How To Set Up A Big Cartel Site

Big Dare is an eCommerce builder platform that is designed for modest businesses, artists, creatives, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and mompreneurs. Since it offers a costless plan, it allows anyone, regardless of their budget, to get started with selling stuff online.

Big Dare is far from the virtually popular eCommerce building platform. In fact, it but powers less than 0.1 percent of websites that use a content management system, co-ordinate to W3Techs, which keeps track of the market place share of each website builder and software.

All the same, usage has grown slightly over the by yr. Peradventure because Big Cartel is so simple and easy to use, without as well many distractions such as an abundance of plugin choices, it seems to exist gaining some traction recently.

As you will see in this article, many sites using Big Cartel are owned by artists, musicians, and the like. They use Big Cartel to sell their own art or merchandise.

Big Dare was created past artists, in fact. Many on the managing squad run their ain Big Cartel sites equally well.

This focus on the pocket-sized business owner is what attracts many to Large Dare; information technology's similar a mom-and-pop shop compared to Shopify, which would be more like a chain store such as Walmart or Costco.

What Is Big Cartel Best For?

Big Cartel might non be the all-time website builder for massive eCommerce sites. It simply does not offer the flexibility and customization options y'all would get with Shopify, which has so many themes and apps to choose from, as well every bit hundreds of integrations with 3rd-political party services and tools.

Large Cartel is best for smaller sites, especially if you are selling something truly unique or creative, such as art, ceramics, music, and the similar.

You may also choose Big Cartel if y'all only accept a few products to sell and don't want to pay coin for a website builder like Shopify. If you use Shopify to power your eCommerce store, you will besides have to pay money for a domain name and hosting.

Even free website builders like Wix don't usually let you to sell products for free. Y'all might be able to create a Wix website for complimentary, but if you want to sell products, you lot accept to sign up for a premium plan so you lot tin can use Wix Commerce.

Finding an eCommerce platform that lets you sell for free can be surprisingly difficult. Big Cartel is an outlier in this regard, actually.

Even though the complimentary programme is limited, information technology does allow you to get started without paying a cent. Once you brand plenty sales, you may be able to afford a premium plan.

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Big Cartel Vs Shopify

Given the choice between Big Cartel and Shopify, is there whatsoever situation in which choosing Big Dare is a better option? Information technology's hard to respond that question directly considering information technology depends on a lot of factors, including your needs and upkeep.

Shopify is, without a doubt, a improve eCommerce builder overall. It but has more options, allows you lot to get more washed, has tons of apps and integrations, then on.

On the other hand, Big Cartel is more limiting when it comes to things like choosing a theme or integrating with other services.

Yet, that'southward non to say that Big Cartel doesn't have its benefits. Similar I already mentioned, information technology allows you to sell items for costless.

Although Shopify has a free trial, that only lasts for xiv days. You lot can't sell products on Shopify without paying money.

Large Cartel, on the other hand, allows you to sell upwards to five products for free.

While Big Cartel might not exist as user-intuitive (on the developer side) like Shopify, information technology is still rather easy to use. I wouldn't say information technology's the easiest website builder to use out at that place, but afterwards going through a bit of a learning bend, you should get the hang of it.

It doesn't let for as much customization as Shopify, merely information technology does permit you to customize your theme, up to a point, without needing to know whatsoever coding. However, as you will see in these examples, many Big Cartel sites look pretty similar, with a like template.

That's considering information technology can be difficult to truly make your site look unique when using Large Cartel. Thus, a lot of sites are very obviously Large Cartel sites – even if they don't have the Big Cartel name in the footer, they might have a shopping cart icon that is common on Big Dare sites.

If you are an artist, freelancer, musician, or some other sort of creative, Big Cartel might be a amend choice for you. You won't have to worry well-nigh setting up an improvident website.

Big Dare makes it like shooting fish in a barrel to set up a relatively minimalistic but elegant website, as I will show you lot in this article with examples. As an artist, you desire to make your art the focus of the website – the thing that people notice offset when they land on your site.

A minimalistic design, which you will see in some of the examples below, helps describe the reader's optics to the artwork yous are selling. It cuts out distractions and helps your inventiveness polish through.

You may also want to use Big Dare if y'all are concerned about your privacy when selling with Shopify or some other large website builder. Large Cartel claims that they don't reply to investors, which allows them to go along your data safe.

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How To Get Started With Big Cartel

Getting started with selling on Big Dare is pretty straightforward, and you don't need to have any coding experience. You'll need to sign up for a programme (if you are only getting started, choose the gratis plan) and create your store.

You lot will be able to add products, along with product information, and choose one of the free themes. You tin can customize your theme by changing the fonts, irresolute the color backgrounds, and personalizing the header and footer with your logo and/or slogan.

