{"id":"7033","date":"2021-01-25T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickfu.com\/blog\/?p=7033"},"modified":"2021-06-04T08:38:39","modified_gmt":"2021-06-04T15:38:39","slug":"big-cartel-shopify","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.pickfu.com\/big-cartel-shopify\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Cartel vs. Shopify: Which is better for you?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For small e-commerce sellers and crafters looking to build their online stores, it pretty much comes down to Big Cartel vs. Shopify. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big Cartel and Shopify have a lot in common. They\u2019re both attuned to smaller businesses, with user-friendly site builders suited for first-timers and amateur designers. They\u2019re more affordable than competing platforms like Magento and BigCommerce and take a fraction of the time to build, without a complex learning curve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, Big Cartel and Shopify are very different platforms, catering to different types of users, business models, and selling strategies. The question is, which one is right for you?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

This guide takes an in-depth look at Big Cartel and Shopify so you can make the best choice for your online store. We\u2019ll cover how they work, their pricing plans, and advantages.<\/p>\n\n\n

Big Cartel: Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n

Big Cartel<\/a> is an e-commerce site builder that\u2019s simple enough for anyone to use but advanced enough to build unique and creative designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operative word here is creative<\/em>, as Big Cartel caters to artists, crafters, and self-publishing authors<\/a>. Think of its key audience as Etsy sellers<\/a> who want their own site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Big<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Big Cartel uses a template-style site builder with plenty of personalization options to make it your own. The theme you choose dictates the structure and setup of your site. From there, you\u2019re free to populate it with your own images and text and tweak the colors and typography to your liking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything is simplified with all your choices laid out for you \u2014 no need for coding or previous web design experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot<\/a>

Big Cartel’s simple template-style site builder offers plenty of personalization options. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

How much does Big Cartel cost?<\/h2>\n\n\n

Big Cartel\u2019s low pricing is one of its strongest features. The free Gold plan is especially appealing to those on a budget, although it\u2019s limited to five products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of Big Cartel\u2019s paid plans include the basics: hosting, template customization, shipment tracking, SSL certificates, in-person sales, and options for discounts or promotions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Big Cartel’s higher-tier paid plans, which start at $9.99 a month, give you more products, as well as extra features like more images per product, inventory tracking, bulk editing, and the ability to edit the coding. All of these paid plans offer the extra features. The only difference between them is the amount of products you can sell.<\/p>\n\n\n

Advantages of Big Cartel<\/h2>\n\n

Better visuals<\/h3>\n\n\n

Few e-commerce platforms, big or small, give you such unique starter themes as Big Cartel. Even if you don\u2019t personalize much, the templates still stand out visually, even in their pre-made forms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visuals are crucial to e-commerce \u2014 not just for enticing product photos<\/a>, but also for brand presentation<\/a>. The images, colors, and typography on your site reflect on you, so Big Cartel’s extra customization options come in handy for creative young brands looking to stand out from the herd.<\/p>\n\n\n

Free plan<\/h3>\n\n\n

One of the biggest hurdles to starting an e-commerce business is cost. Big Cartel\u2019s free Gold plan renders that moot. You can essentially start your business with no capital as long as you have the goods to sell. This is ideal for artists, independent authors, and other creative types.<\/p>\n\n\n

Shopify: Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n

Shopify<\/a> is one of the most, if not the<\/em> most, popular e-commerce site builders in the world, and for good reason. Like Big Cartel, Shopify specializes in easy and convenient design for those without web-building experience. It\u2019s so easy, you can launch a fully functional online store in minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Big<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Shopify also uses a template-style design interface, but here’s where it deviates from Big Cartel. Shopify\u2019s customization options are more restrictive and don\u2019t offer as much flexibility. This, combined with the number of customers Shopify serves, leads to a lot of Shopify sites that look the same, making it hard to stand out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Shopify lacks in visual flair and originality, it makes up for in sales techniques. In addition to standard features like order management, discount codes, and SSL certificates, Shopify offers sales-specific features like gift cards, abandoned cart recovery, printed shipping labels, international currencies, fraud analysis, and data reports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If that\u2019s not enough for you, check out Shopify\u2019s app store for more. Its large community is a great resource for technical support, third-party apps, and general inspiration. <\/p>\n\n\n

How much does Shopify cost?<\/h2>\n\n\n

Although it doesn’t offer a free plan like Big Cartel, Shopify is still one of the more affordable e-commerce platforms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It offers three main plans, starting at $29 a month \u2014 Basic Shopify, Shopify, and Advanced Shopify \u2014 plus a Shopify Lite plan to add checkout to an existing site, and a Shopify Plus plan for enterprise-level sellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The three main plans all offer unlimited products, 24\/7 customer support, and most of the business-oriented features. The higher-tier plans offer more advanced reports and international options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key difference between the paid plans is the transactions fees: higher tiers pay smaller percentages. If you sell a lot, it may cost less to upgrade your plan.  <\/p>\n\n\n

Advantages of Shopify<\/h2>\n\n

Extra features for serious retailers<\/h3>\n\n\n

While Big Cartel is ideal for artists and independent sellers, Shopify is made for serious retailers. If you want extra options for promotions or favor obscure sales techniques, you\u2019re more likely to find them at Shopify. Even if the features you want aren\u2019t built in, chances are you can still find them as add-ons in Shopify\u2019s app store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shopify stores are also more scalable. At some point, your brand may become too big for Big Cartel. With Shopify, there\u2019s always room to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n

Quick and easy setup<\/h3>\n\n\n

Shopify is the platform for sellers who don\u2019t care much about web design or visuals. If you don\u2019t mind a cookie-cutter site, you can have an online store up and running in no time. While that limits customization and originality, Shopify can\u2019t be beat for convenience and speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Community support<\/h3>\n\n\n

As one of the largest and most popular e-commerce platforms in the world, Shopify comes with an enormous community of not only other sellers, but also third-party app developers. This allows for a wider range of add-ons to complement your site and somewhat counteract the limits on customization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having that community is also useful when troubleshooting or asking advice. While Shopify does offer 24\/7 customer support, sometimes it\u2019s easier to find solutions to your problems online. There are plenty of forum chats and blog posts with tips and recommendations about managing a Shopify store. Help is always around the corner.<\/p>\n\n\n

Big Cartel vs. Shopify: Which should you use?<\/h2>\n\n\n

It comes down to priorities. Each platform caters to certain objectives over others. If you\u2019re trying to decide which one is right for you, look at your particular needs and goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use Big Cartel if: <\/p>\n\n\n\n