the top-tier Diamond plan, your shop receives prioritized technical support. This ensures your scaling operation always gets quick access to help and faster solutions.

Use Cases

✨ Launching Your First Online Shop Quickly 🚀

If you are an independent artist just testing the waters, you need to open shop fast without stress or high costs. Big Cartel lets you start selling immediately using the free Gold plan. You can select a customizable template and list your first five products right away.

You’re ready to hustle without the hassle.

➡️ Migrating Listings from Another Platform

Perhaps you currently sell your prints or jewelry on a larger marketplace, but you want more control. Big Cartel makes it simple to move your business. You can import existing product listings directly from services like Shopify, Squarespace, or Etsy.

Moving your current shop takes only four steps:

📈 Scaling Your Inventory and Tracking Growth

Your jewelry business is growing fast, and you now need capacity for dozens of products. The Platinum plan supports up to 50 product listings and offers key tools for growth. You unlock inventory tracking and can edit products in bulk, making daily management straightforward. You also gain access to simple tools that let you offer discounts and run effective promotions.

Tip: Choose the annual plan when scaling to the Platinum or Diamond tiers to save 20% on billing.

🎨 Designing a Professional Storefront Quickly

As a designer or photographer, branding matters deeply, but you don't have time to learn complex code. When setting up your store, you can choose from various customizable templates. These templates let you make your unique brand shine instantly.

This process ensures your shop looks professional and clean without requiring previous coding knowledge.

💎 Maximizing Revenue with Advanced Recovery Tools

You manage a large, established shop selling 500 graphic tees and designs, so every sale counts. You need powerful tools to capture revenue that might otherwise be lost. Switching to the premium Diamond plan unlocks critical features, including abandoned cart recovery.

This system helps you minimize lost sales by automatically contacting customers who didn't complete their purchases. As a top-tier seller, you also benefit from prioritized technical support if you ever run into a snag.

💳 Ensuring Easy Payments and Customer Trust

You want your customers to check out easily, regardless of how they prefer to pay. Big Cartel supports all major payment types right out of the box. Your customers can use standard cards, digital wallets, PayPal, or even Venmo.

This flexibility helps streamline the purchasing process, boosting customer confidence and minimizing friction at checkout. You can focus on creating, knowing the business side is covered.

Pricing Overview for Big Cartel

Pricing range
$0–$30/month
Pricing types
Free plan, Monthly subscription, Yearly subscription

Big Cartel offers three simple subscription plans, starting with the permanently free Gold option. Paid tiers are $15/month and $30/month, or you can choose annual billing to receive a 20% discount on these rates.

Plans & Pricing

Gold

Monthly$0
Yearly$0
5 product listings
  • 5 product listings
  • 1 image per product
  • Access to 1 template
  • Accept cards, PayPal, Afterpay, & more
  • Big Cartel mobile app for iOS & Android
  • Sales tax autopilot
Get started

Platinum

Monthly$15
Yearly$144
50 product listings
  • 50 product listings
  • 5 images per product
  • Access to template library
  • Offer discounts & run promos
  • Shipment tracking
  • Inventory tracking
  • Edit products in bulk
Get started

Diamond

Monthly$30
Yearly$288
500 product listings
  • 500 product listings
  • 25 images per product
  • Access to template library
  • Prioritized tech support
  • Abandoned cart recovery
  • Advanced discount logic
Get started

Big Cartel costs between $0 and $30 per month with 3 plans: Gold at $0, Platinum at $15/month ($144 annually), and Diamond at $30/month ($288 annually).

Let's explore the details of each plan to find the right fit for your creative business.

Gold

Price: $0/month (It's free) Websites Supported: Not explicitly stated Best For: The basics to sell online Refund Policy: Not explicitly stated Other Features:

  • 5 product listings
  • One image per product
  • Access to 1 template
  • Accept cards, PayPal, & more

The Gold plan is perfect if you are just starting and need to test the waters. You get enough features to establish your online presence completely free. This plan works great for creators with limited, rotating inventory. ✨

Platinum

Price: $15/month or $144 annually (save 20%) Websites Supported: Not explicitly stated Best For: For growing stores with more inventory and orders Refund Policy: Not explicitly stated Other Features:

  • 50 product listings
  • 5 images per product
  • Access to template library
  • Inventory tracking
  • Offer discounts & run promos

When your shop starts growing, the Platinum plan provides the capacity you need. You'll manage 50 products and unlock essential tools like inventory tracking and access to the complete template library. Choosing the annual option helps save some money, too!

Diamond

Price: $30/month or $288 annually (save 20%) Websites Supported: Not explicitly stated Best For: Top-tier support for stores at scale Refund Policy: Not explicitly stated Other Features:

  • 500 product listings
  • 25 images per product
  • Access to template library
  • Prioritized tech support
  • Abandoned cart recovery

The Diamond plan supports serious sellers who manage large amounts of inventory. With 500 product listings and 25 images per product, you can showcase everything you make. You also receive powerful recovery tools and prioritized technical support for peace of mind. 💎

Big Cartel offers a fantastic completely free option with the Gold plan to help you get established right away. While there is no mention of a structured free trial or standard money-back guarantee, the Gold plan lets you thoroughly evaluate the platform without any financial commitment.