Big Cartel supports both PayPal and Stripe every bit payment processors. These 2 payment processors allow customers to pay in the following ways:

With a credit or debit card (Stripe)
With PayPal
With Venmo (PayPal)
With Paypal Credit (PayPal)
With Apple Pay (Stripe)
With in-person payments (Stripe)

The cool part is that Big Cartel, unlike many other eCommerce website builders, does not take any commissions. In other words, it doesn't charge a transaction fee – for example, you don't have to pay three percent in fees to Large Cartel; you merely have to pay your monthly subscription fee (if you are signed up to a premium programme).

However, PayPal and Stripe charge their ain fees. These payment processor fees are normal and can't exist avoided; still, you won't have to pay additional transaction fees on top of them.

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The 16 Best Large Dare Website Examples

1. The Feebles

The Feebles is a beautiful website that sells quaint art. Information technology has a simple blueprint, but the fine art prints being sold on the site are beautifully laid out.

It's a simple site, but it is elegant. Information technology is easy to navigate, and checking out is a breeze.

Sometimes, when it comes to eCommerce, less is more. You don't take to get full-out minimalistic with your eCommerce store, but reducing ataxia can help make your site easier to use, and it is a smashing tactic to utilize when yous are selling something as unique as The Feebles' products.

The Feebles is a great example of how to gear up a simple but professional and elegant website store for any purpose, regardless of what you are selling.

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2. Delish Condish

Delish Condish is another excellent example of how to brand a simple but quirky store using Large Cartel. Information technology'due south a small business that sells homemade skincare products using natural ingredients that were ethically sourced.

The homepage is well organized – at the bottom, at that place are different categories y'all tin click on to see products in a specific category.

The products on the homepage and on each category page are well laid out, with like shooting fish in a barrel to read text and beautiful images. The main menu is pretty simple also – you tin can view production categories or detect information about the site, including oft asked questions.

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3. I And Yous Ceramics

I And Yous Ceramics doesn't just have a beautiful proper name, it has a cute online storefront every bit well, powered by Large Cartel. Like the previous examples on this list, it is simple but elegant.

I And You Ceramics uses a minimalistic design, with short sentences and quotes in beautiful font displayed forth with a beige-colored background. Scrolling downwardly, yous volition come up across beautiful images of ceramics.

One matter I liked almost the product folio on I And You Ceramics is that they didn't but include pictures of the bodily products. Instead, they showed people holding the ceramic products, using different poses.

I think that helps catch the eye.

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4. Lucy Kirk

Lucy Kirk is an artist who creates art and sells interesting designs printed on products like prints, vesture, and stickers. She uses Big Cartel to host some of her fine art and products.

Although Lucy uses Large Dare, she keeps her main site on a carve up domain, hosted using Squarespace. She links to that site from her Big Dare site.

Thus, Lucy Kirk is a good example of how you lot can utilise Big Dare not just to create a skilful site in its own correct simply to bulldoze traffic to your main site.

All in all, the Lucy Kirk Big Cartel site is easy to navigate and has beautiful fonts.

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5. Another Feather

Another Feather is a jewelry store selling handcrafted and other types of jewelry. They have a Large Cartel site, simply they don't even host any products on the Big Cartel shop – it'south another instance of a store using Big Cartel to drive traffic to their principal site.

When yous Google "Another Feather jewelry," their Big Cartel site is the kickoff result on Google, so it probably brings some nice traffic to their main site.

In add-on, they use their Large Cartel site to provide information about their social media profiles so people can follow them.

It's not a lot of piece of work to set a pocket-size Large Cartel site for such a purpose, and information technology tin can aid drive sales and conversions.

six. Nic Annette Miller

Nic Annette Miller creates and sells beautiful sculptured fine art, from a gear up of three sculptured sardines to a gear up of five pallid bats. The sculptures are truly unique, take a special flair, and she uses Large Cartel to evidence them off and sell them.

Scrolling down the homepage, you will come across sculpture subsequently sculpture, without much text. In that location'south no need for text, in fact – the sculptures are then beautiful that they speak for themselves.

The price for each sculpture or pack of sculptures is displayed under the photo on the homepage. They can run loftier, but a lot of work goes into those sculptures, and they are adequately priced.

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7. Hallie Bateman

Hallie Bateman is a freelancer and illustrator. She has been published in famous outlets like The New York Times – indeed, her fine art is something special.

She sells a wide range of fine art products on her Big Dare site, from funny signs to illustrated comics to buttons to unique modern art. Regardless of your personal tastes, yous tin can find something you lot like on her folio.

She has a not bad logo – a pencil with the initials HB carved into it.

The Big Dare site isn't besides fancy, but it does its task, and it is easy to navigate.

8. Jessica Hische

Until now, virtually of the Big Dare website examples I accept shown yous were of websites that were minimalistic or elementary yet still elegant. However, Jessica Hische'southward site is a good example of a Large Cartel store that is a flake more elaborate and improvident.

Jessica sells all types of products on her website, including prints, art, stationery, cards, pins, jewelry, and more.

She even sells fonts! If you desire to buy a unique font that she personally created and then you lot can stand out, Jessica sells special fonts at reasonable prices.

