Big Cartel is one of the top-hosted eCommerce platforms for creating visually appealing websites. If you plan to use Big Cartel to grow your online shop, your concerns may be around Big Cartel pricing plans. If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place. The article today will help you find an optimal option.
Here's the agenda that LitExtension – #1 eCommerce Migration Service will cover:
- Detailed analysis of BigCartel pricing;
- Additional costs need considering;
- Big Cartel alternatives pricing.
Right now, let’s find out more with us!
♣ Our quick takeaways
You might be first wondering: “Is Big Cartel free?” Yes, Big Cartel does offer a forever-free plan called Gold. In addition to the free plan, there are 2 paid pricing tiers: Platinum and Diamond.
However, apart from the subscription cost of Big Cartel plans, you need to consider additional costs, like domain name, apps & templates, marketing, and transaction fees.
Big Cartel Pricing Breakdown: A Thorough Analysis
Currently, you can access one of the 3 following Big Cartel pricing tiers: Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. Each plan offers various features tailored to your business's needs.
#1. Gold – Free
Note: Big Cartel is one of the few platforms that allows users to sell in the free plan.
Big Cartel Gold plan lets you list up to 5 products and add one illustration image for each product. You can also create product options and variants to structure your store. More importantly, this plan offers core selling features, like shipment tracking, real-time stats, or sales tax autopilot, to start a simple online store.
However, you can not access a custom domain available on the Gold plan. You’ll have to pay for a unique domain for your site. In this situation, we recommend getting BigCartel's support to connect one for only $1 for the first year.
Price: 0$/month
Best for: The Gold plan is ideal for sellers who want to run an online store with a tight budget. If you are a creator or artist, you can activate this plan to create stunning designs.
#2. Platinum
With this Big Cartel pricing tier, you can use all the features of the Gold plan but access more products and eCommerce functions. Your site can store up to 50 product listings, track inventory, and edit them in bulk.
Platinum plan allows you to use a custom domain and enables advanced template customization. With these features, you can effectively optimize your site's design. This package also includes ad support for Facebook or Google, which is great for making your site more visible.
Price: $9.99/month
Best for: If you want to grow your business and strictly track your inventory, it’s time to upgrade to the Platinum package.
#3. Diamond
Diamond plan includes all the features of the Platinum plan, with the addition of up to 500 product listings and 25 images per product. This helps you build an impressive store of various items and visual descriptions. And, of course, you'll have access to both basic and advanced eCommerce features.
Another outstanding point in this Big Cartel pricing tier is that it allows you to target ads to specific audiences to increase your sales effectively. Additionally, you will always get prioritized support from the Big Cartel team for unexpected issues.
Price: $19.99/month
Best for: The Diamond plan is an optimal solution for sellers who want to scale up their businesses or get excellent customer service.
How Much Is BigCartel? Additional Costs You Must Consider
Once you pick a proper Big Cartel pricing plan, it's time to address other considerations to enhance the power of your site. This may involve additional costs, such as::
- Domain name cost;
- Templates & design cost;
- Apps & integration cost;
- Payment & transaction fees;
- Marketing cost.
Now, let’s keep scrolling for in-depth estimations.
#1. Domain name cost
- Price: $10 – $20/year
Your domain is your site's address, which provides detailed information to direct customers directly to your site instead of a full IP address. Therefore, it’s important to consider a custom option. A unique domain name can help boost your brand awareness and make your products more visible.
As mentioned above, Big Cartel can help you get a custom domain for only $1 for the first year. After this time, the domain mainly costs $10 to $20 per year, depending on the top-level domain (TLD) extension you select.
On Big Cartel, you can also register for a subdomain to further organize your online content, as well as integrate your shop into the existing website to save efforts. This qualifies all Big Cartel pricing tiers, even on the Gold plan.
Besides, you can directly purchase your domain through reliable websites, like Squarespace domains (previously Google domains) and Domain.com. Normally, you need to pay starting at $10 annually to maintain these domains.