User Reviews

Big Cartel's external reviews are sharply divided, reflecting a highly polarized user base, resulting in a low Trustpilot rating (2.3). Many long-term users express deep frustration, citing recent unreliable platform development and high prices for what they consider limited functionality and a basic service (max 500 products).

Recurring negative themes include extremely slow customer support response times, with some users waiting hours for basic replies. Conversely, independent artists and new sellers highly praise the platform for its simplicity and ease of use.

They appreciate that Big Cartel is intuitive, has no hidden charges, and takes 0% commission on sales, making it perfect for creative starters. While growing stores often migrate to competitors due to feature limitations, beginners find Big Cartel an ideal, affordable launchpad.

Finding the right fit depends entirely on your need for advanced features versus simple, commission-free selling. 👍

What users say elsewhere

Janet G.
· Trustpilot · Mar 29, 2025
5.0 / 5

I have used Big Cartel for years and it works perfectly for my artwork. I appreciate the 0% commission on sales, only paying the monthly fee. Their customer service has been quick and helpful whenever I needed it.

Sarah M.
· Trustpilot · Aug 25, 2025
1.0 / 5

This platform recently feels disappointing. They charge high fees but fail to provide timely assistance when issues arise. I recently sat in a chat queue for hours trying to get a basic reply.

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Why use Big Cartel?

Choosing the right platform is simple when you prioritize ease of use and fair pricing. Big Cartel provides the muscle behind your hustle with several key advantages. 💡

  • Setting up is fast and simple. You can finish the four-step setup process quickly and get straight to selling your products.
  • Design is made easy. Choose a customizable template to make your unique brand shine without needing any coding knowledge.
  • Get real human help. If you run into a snag, you get support from real people, not frustrating chatbots. Their customer service is professional, kind, and highly valued by long-time users.
  • They accept all major payments. Your customers can pay easily using cards, wallets, Venmo, PayPal, and other common methods.
  • Keep more of your earnings. Big Cartel features straightforward pricing with absolutely no hidden fees or payment surprises.
  • Start for free and scale. Plans start at $0 for the basics, and you can easily upgrade to Platinum or Diamond for growing stores with more inventory and orders.

Ready to transform your workflow with Big Cartel?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Big Cartel offer a traditional free trial for the paid plans?

There is no short-term free trial for the Platinum or Diamond plans. However, the Gold plan is permanently free. You can use this $0 plan to set up your shop and fully test the platform before committing to a paid subscription.

What happens if I need to list more than 500 products?

The highest tier, Diamond, limits you to 500 product listings. If your inventory exceeds 500 unique products, Big Cartel may not be the right fit because there is no higher capacity plan currently offered.

Does Big Cartel take a cut of my sales revenue or charge transaction fees?

No, Big Cartel does not charge any transaction fees or take a commission on your sales. You only pay the flat rate for your chosen monthly or annual subscription plan.

Can I easily move my existing listings from another e-commerce platform?

Yes, product migration is supported for several popular platforms. You can import your existing product listings directly from Shopify, Etsy, and Squarespace.

What types of integrations are available to expand my store's functionality?

Big Cartel supports easy-install apps to extend your store. This includes features like connecting to Google Shopping, along with specific apps for print-on-demand and managing product reviews.

How does the platform handle sales tax for my orders?

All three plans, including the free Gold plan, include 'Sales tax autopilot.' This feature helps automate the calculation and handling of sales tax for your transactions.

If I buy an annual plan, can I receive a refund if I cancel early?

Not explicitly stated on the official site. The published details do not include a standard money-back guarantee or specific refund policy for early cancellation of annual subscriptions.

How often can I change my payment plan between monthly and annual billing?

You have the option to pay monthly or annually for the Platinum and Diamond plans. Choosing the annual option provides a significant saving, allowing you to save 20% on the total yearly cost.

Which payment methods can my customers use at checkout?

Big Cartel accepts many major payment types. Your customers can easily pay using standard cards, PayPal, digital wallets, Afterpay, and even Venmo.

Is tech support handled by real people, and how fast is the response time?

The platform promises help from 'real human beings, not chatbots.' Only users on the Diamond plan receive prioritized tech support, meaning other users may experience longer wait times.

Is the pricing determined by the number of people who manage the shop?

No, the pricing is fixed per shop and based entirely on the features and the maximum number of products you list. It is not billed per seat or per usage.

Do I have access to templates on every tier?

The free Gold plan limits you to accessing only one template. If you want the full selection, you must upgrade to the Platinum or Diamond plan to access the entire template library.

Ready to try Big Cartel? Check out the official site or pricing.
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