While her site is more "avant-garde" than some of the more bones sites we have seen so far, it is nonetheless rather easy to navigate and utilise.

9. Atakontu

Atakontu is a Castilian brand selling t-shirts with unique art. Although they have a store in Bilbao, Spain, they also sell t-shirts on their Big Cartel website.

All t-shirts are sold in euros, so if yous are looking for a European example of a store using Big Cartel, Atakontu would exist something you might want to look at.

It is a very minimalistic site. At that place is non much going on, but the t-shirt designs speak for themselves.

Also, most visitors who land on the site were probably directed there from Atakontu's social media profiles, and then they already know what Atakontu is near and why they would desire to buy an Atakontu product.

ten. Uno + Ichi

Uno + Ichi sells handmade ceramics. It is based out of LA and uses Big Cartel to power its online store.

I like the quirky blueprint of the online store. While not all products are ever in stock, there is even so a nice selection to cull from.

11. The Hype Motorcar

The Hype Machine is a website that aggregates "hyped" music. If you want to notice the latest, trendiest music, head over to The Hype Machine to observe the latest hype.

The Hype Auto also sells merchandise using a Big Dare shop. In that location are only three types of products for sale as of this writing – a sticker pack, a t-shirt, and a necklace.

Prices range from $5-$15 for The Hype Car merchandise, so information technology is rather inexpensive.

I think The Hype Automobile's store is a good case of how to utilize Large Cartel if you simply have a scattering of products to sell. You don't demand a lot of products to sell to create a overnice site using Big Dare.

12. Regan Smith Clarke Wearable (RSC)

Regan Smith Clarke sells clothing with vintage art. Their online store, which is powered by Big Cartel, contains a decent pick of vintage article of clothing items.

The site needs a chip of an update, as it doesn't look that mod. However, possibly the fact that it sells vintage clothing allows it to have a more outdated, "vintage" look without too many negative consequences.

13. Matter Matters

Matter Matters is a store selling handbags and other unique products. The products have interesting colour schemes and will definitely make you stand out and look unique.

I think Affair Matters, which is based in Hong Kong, is a skilful example of a Big Cartel store targeting more than luxury buyers. A lot of Big Dare stores sell t-shirts and other items at low prices, but Affair Matters prices its products at hundreds of dollars.

14. Jim Golden Studio

Jim Golden Studio sells eye-communicable art prints, many of which go for $150 each. The prints are exquisitely cute, and although I am not personally a fan of the website's grey background, the website is easy to navigate and provides a skilful user feel.

15. Paulina Mocna

Paulina Mocna sells original paintings in her Large Dare shop. These paintings are obviously in loftier demand, equally many products seem sold out as of this writing.

The website is simple but does the trick. It is easy to browse the products on sale and detect one you honey.

16. Frida Clements

Frida Clements is an illustrator based in Seattle who runs a small Large Cartel shop. She sells various posters on her Big Cartel shop.

Those posters are simple but have a sure mystery about them. They often feature a single creature or bird, with a curt phrase consisting of just a discussion or two, causing the imagination to wander.

Is Big Cartel Expensive? Big Cartel Pricing

No, Big Cartel is very well priced. Equally I mentioned already, you tin gear up a store for gratuitous, but you will only be able to add upward to five products.

In addition, y'all volition only be able to add ane picture show per product.

However, yous volition however be able to use gratuitous themes, track shipments, run across existent-fourth dimension stats, offer discounts, and more than.

The free plan is free forever. You will not demand a credit card to create a free business relationship and beginning selling.

The Platinum plan costs merely $9.99/month and allows y'all to add up to 50 products, with five images per product. You will also be able to brand use of inventory tracking.

Information technology would be $19.99/month for 250 products and $29.99/calendar month for 500 products.

As I mentioned, Large Cartel is all-time for modest shops. To be honest, l products is not a lot, simply if you are an creative person selling your own artwork and designs, you may not need more than that – particularly if you are doing this as a side job, as yous won't necessarily have time to create so many designs.

If you take a large site with more than 500 products, Big Cartel just won't practice information technology for yous. You'll need to use an alternative website builder, like Shopify.

Always check the Big Dare pricing page for updated pricing information, as prices are subject to change at any time.

Wrapping It Up: The Best Big Cartel Website Examples

I hope this list gave y'all an idea of the type of website you tin build with Big Cartel. Of course, since you can customize your theme, y'all can create many different way websites with Big Cartel.

However, as y'all can see from this listing, many Big Cartel websites have a few things in common. They tend to be smaller eCommerce stores, oft operated by a single person.

In add-on, they often focus on creativity. A lot of artists use Big Cartel, so if y'all are an artist on a budget who wants to sell a few prints, Big Cartel might be just correct for yous.

Benjamin Levin is a digital marketing professional with four+ years of feel with inbound and outbound marketing. He helps small businesses reach their content creation, social media marketing, electronic mail marketing, and paid advertizement goals. His hobbies include reading and traveling.