#2. Templates & design cost
- Price: Free template | Storefront development fee of $3,000 to $10,000/design
Big Cartel offers all 15 free templates to customize your store’s style. All of these templates are highly responsive, which ensures the site functions flawlessly on all devices, from desktops to mobile devices. Several outstanding options you should consider are Lunch Break, Luna, Sunscreen, and Roadie.
From our experience, Big Cartel templates are easy to modify, allowing anyone to create an impressive design without coding expertise.
However, consider getting support from the development team if you want to save time and personalize your storefront with unique features. Normally, an eCommerce store development service may charge between $3,000 to $10,000 per design.
#3. Apps & integration cost
- Price: $0 – $40/month
To empower your online store, you should have several add-ons and integrations with powerful third-party apps. Currently, all Big Cartel pricing plans allow access to a wide range of apps, which are categorized into the following 6 categories:
- Marketing & promotion apps;
- Store management apps;
- Manufacturing, shipping, & fulfillment apps;
- Apps by Big Cartel;
- Payment processors;
- Connecting a custom domain to your Big Cartel shop.
These apps cost between $0 and $40 per month. However, when it comes to Big Cartel-tailored apps, you can experience them for free.
#4. Payment & transaction fees
- Price: Free
Does Big Cartel charge transaction fees? No, Big Cartel does not charge any transaction fees with all pricing packages.
However, the third-party payment gateways that support your transactions will charge you for this service. Big Cartel currently works with two leading payment processors: Stripe and PayPal.
You may wonder, ”How much is the Big Cartel application fee Stripe?”. Stripe charges a fee of 2.9% + $0.30 USD/order. This fee is much lower than PayPal's, which requires around 2.99% + $0.49 USD for most transactions.
However, we recommend using the Stripe gateway as it offers lower transaction fees and supports online and in-person sales.
#5. Marketing cost
- Price: $12 to $40/month
Big Cartel offers core marketing functions like discount tag setups or traffic reporting. However, to effectively engage your clients, you should invest more in SEO and advanced marketing strategies.
You can integrate your Big Cartel website with marketing apps such as Powr.io, Poptin, or Chaty. These apps typically require a monthly payment of $12 to $40.
♣ The verdict
The total Big Cartel fees generally range from $85 to $250 per month, depending on your site’s activity. Our experts suggest that this cost could be lower compared to other eCommerce platforms. Therefore, if you are on a tight budget, Big Cartel pricing tiers would be an optimal solution.
Big Cartel Alternatives Pricing
Here are a few great alternatives to Big Cartel with competitive pricing to help you set up a robust eCommerce store.
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Big Cartel Pricing: FAQs
What fees does Big Cartel charge?
Big Cartel charges between $0 and $19.99 per month. However, to maintain your site, you need to consider additional costs like domain name, apps, marketing, and development. Depending on your requirements, these Big Cartel fees will vary flexibly.
Is Big Cartel free to sell on?
Yes. With the Big Cartel Gold plan, you can run a store with 5 product listings and fundamental eCommerce features.
Does Big Cartel take a percentage of sales?
No, Big Cartel doesn’t take a cut of sales. Instead, you need to pay transaction fees when completing your payments through third-party processors like Stripe or PayPal. Normally, PayPal will charge you more than Stripe.
How many products can you sell on Big Cartel for free?
With a forever-free pricing plan, you can sell 5 products on your eCommerce store. You can also attach one image for each product to make product descriptions clearer. To enable more items, we recommend upgrading to paid plans like Platinum or Diamond plans.
Final Words
Our blog provides a comprehensive analysis of Big Cartel pricing. In addition to the monthly subscription fee, you need to consider additional costs to keep your site outstanding. From our perspective, Big Cartel is one of the cheapest eCommerce solutions, which is beneficial for launching a well-structured store with a friendly budget.
LitExtension, the #1 Shopping Cart Migration Expert, hopes you select an optimal BigCartel pricing tier to optimize your site. Check out our LitExtension Blog or join our Facebook Community Group for valuable insights.